BOTC 142 - Final Student Written Cyberflash

BOTC 142 Ensigns aboard the Pisces practices hose drills. Photo Credit: LTJG Nina Lesser.

Last week BOTC 142 had the privilege of sailing aboard two vessels in the NOAA fleet, Pisces and Nancy Foster. BOTC Ensigns stood watch, experienced shipboard life, practiced transiting, fired flares, and attended professional development seminars. They completed fire drills, damage control drills, man overboard drills, CTD deployments, survey lines, practiced the Rules of the Road and much more.

LTJG Lesser teaches BOTC 142 Ensigns underway about Alidades and other assets in their nautical toolbelt. Photo Credit: ENS Megan Sixt

The opportunity to set sail alongside fellow NOAA Corps Officers was incredibly exciting and invaluable to BOTC 142 as it gave a clear demonstration of the expectations, excitement, responsibilities, and realities of life underway. BOTC 142 is truly grateful for the hospitality, patience, mentorship and camaraderie that was shown to them by the officers and crew of Pisces and Nancy Foster.

BOTC 142 Ensigns aboard the Nancy Foster practice damage control Photo Credit: Captain Rick Comeau

With their graduation cruise in the books, BOTC 142 has spent the past week attending Bridge Resource Management classes in Rhode Island before parting ways and heading to the fleet to begin their careers as afloat NOAA Corps officers.

As we look back on BOTC 142, the skills, experiences and friendships developed over the past 21 weeks have been profound, unique, and unforgettable. Basic officer training has challenged and frustrated this new cohort of Ensigns, but in the end it has prepared them to be competent, confident and compassionate members of the NOAA fleet as they now head into the oceans and the air.

And now, an introduction to the individuals responsible for documenting the progress that BOTC 142 has made over these past few months!

My name is ENS Rachel Backman, and I’m from Duluth, MN. I will be starting my NOAA career on the NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker

I am ENS James Seibert, I graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where I earned a B.S. in Aeronautical Science and a minor in Applied Meteorology. Prior to BOTC I worked as a mural artist in Southern California. My current billet is on the King Air 350 at AOC in Lakeland, FL.

My name is ENS Luca Grifo-Hahn, and I am from Bethesda, Maryland. Prior to BOTC, I worked as a deckhand and educator aboard educational vessels in the Chesapeake Bay. I will be heading to the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson to begin my career with the NOAA Corps.

NCD Chapter 8, Termination of Active Service

RADM Hann signed a new version of Chapter 8 this week, which contains several important updates. Within our recent initiative to update the directives, this chapter has taken the longest because we had to be especially deliberate and careful, consulting frequently with Department of Commerce General Counsel due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter relating to termination of active service. Most importantly, this chapter:

• Incorporates the change made in the FY23 NDAA to allow for involuntary separation of officers in the grade of commander or captain who are not otherwise eligible for retirement, and who have been twice passed over and not recommended for promotion by a personnel board. This change aligns us with the other services' laws.
• Provides guidance on determining an officer's characterization of service (e.g. honorable, general, or other than honorable) in line with the other services. This is an important requirement as we transition to using the DD214 - more on that to come!
• Removes outdated policy on medical boards and incorporates policy and procedures for the Disability Evaluation System that were temporarily contained in an OMAO procedure. This has been a major accomplishment by our Office of Health Services and Medical Affairs staff that provides clarity for officers being evaluated for disability separation and retirement.

Upcoming Direct Access Limited Availability

Beginning 0600 EST, Wednesday, December 20, 2023, through 0600 EST, Wednesday, January 3, 2024, availability to Direct Access will be limited to only those users performing tasks associated with 2024 payroll and regulatory changes.

During this timeframe, the Payroll Unit will be unable to process pay actions and access to self-service in Direct Access for all users will be unavailable. This means no login access, including no ability to submit absence requests, no processing of pay or separation transactions and no processing of orders etc. If you should require assistance, please contact Sherrita Irby at sherrita.irby@noaa.gov.

Pet Expenses Due to a Permanent Change of Station

Pet expenses will be reimbursable effective January 01, 2024. One household pet is reimbursable which can be a cat or a dog. Reimbursement for CONUS PCS move is $550 and $2,000 for OCONUS travel. Again this reimbursement is not effective until January 01, 2024 and information will be posted in the Joint Travel Regulations near the end of this Calendar year. You can also view this information in JTR 050107 Pet Expenses Due to a PCS.

If you have any questions, please contact Jerrard Baker at 301-713-7728 or jerrard.baker@noaa.gov

Submitting Orders to Assignments

After a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) or a Permanent Change of Assignment (PCA), signed orders must be submitted to multiple places, including CPC Assignments Branch. In the OPF, under Assignments, there will be a box that appears under "Assignment History" to submit signed orders when an officer is in their rotation period. This checks the officer out of their previous billet, and into their new assignment.

Also, please note that if doing a PCA (changing assignments, but not location) officers are still required to request orders. This requirement is often forgotten, including when an officer transitions from Ops in Training to Operations Officer on a ship, or when changing billets on a land assignment in the same duty station location. Use NOAA Form 56-26, fill out the top portion, and skip to box 13: Remarks to request PCA Orders. These orders must be signed and uploaded into the OPF under the Assignments tab as well.

Thank you! If you have any questions, please reach out to assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov