Fellow NOAA Corps officers,
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Atlantic and Central Pacific hurricane season. This is an annual reminder for many of us to revisit our family emergency action plans. Many citizens throughout the country are also dealing with tornados, flooding, wildfires, and a host of other weather conditions that threaten homes and families. I would like to take this opportunity to remind all to prepare for various types of weather events. Preparation, of course, begins at home by replenishing your emergency supplies, knowing your evacuation routes and plans, and learning what risks and hazards may impact your area before and after weather events. Information to help prepare for numerous emergency conditions can be found at ready.gov.
CPC is here to assist in the event of an evacuation. Active duty officers and their dependents residing at the permanent duty station, an alternate location due to assignment to unusually arduous duty, or an approved designated location as specified in a BAH waiver, are authorized travel reimbursement in the event of a mandatory evacuation. This authorization applies to officers on TDY orders as well, and dependents enroute to new PCS location. More information on these entitlements is available in the Joint Travel Regulations - Chapter 6. When an evacuation is ordered for your area, follow instructions of your local emergency management authorities, and contact CPC as soon as possible with your planned evacuation information. To ensure this process runs smoothly, we ask that officers review and update contact information for themselves and their dependents within OPF Online.
Also, I highly encourage officers to log-in and review their NOAA Staff Directory (NSD) information, and update their personal contact information in the Emergency Notification System (ENS) located on the NSD site. To ensure your most recent permanent duty station is reflected in the NSD, submit endorsed PCS orders immediately upon arrival at your new duty station. The NSD is updated monthly with revised billet information once orders are processed, however personal data provided by user can be revised any time. Supervisors should occasionally review their "Direct Reports" list by clicking on the "My Reports" button in the upper right dropdown under their name while logged into the NSD. A list of all staff assigned to you will be provided. For help with the NOAA Staff Directory, contact noaa.staffdirectory@noaa.gov.
CAPT Devin Brakob, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 05 Jun 2019 | Officer Assignment Board |
| 22 Jul 2019 | BOTC 134 commences |
| Late Jul 2019 | Aviation Advisory Board: Initial Flight Training |
| ENS Kermit Farrow | 22 Jun 2019 |
| LT Michael Hirsch | 30 Jun 2019 |
| LTJG Daniel Devereaux | 31 Jul 2019 |
| CDR Scott Price | 01 Aug 2019 |
| CAPT Mark Wetzler | 01 Aug 2019 |
| LT Bennett Singletary | 28 Aug 2019 |
| LCDR Kyle Byers | 15 Sep 2019 |
| LT Shanae Coker | 30 Sep 2019 |
| CDR Holly Jablonski | 01 Oct 2019 |
| CDR Richard Hester | 01 Oct 2019 |
| CAPT Michael Ellis | 01 Nov 2019 |
| CDR Ryan Kidder | 01 Nov 2019 |
| CAPT Barry Choy | 01 Nov 2019 |
On May 13th, 14th, and 18th, the NOAA Marksmanship Team participated in the U.S. Navy Marksmanship Team's 2019 Atlantic Fleet Matches at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Established as an annual training exercise by the U.S. Navy Marksmanship Team, the shooting matches focus on both training personnel in the fundamentals of pistol and rifle marksmanship, as well as allowing competition among various service personnel for trophies and marksmanship awards.
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The team consisting of LCDR Jonathan Taylor, LT Ricardo Rodriguez, and LT Matthew Forrest attended the Fleet Rifle Matches on May 13th and 14th. On the 18th, the team added LT Calandria DeCastro and ENS Hillary Fort to compete in the Atlantic Fleet Matches' first-ever Action Shooting competition. Working through separate pistol, rifle, and shotgun stages, the five shooters employed a variety of equipment and techniques to fire on stationary and moving targets while managing movement, reloads, target priority, and time. The team excelled in all of the action events, had a great time, and built upon a spirit of interservice cooperation and camaraderie with Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard personnel.
Great news! Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance and Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance have approved premium reductions to take effect July 1, 2019. The NOAA Corps Payroll Unit is working to have these pennies back in your pocket by mid-month July.
Speaking of life insurance, thank you to all officers who have taken action to certify their SGLI benefits online; we are currently at 60% compliance. Certification is required even if you decline coverage. Please take 5 minutes to ensure your benefits are in order by clicking here. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact LCDR Laura Gibson at laura.gibson@noaa.gov.
An Aviation Advisory Board will convene in late July 2019 to recommend selected officers to the Officer Assignment Board for initial flight training. The NOAA Corps will be selecting officers from the fleet who are interested in transitioning to aviation. Start dates for flight training will be determined based on the needs of the service and rotation dates of the officers selected. Previous flight experience is not required for this opportunity, however, it is highly encouraged and will help applicants determine if aviation is a desirable career path. Time in Service limits are waived for the purpose of this candidate selection, however, it may be a factor that is weighed in the board's decision.
Requirements for the NOAA Corps Aviation Selection Process:
Notify CDR Stephen Kuzirian at assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov or (301) 713-7694, by COB, June 15, 2019, if you are interested in this opportunity. AOC will be responsible for conducting interviews between June and July for all applicants. Completed aviation application packages must arrive at the Commissioned Personnel Center by COB, July 15, 2019.
For questions about NOAA aviation careers and the application process, contact CDR Brad Fritzler at bradley.fritzler@noaa.gov or (863) 500-3902. For questions specific to medical requirements and USCG Class I flight physicals, contact LCDR Joe Newcomb, USPHS at joseph.newcomb@noaa.gov or (813) 828-4116.
The Earth System Research Laboratory's Global Monitoring Division (ESRL/GMD) is holding interviews for the 2021/2022 American Samoa/South Pole Station Chief in July 2019. ESRL/GMD operates four remote Atmospheric Baseline Observatories strategically positioned around the globe. The long-term datasets collected at these observatories track atmospheric constituents that drive climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, and baseline air quality.
The officer selected for this billet will train in Boulder, Colorado for six months before spending one year in American Samoa running atmospheric monitoring instruments, managing observatory facilities, and completing administrative tasks necessary to operate the station. The officer will then return to Boulder for additional training before spending one year at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica running a similar suite of instruments at NOAA's South Pole Observatory, coordinating shipping logistics, and assisting with other station duties.
This billet provides independent, self-starting, adventurous individuals with the opportunity to live in the tropical South Pacific, experience six months of light and six months of darkness in Antarctica, and will have the opportunity to earn Chief of Party insignia, International Service Ribbon, Arctic Service Medal, and Antarctic Service Medal – all within one billet.
Interested officers should update their billet preferences and send their biographies and resumes to Christy Schultz at christine.schultz@noaa.gov no later than 30 June. Phone interviews will be conducted in early-to-mid July.