USA: CVN 77 Welcomes CNO Aboard

The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Mike Stevens visited the crew of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) to provide Sailors on board an opportunity to speak directly with the Navy’s most senior leadership, Oct. 23.

Among the topics discussed during the all-hands call were naval innovation, sexual assault and the government shutdown. Greenert opened the ceremony by administering the oath of enlistment to Sailors assigned to the ship.

“I was just really happy my family could be here,” said Aviation Ordanceman 1st Class Lamar Gaymon. “Not many people get the chance to be reenlisted by the CNO, but I did and my family got to see it.

Greenert took time to meet with the families of Sailors who re-enlisted and take photos before continuing on with the all hands call. He began by talking about the impact of the Bush’s involvement with the X-47B and the future of carrier readiness.

“The fact of the matter is that industry has determined that this ship with that aircraft (X-47B) was the evolution of the year,” said Greenert. “The launch and recovery of an unmanned aerial vehicle from an aircraft carrier, I was here when that happened and you were here and I congratulate you for that.”

Greenert went on to explain how the government shutdown has left work to be done.

“MCPON and I are anxious to get out and connect again,” Greenert said. “That’s why I’m here; to listen and learn from you all. The government shutdown is over, but we’ve got a lot of work to do. We cannot just snap our fingers and catch back up.”

Greenert also addressed the ships upcoming deployment.

“This particular ship and this particular strike group have a long deployment coming up,” Greenert said. ” When we stopped doing two carriers in the gulf and we went down to one, we reduced training and shipyard work, which means Vinson’s deployment was longer, your deployment will be longer and the Reagan’s deployment will be longer. By this time next fiscal year we will be back to seven and a half month deployments.”

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Press Release, October 24, 2013; Image: US Navy