Heather Mongilio

6 days ago | news.usni.org | Heather Mongilio |Sam LaGrone

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — The good vibes began for the crew of USS Stout (DDG-55) before the destroyer arrived at the pier on Sunday. Stout’s commander Cmdr. Desmond Walker, back from an eight-month deployment escorting aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) pipped the 1981 Earth, Wind and Fire funk hit “Let’s Groove” over Stout’s public address system as the warship made its final approach.

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Heather Mongilio

HII Newport News Shipbuilding furloughed 471 workers, a company spokesperson told USNI News on Friday. The 471 include both salaried workers in managerial and non-managerial positions. The Newport News shipbuilder employs approximately 26,000 employees and is one of the two U.S. naval yards that build nuclear submarines and the only yard that builds aircraft carriers“This decision was not made lightly given its impact on affected team members.

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Heather Mongilio

USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) will depart Miami on Wednesday for a South and Central America deployment. The Mercy-class hospital ship will visit Grenada, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic as part of Continuing Promise 2025 exercise. Continuing Promise is an annual exercise from U.S. 4th Fleet/Naval Forces Southern Command that tasks a Navy hospital ship to South and Central American countries to help provide medical care. Comfort last went on the mission in 2022.

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Heather Mongilio

The Pentagon’s next top enlisted leader is a Navy SEAL, currently serving as the senior enlisted leader for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. With the appointment of Fleet Master Chief David Isom, both the senior enlisted advisor and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will be held by leaders with extensive special operations backgrounds.

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Heather Mongilio

Active-duty sailors diagnosed or displaying symptoms of gender dysphoria must leave the service by June 6 or they will be involuntarily separated, according to a policy released last week from the Navy. Under the new rules, those who voluntarily separate from the service may receive voluntary separation pay at a rate twice the amount received if they were to leave involuntarily and will likely not have to pay back bonuses or incentive pay, as long as the sailor has served at least six years.