Application Period Opens for CNO Rapid Innovation Cell — Have a radical idea to solve a naval problem? The Chief of Naval Operations and the Navy Warfare Development Command invite Junior Officers and Enlisted, O-4 and below, to apply for the CNO Rapid Innovation Cell for 2016.
George Washington Travels 52,000 Miles — Aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) departed Japan, May 18, and will complete a 52,064-mile, seven-month voyage to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, Dec. 17, after serving seven years as the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan. Washington will return to Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, in 2017 for a mid-life overhaul as part of a maintenance plan to sustain the carrier's life span.
Navy, Air Force Break Ground on Florida's Largest Solar Projects —The Departments of the Navy and the Air Force broke ground with Gulf Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, marking the start of construction for three large-scale solar electric generating facilities Dec. 16. Combined, these facilities will have approximately 1.5 million solar panels that could generate up to 157 megawatts (MW) of direct current (DC) or 120 MW of alternating current (AC) power. This translates to powering roughly 18,000 homes on a sunny day.
Faison Promoted to Navy Surgeon General — The Navy promoted its 38th surgeon general during an official ceremony at the Pentagon, Dec. 15. Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, presided over the ceremony, promoting Rear Adm. C. Forrest Faison III to the rank of vice admiral and the dual position of Navy surgeon general and chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
USNA Midshipmen Collect Toys for Local Kids — The U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) Midshipman Action Group (MAG) collected more than 1,000 toys from faculty, staff, and the brigade for the 2015 Toys for Tots drive, Dec. 15. Marines from the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program collected the toys in large trucks.
Future USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) Launched — The future USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) was launched at the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipyard Dec. 12. The ship was translated from the land level facility to the drydock which was slowly flooded until the ship was afloat.
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=92413Adm. Howard Receives France's Highest AwardFrench Chief of Staff Adm. Bernard Rogel awarded Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michelle Howard the Legion d'Honneur Award at the Crypt of John Paul Jones in the main chapel of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Dec. 10.
First Lady Supports Marine Toys for Tots Event at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling — The annual Marine Toys for Tots Foundation's sorting event, hosted on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB), was jump-started by a familiar guest, first lady Michelle Obama, Dec. 9. Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Henry P. (Pete) Osman, president and CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, introduced Obama, who was attending the event for the seventh straight year. She stressed the importance of the work Toys for Tots has conducted throughout its existence, and what that work has meant to underprivileged children throughout the world.
Navy Digital Library 24/7 365 —For Sailors, families, retirees, dependents and civilians wanting 24/7 access to electronic books, audio books, reference materials, and newspapers, all free of charge, the Navy has a solution for you.
Sailors Wanted on Spaceships — Although NASA is a civilian agency, service members have long been highly prized as astronaut candidates. From Alan Shepard, the first Naval Aviator in Space, to Cmdr. Victor Glover and Cmdr. Josh Cassada, the most recent, the military has a long legacy in the space community - and they are looking to continue it.
These stories originally published by Navy News Service during Dec. 14-18, 2015. For more Navy news, go to: www.navy.mil/.