More Certainty Expected in Navy's 2014 Budget Says Admiral

On his visit to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) Vice Adm. Bill Moran spoke to Sailors about the latest on manning, the budget and uniform changes, among other topics.


In his 'All Hands Call', Moran told Sailors that he was expecting a budget for fiscal year 2014 which should provide more certainty regarding, pay and benefits, training and operations any day now. 


He also assured them that, despite any rumors, there will be no changes to the current retirement system and no cuts planned to base pay. 


"It is a relief to have somebody of this authority take the time out to visit us directly," Yeoman 2nd Class Bryan Williams said. "It was a relief to hear from Adm. Moran about the upcoming budget. I was a little confused about what would happen to my BAH, and he really set the rumors straight."


Moran emphasized improvements in fleet manning, which lead to improved predictability in Sailors' deployment schedules.

"The Navy had about 12,000 gaps out at sea two years ago," he said. "We are at about half that today and we continue to make progress on getting the right Sailor into the right billet at the right time."


Moran used the end of his 'All Hands Call' to let Sailors ask questions and encouraged their feedback and suggestions on all Navy issues. A hot topic for the audience was uniform updates. 

"When you are out at sea, you will be in flame-resistant uniforms. You will not be in NWUs," Moran said. "Later this spring we are going to be testing a light-weight version of the NWUs, similar to the Type III uniforms."



Moran added that they are also working on changes to the E6 and below service dress blue uniform for both male and female Sailors. 

The prototypes for the female uniforms will go through a thorough fit evaluation with those results determining the fleet introduction date. The redesigned male uniform is scheduled to be available to Sailors at the same time as the female versions.