Other than the fact that our U.S. Navy Sailors can now put their hands in their pockets; what other relevant happenings are occurring within our Navy?
Navy Uniform Changes
First, let’s cover the what’s what of the ‘hands-in-the-pockets’ topic and other uniform changes.
On February 14, the Navy announced several policy changes to the uniform policy that would take effect immediately. This included authorizing Sailors to put their hands in their pockets, when doing so does not compromise safety nor the proper rendering of honors and courtesies.
Another announced change was the return of the female combination cover, otherwise known as the ‘bucket cover’, which was removed from the uniform in 2018. The bucket can be worn by sailors of any rank with any service dress and dinner dress uniform, as well as by chief petty officers and officers while in service khaki and summer white uniforms. The memo went further by stating that the Navy Exchange Uniform Centers will not carry the bucket cover and they must be attained privately if desired to wear.
Another addition to the female dress uniform is the authorization of a tiara. The tiara will be an optional uniform component when wearing dinner dress blue and white jacket uniforms. The tiaras can be specially ordered from the Navy Exchange online.
Additional uniform changes for the Navy include women being authorized to wear false eyelashes within standards, female sailors are also allowed to wear T-shirts specifically designed for women within Navy requirements of color, fabric and neck configurations, all sailors are now allowed to wear black or navy blue leggings or tights with the service’s pt shorts, as well as wear commercially purchased coyote brown backpacks while in the Navy working uniform.
Navy Leader Pushes for Contractor Accountability
Next, we have the U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro pledging to hold government contractors accountable and protect the investments of taxpayers, by calling on them to deliver cutting-edge technologies and capabilities to the Navy ‘on time and on budget without excuses’.
“Through initiatives like the Taxpayer Advocacy Project, I have directed our contract community and our Office of General Counsel to ensure that we will leverage all legal means at our disposal to ensure that the American people are also getting what they paid for,” he added.
Del Toro continued by saying the Navy will be holding companies accountable for ‘poor performance and misconduct’ and that investigations have been directed on poor performers, while not naming any specific companies.
“Today, we face decisions in shipbuilding, maintenance, repair, and the future of the fleet that will impact and shape the Navy in the 2050s and beyond,” stated Del Toro during his key remarks at WEST 2024, the premier sea services event held in San Diego, CA.
Secretary Del Toro continued to remark on the expectations of the American people of the Navy and the Marine Corps.
“And while Congress has so far avoided a painful and disastrous government shutdown, a full-year Continuing Resolution would be monumentally damaging to our efforts to build and maintain the fleet of today—much less the fleet of the future,” continued Del Toro. “If Congress does not pass a full year budget, we will face a deficit of over 40 billion dollars in sequestration cuts and misaligned funds. Without a full budget, our safety and readiness will suffer, at a time when we are ill able to afford it—lost time in readiness cannot be bought back through future funding.”
“We need the House of Representatives to now do its job so that lives are not placed at risk tomorrow in the Red Sea.”
at-sea demonstration
Del Toro has directed an at-sea demonstration, no later than this summer, for the reloading of the Vertical Launch Systems at sea using the Transportable Re-Arming Mechanism developed at Port Hueneme.
“As we move deeper into this critical decade, the near-term deterrent effect of fielding TRAM in the fleet cannot be overstated,” Del Toro explained. “You don’t have to look any further than the dozens of missile engagements conducted in the Red Sea by our destroyers to realize that a capability like TRAM is long overdue.”
Other capabilities that Del Toro is emphasizing are the Naval Modular Missile program, which standardizes the components across the family of naval missiles, which will streamline production and bolstering our supply chain.
“Fueling our fleet for sustained operations is equally crucial,” stated Del Toro. “We’ve recently awarded the contract for the ninth John Lewis-class oiler, and initiatives like the Modular Console Adapter Kit and Modular Fuel Delivery Station will further boost our refueling capacity.”
These game changing initiatives will solidify our maritime dominance and act as a powerful deterrent to our adversaries.
Del Toro announced that these initiatives will be operational within two to three years.
“We need to work together, government and industry, to develop the shipbuilding industrial base,” Del Toro said, speaking directly to industry leaders. “You need to deliver ships, aircraft, and submarines on time and on budget. And you need to innovate.”
“I am personally committed to a fully integrated team—Sailor, Marine, civilian, contractor, and industry—working together to support our warfighters,” said Del Toro.
