Good afternoon, fellow NOAA Corps officers,
Nature abhors a vacuum. This age-old postulate is attributed to Aristotle and while recent researchers in physics are finding examples where this may not truly be the case, the message rings true with information. Our minds will fill in the gaps where information is missing irrespective of the validity of the information. Don't believe me? Check out some fun optical illusions or mind games and see for yourself how your mind will fill in missing pieces of information to create a 'whole image.' This is also true for rumors and hearsay. A recent example of this has come up that illustrates this point and that is your Annual Leave carryover balance and what happens at the stroke of midnight on September 30th each year. We all know (or should know) that leave in excess of the authorized carryover balance is 'lost' at the end of the fiscal year so it makes some sense that the system would make a quick check of everyone's leave balance at 11:59pm on September 30th and then delete any leave over the authorized maximum at 12:01am October 1st. Despite the implied logic of this action, this does not occur. NOAA Corps leave is processed alongside USCG leave and the system is set up to allow leave to be processed after the fact in October for leave taken the prior month or earlier. You can even be on leave during the fiscal year switch-over and your leave balance will be adjusted accordingly. This is not a new or unique problem for the NOAA Corps and the USCG Pay and Personnel Center, where the NOAA Corps Payroll department sits, is fully equipped to handle all issues surrounding our annual leave balances - even restoring leave balances that may have erroneously been adjusted. We all have access to Direct Access and can see our previous LES payslips and can monitor and track our leave earned and used. CPC and the NOAA Corps Payroll department are always ready to help and are only a phone call or email (or G-Chat, GoogleVoice, Google Meet, etc) away. Be sure to reach out early and often if you have questions or concerns regarding your pay and benefits. Too often old rumors of the "way things used to be'' or "what I heard'' get in the way of the real and factual information available; we just need to ask. That is why the quarterly CPC all-hands meeting can be so valuable and I look forward to the next one coming up in April.
Stay healthy,
CAPT Douglas MacIntyre, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 06 Apr 2022 | Officer Assignment Board |
| ENS Allegra Menniti | 15 Mar 2022 |
| LT Kelsey Jeffers | 01 May 2022 |
| LT Anna-Elizabeth Villard-Howe | 01 May 2022 |
| ENS Christine Sealing | 01 May 2022 |
| LCDR Lindsey Norman | 18 May 2022 |
| LTJG Anna Hallingstad | 01 Jun 2022 |
You would need a bigger fire extinguisher to put out the morale for BOTC 139! BOTC 139 recently completed basic and advanced fire fighting training at the Rhode Island Fire Academy as seen in the pictures below. The class has been active in the classroom with coursework in Aids to Navigation, Navigation 1, and they recently completed the USCG's Leadership and Management course. Members of BOTC 139, along with their USCG OCS 2-22 shipmates, will be getting underway aboard the USCGC EAGLE on March 12th. The ship will be making a port call in Norfolk, VA and offering tours of the vessel. More information regarding tours will be available in the next Cyberflash. Upon return from the EAGLE on March 26th, the class will begin coursework in Rules of the Road while anxiously awaiting Billet Night on March 31st.
ENS Ashley Howell and ENS Louis Castillo transiting to the next training evolution at the Rhode Island Fire Academy.Photo credit: ENS Megan O'Neill. |
BOTC 139 poses for a picture upon completion of Basic Fire Fighting at the Rhode Island Fire Academy. Photo credit: ENS Megan O'Neill. |
Security Clearance Applications are in varying degrees of completion by CPC and OSY. OSY will grant security clearance memos once completed in the order received. Please be advised that security clearance status holds no bearing on promotability. CPC appreciates your continued patience with this process.
The USCG Pay and Personnel Center completed a financial update in January of this year that has caused significant pay complications for NOAA Corps officers and USCG members. The pay system has not allowed PCS moves to be processed since the update in early January, therefore affecting pay and allowances for officers who have recently reported to a new assignment. In addition, pay slips for most officers are not showing some deductions even though the appropriate deductions have been made. We are working daily with the USCG programmers to alleviate these system issues. In the meantime, please contact Katherine Raymond at katherine.raymond@noaa.gov or 301-713-7732 with any questions or concerns.
The Executive Committee of National ACO Scholarships, Inc. has issued its annual call to high school seniors and college undergrads for applications for scholarship awards for the 2022/2023 academic year. The two-page application form is available on the “Resources” page of the NOAA Officer Family Association website (www.nofaweb.org), under the heading “National ACO Scholarships, Inc.” Application forms may also be obtained by contacting Secretary/Treasurer Captain Dave Peterson, NOAA (Ret), by phone (301-233-8090) or email (kmpdhp@comcast.net). Complete application packages should be sent to the corporation’s post office address (on the application form) and should be postmarked this year no later than Thursday, April 15, 2022.
The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is looking for a motivated Junior Officer entering their first shore assignment to become the next Remote Sensing Technology Specialist (Billet #7192). Assigned to the Remote Sensing Division (RSD), this officer will be a member of a 3-person crew on the NOAA King Air, NOAA68. Duties primarily focus on operating aerial camera equipment for coastal mapping and Emergency Response data collection. This is a mobile assignment, with approximately 40% of time spent in the field. While in the office, duties include data processing and other project completion/packaging tasks. The officer is eligible to receive the Mobile Duty Service Ribbon and can earn the qualification of Mission Commander.
While the billet is based in Silver Spring, MD, RSD's field operations are nationwide. There is a seasonal tempo to RSD's field operations, and the crew is flexible in where they choose to operate, based on water levels and weather conditions. For example, currently-planned projects are widely distributed geographically, from pre-storm imagery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to coastal mapping imagery near Nome, AK in Norton Sound.
Incumbent rotates out of this position in June, 2023. Interested officers are encouraged to contact the incumbent, LTJG Linda Junge (linda.junge@noaa.gov), or LCDR Scott Broo (scott.e.broo@noaa.gov), and the Assignment Coordinator at assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov to learn more.
The UxS Operations Center is seeking O-4 or O-5 officers to be Chief of the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Division (UASD) in Lakeland, FL, starting in the spring/summer of 2023.
The UASD provides both technical and oversight to UAS users across NOAA as well as operating UAS in support of NOAA missions. The UAS division assists NOAA labs and science centers in establishing UAS programs, provides training to UAS pilots, develops policies, and ensures NOAA UAS activities are in compliance with both internal NOAA and FAA policies and regulations. In 2021, the UASD oversaw over 1600 UAS flights across NOAA. The UASD owns a variety of UAS and operates them both in support of NOAA missions and for training, test and evaluation purposes.
The UASD is also involved with developing new NOAA missions for UAS platforms, including coordinating with NOAA scientists on air-launched UAS for hurricane research, surveying marine mammals in the Aleutian Islands with Beyond-Visual-Line-Of-Sight operations and using UAS for coastal mapping, climate research, and flood and tornado damage assessments.
Serving as Chief of the UASD is a significant leadership opportunity. The incumbent will carry executive responsibility for NOAA's success in an important and growing new operational area. They will oversee a growing staff of NOAA Corps officers, civilians and contractors providing high visibility services and operational support across the agency. The incumbent will gain significant experience and technical knowledge of UAS operations as well as supervising personnel and an approximately $1M annual budget. They will also have significant outward-facing engagement responsibilities including fostering partnerships and representing NOAA with Federal agencies.
Interested candidates should contact CAPTs Phil Hall or Bill Mowitt or the incumbent, CDR Paul Hemmick and the Assignment Coordinator at assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov to learn more. An aviation or UxS background is desirable but not strictly required.