Good afternoon,
I hope this cyberflash message finds you all in the very best of health and well-being. As we prepare to commemorate the 245th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and celebrate the Independence Day weekend, we are equally excited and hopeful to promote the officers who have been eagerly awaiting this day. Also, I would like to thank the officers who are preparing for their next career and/or retirement following their selfless service in the NOAA Corps.
Over the last fifteen months, you all have had to adapt to unprecedented changes in our personal and professional lives. You have had many variables thrown your way, and you have handled it all in a remarkable fashion. While many things have changed, there are two that always stand the test of time and should always be your guiding lights…your Oath of Office and Core Values of Honor, Respect, and Commitment. Whether you are underway, teleworking, or stationed in American Samoa or the South Pole, these two things serve as a compass, utility knife, or duct tape for those scenarios where your judgment, leadership, or decision-making skills are needed. I would encourage all officers, especially those who will be promoted in the coming weeks, to review your oath as well as the NOAA Corps Core Values and renew you commitment to them as you continue to serve our nation.
https://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/noaa-corps/about
Best regards,
Jason Merriweather, NOAA
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.)
Deputy Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
*** Attention All Active Service Officers ***
All,
I have made the decision to require a COVID vaccination, and submitted proof of vaccination, for all NOAA Corps Officers by 1 September 2021. If there are any personnel that cannot meet this deadline due to operational impacts, they need to submit a request for waiver to comply no later than 1 September 2021. If any officers cannot comply due to medical or other reasoning, we will follow the established medical evaluations and Reasonable Accommodation procedures.
RDML Nancy Hann, NOAA
Deputy Director, NOAA Corps
| 18 Jun 2021 | Change of Command Ceremony - NOAA Ship Pisces |
| 04 Aug 2021 | Officer Assignment Board |
| Early Sep 2021 | Command Advisory Board |
| Early Nov 2021 | Aviation Advisory Board |
| LTJG Tyler Fifield | 30 Jun 2021 |
| LTJG Jackson Vanfleet-Brown | 30 Jun 2021 |
| RDML Shepard Smith | 01 Jul 2021 |
| LT Calandria DeCastro | 01 Jul 2021 |
| LT Philip Manougian | 01 Jul 2021 |
| LT Michael Silagi | 01 Aug 2021 |
| LTJG Sarah Donohoe | 31 Aug 2021 |
| LT Danial Palance | 20 Sep 2021 |
The Change of Command Ceremony for NOAA Ship Pisces, where CDR Chad Meckley will be relieving outgoing Commanding Officer CDR Patrick Murphy, will be held Friday, June 18, 2021 at 11:00 AM EDT at NOAA's Marine Operations Center - Atlantic in Norfolk, VA. While not every ceremony will have a virtual component, this one has live stream link so you can be there virtually if you would like: https://stream.lifesizecloud.com/extension/9346111/15166c33-8a0a-4851-8520-10fc818125a0
This is a timed honored tradition and CPC is happy to support and congratulate CDR Patrick Murphy for a successful sea tour!
In order to honor and celebrate the officers scheduled to pin-on their well-earned new ranks on 01 July 2021, RDML Hann will be hosting a virtual promotion ceremony on 01 July 2021 at 1300 - 1400 EDT. The ceremony will be held via Google Meet, with the opportunity for each promoted officer to have their new rank pinned-on on camera so the group can help them celebrate their achievement. The meeting info is in the invitation, which is linked here. The uniform for this event is service khakis.
CPC is working to schedule the 2021 promotion boards for Captain and Commander for the week of 26 July 2021. All officers in-zone should ensure that their OPF is up to date by 01 July. Please use the following contacts for OPF document questions.
The Navigation Response Branch (NRB) is looking for a highly motivated post OPS LT to take on the duties of Team Coordinator who serves as the on-site supervisor and hydrographic Chief of Party for the Navigation Response Team stationed in Stennis, Mississippi. The Team Coordinator is responsible for personnel, vessels, hydrographic project oversight, and collaborating with external partners such as University of Southern Mississippi and the NAVY Fleet Survey Team. Additionally, the officer will oversee the development and utilization of all unmanned systems and mobile platforms within NRB.
Officers interested in the assignment, should have a strong background in hydrography and small boat operations as well as demonstrated leadership competencies. Assigned officers can expect to deploy with small boat teams locally for training or survey operations and throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Mid-Atlantic regions for major response events during the hurricane season. The officer will be the regional supervisor and scientific Chief of Party for remote operational field units conducting hydrographic surveys and provided opportunities to hone leadership skills to be successful in a follow-on tour as Executive Officer aboard a NOAA Ship.
The billet will be available in early October 2021 and interested officers should contact LT John Kidd at john.kidd@noaa.gov, and the Chief of Navigation Response Branch, LCDR Megan Guberski at chief.nrb.ocs@noaa.gov.
Commissioned Personnel Center (CPC) is looking for a high preforming officer to fill a new O-4 billet in the NOAA Corps Policy Division, one of the three primary execution divisions within CPC. The Division is responsible for the development, update, and management of HR policies associated with the NOAA Corps. In addition, the Division expounds upon NOAA's HR policies, as needed, for implementation and execution in OMAO.
The incumbent officer will provide broad based policy support for the entire NOAA Corps. Develop, evaluate and periodically review the CPC policy development strategy. Analyze and evaluate, on a quantitative and qualitative basis, the effectiveness of policy development goals and objectives. Lead, conduct, and/or participate in any comprehensive study/review designed to restructure NOAA Corps policy, and contribute to/develop OMAO personnel policies. As well as represent NOAA Corps on the Military Advisory Panel at the biweekly Per Diem, Travel, Transportation & Allowances Committee, and serve as a representative to inter-agency group meetings (SGLI, Blended Retirement, etc.). The incumbent officer will be responsible for analyzing new and/or amended legislation to make appropriate changes to policies; review proposed legislation/regulations from other uniformed services (e.g., National Defense Authorization Act) or programs to determine their impact on existing NOAA Corps/OMAO human resources policies and ensure impacts are brought to OMAO leadership attention and incorporated into policy development priorities and plans.
Interested officers should update preferences and contact the Assignment Coordinator at assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov.