Good afternoon, NOAA Corps,
It’s officially Summer 2025, and today I am writing to you in the midst of a popular vacation period around two of our federal holidays: Juneteenth from last week, and Independence Day next week. In my career, I’ve found it can be relatively easy to take federal holidays for granted. Interspersed throughout the year, established by Congress, and enacted into law, they provide federal personnel with brief respites from the work routine. Over time and understandably so, we come to expect and in many ways rely on them to contribute toward our life balance with otherwise unchargeable paid time off.
And while we try to enjoy these breaks when we are able, you may have figured out by now that I find it very important to remember where the holidays come from, why the Legislative and Executive branches acted to commemorate them, and what they mean to us collectively and individually. I find that reflecting and learning more about our federal holidays help us gain appreciation for the foundations and functions of our nation and government; honor the sacrifices that have been made for us today & in the future; and strengthen our connection with our fellow countrymen and women. I invite you all to take a few moments and reflect on the aforementioned and other federal holidays when they come up, maybe run an internet search or two to refresh your memory & learn more, and think about what they may represent in our day-to-day lives and work as officers in a uniformed service. And then of course, as operations support, please do enjoy the time off.
I wish you all a safe and healthy holiday, and as always, please continue to take care of yourselves and each other.
Best Regards,
Captain Chris van Westendorp, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 10 July 2025 | BOTC 146 Graduation |
| 06 Aug 2025 | Officer Assignment Board |
| 28 Aug 2025 | BOTC 147 Swearing In |
| 03 Sep 2025 | Command Advisory Board |
| LT Cassidy Ring | 30 Jun 2025 |
| LT Josephine Moore | 01 Jul 2025 |
| LTJG William Abbott | 01 Jul 2025 |
| LCDR Jamie Rosenberg | 01 Aug 2025 |
| LCDR Devin Schaefer | 08 Sep 2025 Terminal leave: 01 Jul 2025 |
| LCDR Bryan Brasher | 22 Sep 2025 |
BOTC 146 Class |
BOTC 146 underwent leadership training in the Leadership and Management Section (LAMS), gaining experience handling common leadership challenges. The class also practiced conning commands by leading blindfolded shipmates through an obstacle course in preparation for ship handling. BOTC 146 then went to the waterfront and applied the skills in USCG Training Vessels, practicing man-overboard recoveries, safe line handling, and docking/undocking. The week concluded with the Ready For Sea evolution, full of mental and physical challenges, where the platoon had to rely on each other and work as a team. The class is now in the Transition Service phase and looks forward to BOTC/OCS graduation on July 10th.
Several people have recently inquired with CPC how to login to Direct Access. With the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) transition to Common Access Card (CAC) login capabilities, many officers have been unable to login to the portal. Because NOAA Corps do not have CGOne accounts, we CANNOT use our CACs to login. Members who have not signed in to Direct Access since the transition will need to click the “Forgot your password” link near the bottom of the page. Instruction will follow in an email provided to the member’s Direct Access connected email account. If an email is not received from USCG_Accounts@uscg.mil with instructions on resetting the DA password, members must contact the Product Support Service Desk at 800-821-7081 (Mon-Fri 0630-1830 EDT). It is recommended to remain on the line with the Produce Support Service Deck agent while a member’s account is reset or unlocked, so they can ensure successful login and account access.
For those who didn’t see the CPC Director’s Message from earlier this week, we have reached a crucial milestone in our website modernization project. The new public-facing CPC webpage is now live, and the legacy CPC website has been effectively transitioned to a publicly visible repository for the NOAA Corps Directives and Cyberflash. Many thanks go out to the OMAO Communications and CPC Intranet teams, as well as CPC staff, for all of the hard work that went into this achievement. As always, please let CPC staff know if there are any questions.
Thank you to all who tuned in and participated in CPC’s most recent webinar on 6/18/2025: Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Refresher & Updates. For those who missed it and/or wish to re-watch, the recording has now been posted to the CPC Intranet here. And, as always, please do not hesitate to submit an HR Action Request ticket in HRMS or reach out to your hardworking Officer Personnel Management Division staff, if you have questions about PCS or any other personnel management needs.
The NOAA Corps Behavioral Health Survey (NF 56-30) is an optional health screening form used for self-reporting and then given to an officer’s provider to review and sign.
The NF 56-30 contains four screening surveys that can help identify signs of alcohol abuse, depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. The Behavioral Health Survey will establish a baseline for tracking changes over time and can start conversations between an officer and provider about their mental well being.
The NOAA Corps Medical Affairs Branch (MAB) recommends officers complete this form annually. Once the form is reviewed and signed by your provider it should be saved to your electronic health record by uploading to MAB through the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal. Please reach out to noaacorps.medical@noaa.gov if you’d like to discuss this form or any other medical-related questions.
The OAR Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) is seeking a junior officer to fill the American Samoa/South Pole Billet with a December 2026/January 2027 start date. GML 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 trains in Colorado for several months before spending 13 months in American Samoa running NOAA’s atmospheric monitoring instruments, managing the observatory facilities, and completing administrative tasking necessary to operate the station. The incumbent then spends 13 months 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 challenging 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 earn the Chief of Party Pin, International Service Ribbon, and Antarctic Service Medal – all within one billet.
Interested officers should update their billet preferences and send their biographies and resumes no later than 15 September 2025 to Christy Smith at Christine.Smith@noaa.gov. Interviews will be held after the submission deadline.