Chief of Naval Personnel Visits Sailors in Hawaii, San Diego

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- This week, the Navy's top personnel officer is visiting Sailors in Hawaii and San Diego to discuss Sailor 2025 and some of the Navy's other personnel initiatives.

While in Hawaii, Vice Adm. Robert Burke and Fleet Master Chief April Beldo will meet with Sailors at Pearl Harbor and Kaneohe Bay, and in San Diego, they will visit Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Base San Diego.

"We have done a lot of work on Sailor 2025 over the past year, and it's important that we meet with Sailors to let them know we're working on their behalf as we modernize and improve the Navy's personnel system," said Burke. "As we continue to improve our personnel polies and programs, Fleet feedback is vital to our efforts. Hearing from Sailors is the number one way we can make our policies and systems better."

This trip marks Burke's first visit to the Pacific as CNP.

"From the South China Sea to the shores of California, Sailors in the Pacific are doing extraordinary work 24/7/365," Burke said. "They are conducting operations where it matters and also providing us with valuable Fleet input and perspective on a variety of personnel policies and issues, as evidenced by the Pacific Fleet Rating Modernization Operational Planning Team (OPT)."

For Beldo, this is the last time she'll travel to visit with Sailors before retiring later this month after 34 years of naval service.

"Talking with Sailors and hearing from them is absolutely vital to the work we do in Washington," said Beldo. "It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve Sailors in this job and work to make our personnel policies better for them."

"For me, what makes the Navy special is the opportunities that anyone can have if they work hard," Beldo continued. "Anyone who serves in the Navy - no matter how long - finds something bigger, nobler and more honorable in their lives - I know I certainly have."

As the Chief of Naval Personnel, Burke reports to the Chief of Naval Operations on matters of the Navy's manpower readiness. He also serves as the deputy chief of naval operations (Manpower, Personnel, Training, Education / N1) and oversees the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Navy Personnel Command, Naval Education and Training Command, and Navy Recruiting Command.

For more information from Chief of Naval Personnel, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnp/.