mc community update - october 2013
DESCRIPTION
MC Community Update letter from the CHINFO Senior Enlisted Leader. Update on Navy MC manning, advancement, storytelling workshop.TRANSCRIPT
CHIEF OF INFORMATION
SENIOR ENLISTED LEADER 1200 NAVY PENTAGON
ROOM 4B463 WASHINGTON, DC 20350-‐1200
All, I don’t remember a time in my 25 years of service that was filled with as much uncertainty or unknowns as today. We don’t know when the government shutdown will end. We don’t know how it will end – with a Continuing Resolution for a month or two and maybe this all happens again, or with an Appropriations Bill that funds the Navy at pre or post sequester levels. We don’t know how this is going to affect MC community manning levels. Our Enlisted Program Authorizations, or EPA, was reduced by 74 billets from FY13 to FY14 and we are still waiting to see what the new EPA will be for FY15. We’re hopeful that our EPA will increase some as PCU Gerald R. Ford’s Media Department is manned. But with a coming 20% manning reduction over the next five years at military headquarters and staffs worldwide, we don’t know how that will affect MC end strength. What I do know is we are watching all this and once new information is available, we will communicate it to you. MC MANNING For the past couple of months MC manning has been at 102%. This means the MC community fell into the “Balanced Reenlistment” category and MCs in overmanned year groups competed for an in-‐rate reenlistment quotas. There have not been reenlistment quotas for E5 and below MCs in year groups 2010, 2005, 2003 and 2002 while the community was manned at 102%. The MC Enlisted Community Manager at the Navy Personnel Command is reviewing future MC manpower models and we are hopeful that when our new Enlisted Program Authorizations (EPA) are released after the shutdown is over and our Navy Civilian team comes back to work, MC EPA puts the community in a better place. I’m getting indications that we have reason to be hopeful and I’ll keep you updated as we learn more. Even though the manning situation has been challenging – especially for MCs in overmanned year groups – it will get better. We hope we see it getting better next year – but we definitely see it getting better in the next two to three years.
ADVANCEMENTS Even with the manning challenges we’ve faced over the past few months, I think MC advancements will be steady. I think we’ll have steady advancement numbers to MC3, MC2 and MC1 over the next year. MC advancement will probably reflect slightly lower actual numbers compared to this year but should still be good. I do expect advancement numbers to MCC and MCCS to be lower than this year and I still believe we’ll have at least one quota for MCCM. These predictions are, of course, best-‐guesses based off of manning numbers and expected retirements. Actual quotas will be set by the ECM for each of the advancement cycles. Congratulations to Senior Chief Palmer Pinckney from the Defense Information School. Senior was frocked to MCCS October 3 after working with his command to update missing data in his PRIMS file. Congratulations Senior! NEW DETAILER ONBOARD MCCS(EXW) Tom Jones has reported aboard as the newest MC detailer. Senior has an incredibly diverse background – he’s completed tours in public affairs, broadcasting, Combat Camera, aboard a flag ship and on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. His wealth of experience and strong connections within the MC CPO Mess will serve him well as he takes over MCC Denise Davis’ job as E5 and below detailer and then early next year as the E6 and above detailer. Chief Davis departed Millington in late September and is on her way back to the fleet. She did an incredible job as the MC E5 and below detailer. I want to thank her for being straight-‐forward and honest to our community and for helping educate MC leaders on the host of changes to the detailing and career management systems at NPC that came during her tour. She helped us all understand PTS, CMS and a host of other alphabet soup acronyms. Chief, thank you for all you did for us; I look forward to working with you more in the fleet. STORYTELLING WORKSHOP Ms. Terrina Weatherspoon and MC1 Nathan Laird from the Defense Media Activity and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest, San Diego and Norfolk the last week of September to conduct All Hands calls and a storytelling workshop at each location. Handouts from the workshop are available here: http://www.slideshare.net/jemcmillan/navy-‐storytelling-‐workshop-‐september-‐2013. The workshops focused on the different types of features we’d like to focus on and went into detail on how to develop good anecdotes for stories by finding strong characters, good action, identifying a core complication and resolution to the complication. The workshop was well attended by MCs at each location. They were engaged and excited about the possibilities of story. They are motivated to flex their creativity and are eager to expand their skillsets.
The most common feedback I received from MCs was a perception that their leadership wouldn’t allow them to tell more complex, more contextual stories. They didn’t believe that their leadership would let them tell feature stories. Like RDML Kirby says at his All Hands calls, we need to let our MCs loose. Give them guidance for sure. Give them an idea of the story you want of course, but then let them create. Let us train them to create the works we want and then let them practice the craft. Let us give them more freedom to craft relevant and compelling stories. INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY EVEN DURING UNCERTAN TIMES Our community is quite special. I see gaps left everywhere from our incredibly talented and dedicated Navy civilian counterparts. Their absence has been noticed and felt. As some of our team comes back to work and others remain furloughed, I’ve been very impressed by their grace and professionalism during these uncertain times. True professionals…. Makes me very proud we’re all on the same team. Vr/ Master Chief MCCM(SW/AW/EXW) Jon McMillan Senior Enlisted Leader, Navy Chief of Information MC Community Master Chief [email protected]