Good afternoon, fellow NOAA Corps officers,
With daylight savings time now in effect and the vernal equinox coming tomorrow, spring is certainly on its way. I hope everyone is doing well and I am happy to report that promotion and other administrative packages are progressing through the NOAA and DOC routing chains, keeping on track with my message from March 2nd (expecting the first round of 'pinning on' sometime in April). April will also bring the promotion boards for O-2 through O-4 and I hope all officers in zone have worked with their supervisors and CDR Ryan Wattam (Chief, Officer Career Management Division) to ensure that their OPFs are both current and healthy. It is an exciting time of year, for sure.
On another note, I want to echo RDML(sel) Cary's message from his recent Ops Update and reiterate that the best COVID-19 vaccine is the first one you have access to. We are all in this together and please remember to practice social distancing, wear masks, and follow COVID-19 mitigation protocols.
One final note is on the inspirational side and comes from the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Amelia Earhart:
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity."
You are all doing an amazing job and there is still a lot more to do for NOAA and the Nation. Let's keep at it.
Stay healthy,
CDR Douglas MacIntyre, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 25 Mar 2021 | OCS 2-21/BOTC 137 Billet Night |
| Late Mar 2021 | Command Advisory Board |
| Early Apr 2021 | Officer Assignment Board |
| RADM Michael Silah | 01 Apr 2021 |
| CDR Paul Kunicki | 01 May 2021 |
| LTJG Lyle Robbins | 01 May 2021 |
| RDML Shepard Smith | 01 Jun 2021 |
| LTJG Sarah Donohoe | 25 Jun 2021 |
| LTJG Tyler Fifield | 30 Jun 2021 |
| LT Calandria DeCastro | 01 Jul 2021 |
| LT Michael Silagi | 01 Aug 2021 |
In advance of BOTC 136, NJAC proposed a Junior Officer be selected to serve as BOTC sponsor. The idea was to give BOTC candidates access to another resource similar to the BOTC Flag sponsor, but at a more approachable level. With the support of CPC, LTJG Justin Miyano developed this sponsorship program and served as the JO class sponsor for BOTC 136 and 137. The program was viewed as a resounding success, and the decision has been made to carry it forward to future BOTC classes.
With the groundwork for the program laid, CPC is ready to solicit for the next BOTC Junior Officer Sponsor. Please see the link below for a description of the program, and instructions for how to apply.
BOTC Junior Officer Sponsor Program Information
Junior Officers between the grades of O-1 to O-3 may apply. Applicants must have graduated from the current USCG and NOAA Corps Joint Service Officer Training program. CPC will fund formal mentorship or coaching training for the selected Junior Officer.
Submit your application package to CDR Ryan Wattam at chief.careermgmt.cpc@noaa.gov by COB April 09, 2021. Applicants will be notified of their selection status via e-mail on or around April 23, 2021. Supervisors are encouraged to support Junior Officer participation in this program.
Please contact CDR Ryan Wattam at chief.careermgmt.cpc@noaa.gov for questions.
Medical Affairs is reviewing a backlog of readiness documentation. We ask that you be patient with us and refrain from resubmitting the same documentation, as this causes further delays. Please know we are prioritizing review of documentation for those who are about to return to sea or those heading to safety sensitive positions, and upcoming promotions. We do plan to have all readiness documentation that is submitted, reviewed and updated in the database by March 31st.
You are considered to be fit unless you hear otherwise by way of a memo from Medical Affairs stating you are temporarily not fit for duty, or placed in a limited duty status. If you are seeing a red check in your OPF, this means that one or more readiness documents are pending review, or have not been submitted at all. If you have a question regarding medical readiness documents being received and updated, please just email us and we will look for the documentation and respond accordingly.
We want to reassure all officers that it is incredibly rare for an officer to be reviewed for routine readiness and be found not fit for duty. Modifications of fitness status usually come through incidents of acute illness or injury that are reported by the individual officer or the supervisor. Those reports require honest transparency from both parties, and in that vein we want to be consistently transparent and honest with you all. We are backlogged. We are working hard. And we will not penalize anyone for readiness just because we have not reviewed your paperwork. We are here to support you.
The CPC Director sent message last week stating the official notice from Defense Health Agency (DHA) that NOAA Corps officers are eligible to receive a COVID vaccine at a Military Treatment Facility (MTF) or other DoD vaccination site. Please remember that you MUST be in uniform and have you CAC card when getting vaccinated at a MTF.
We encourage all officers to obtain vaccines through the best avenue available to them, MTF’s, DoD vaccination sites, state, local, or community programs. Please ensure you upload a copy of your vaccine card to your OPF or submit via Kiteworks once series is completed.
We do not endorse one vaccine over another, all 3 vaccines approved for use (Moderna, Pfizer, and now Johnson & Johnson) are considered safe.