The RAN began their rollout of the Maritime Multi-Cam Pattern Uniform in the warmer tropical areas of the Northern Territory and North Queensland last month and is expected to be delivered to all other units by the end of 2022.
Archive for the ‘Navy’ Category
Royal Australian Navy Rolls Out Multi-Cam Uniforms
Friday, November 19th, 2021SCUBAPRO Sunday – Salvage Divers of the USS Cole, the Untold Story of the Navy Divers Who Recovered the Fallen, Help Save the Ship
Sunday, October 17th, 2021
Detachment Alpha of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 aboard the USNS Catawba with the USS Cole and the MV Blue Marlin in the background. Photo courtesy of Mike Shields.
On the morning of Oct. 13, 2000, Chief Warrant Officer Frank Perna and his team of US Navy divers were sipping cappuccinos at an open-air coffee shop, enjoying a beautiful Italian morning in the Port of Bari, when the distinct ringtone of Perna’s cell phone cut the casual banter and light mood.
The divers, deployed with Detachment Alpha of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 aboard the USNS Mohawk, turned their attention to their officer in charge as he picked up the phone and listened intently. Mike Shields, now a retired master chief master diver, could tell the call was serious.
“I understand,” Perna said into the phone before hanging up. “We will be ready.”
Less than 24 hours earlier, the USS Cole, a US Navy guided-missile destroyer, was docked in Yemen’s Aden harbor for a planned refueling when al Qaeda suicide bombers in a small boat packed with at least 400 pounds of explosives steered their craft into the Cole’s left side. The blast ripped a 1,600-square-foot hole in its hull, killing 17 American sailors and wounding 39.
Aqueous Film Forming Foam flame retardant floats on top of the water, preventing any fuel from igniting near the damaged left-side hull of the USS Cole in October 2000. Photo courtesy of Mike Shields.
A skilled diver with extensive experience in underwater salvage and recovery operations, Perna had worked on several high-profile dive operations. He participated in salvage and recovery operations for Trans World Airlines Flight 800 and the USS Arthur W. Radford after its collision at sea with a Saudi Arabian container vessel.
Perna looked up at his team, who stared back with anticipation.
“The USS Cole was damaged from an explosion while in port,” he told them. “We are going to Yemen to assist the crew in recovery and salvage of the ship.”
The 12 men who composed Detachment Alpha launched into planning and preparing for a daunting mission: They would locate missing sailors, assist in stabilizing the ship, recover evidence, and perform structural inspections of the Cole after a terrorist attack.
“We immediately started pulling resources and gear to support several different diving and salvage scenarios,” Shields told Coffee or Die Magazine recently. “Because we were going to be somewhat isolated in Yemen, we knew everything we brought had to serve several purposes.”
The USS Cole (DDG-67) is towed by the Navy tug vessel USNS Catawba to a staging point in the Yemeni harbor of Aden to await transportation by the Norwegian-owned, semi-submersible heavy-lift ship MV Blue Marlin. US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Don L. Maes.
The next day, the hand-picked team of Navy divers landed in Yemen with all the necessary dive systems to support the numerous planned and unplanned tasks of diving into and under a critically damaged ship. They loaded their gear onto two flatbed trucks and departed the airport with a sketchy Yemeni military escort. As they passed through several military checkpoints, Perna and his team began to feel the gravity of the situation.
When they arrived at the port, most of the team went to work setting up gear and readying a dive site near the ship while Perna and his senior leaders went to assess the damage. The sight shocked them. The ship was blackened by the explosion, listing slightly to the left, and without electrical power. The only light was from the green glow of the pier lights.
“Our first glimpse of the ship that night will be forever fixed in our minds,” Perna told Coffee or Die.
As Shields took in the damage and saw the Cole’s battle-weary crew members sleeping on mattresses scattered randomly on the ship’s weather decks, his shock turned into determination.
Sailors from the USS Cole rest on the helicopter deck in Yemen, Oct. 13, 2000, the day after a suicide bomber attacked the ship in the port of Aden, Yemen. US Navy photo by Jim Watson.
“Get in the water,” he thought. “Get the Cole back.”
On the morning of Oct. 15, 2000, the divers began the first phase of their mission. Several sailors were still missing in the flooded spaces below, and the men of Alpha Detachment had to get them out and repair or salvage what they could as soon as possible.
With flooding in the ship still posing a significant threat to electrical and engineering spaces, time was not on Alpha’s side. They determined which areas of the ship to search, identified a centralized location to set up a dive station, and planned how to safely enter the spaces they needed to reach. They boarded the Cole, set up gear, and began diving from inside the flooded spaces.
With the utmost care and respect, the Navy divers recovered missing Cole sailors. When a sailor was recovered, the divers paused their work to observe a moment of silence and honor the dead. They draped a flag over each fallen soul and escorted them down the pier to be taken back home.
“It’s a very heavy feeling in your heart to see one of your own covered in the flag,” Perna said. “It’s hard to check your emotions and refocus attention back to the task at hand, but you’ve got to push it back down because we’re doing a dangerous job.”
Gunner’s mate Petty Officer 2nd Class Don Schappert prepares to enter the lower levels of the flooded engine room assisted by hull maintenance technician Petty Officer 2nd Class Brett Husbeck. Photo courtesy of Mike Shields.
In addition to recovering the fallen, Alpha had to stop the flooding into the only engine room that was still operational. Reaching the damaged area required navigating through 50 feet of razor-sharp mangled steel, reduced visibility, and a thick layer of engine fuel building on the surface of the water. To get in and out of the water, the Navy divers had to travel through a layer of oil that they worried might catch fire if something sparked. The team deployed a fire retardant over the surface as a preventive measure.
Shields, who was familiar with the layout of the Cole from conducting routine maintenance on the ship the previous year, was one of two divers who suited up, went below the surface through an auxiliary shaft, and made their way slowly to the engine room. They couldn’t see anything and kept bumping into loose gear and debris floating around the spaces.
Making things even worse, the divers’ life-giving tether lines of air, communication, and light power — their “umbilicals” — were constantly hanging up or snagging on unknown obstructions. With every valuable foot gained, the divers had to stop to free themselves.
“We were blindly feeling around for landmarks that would take us to where we thought the flooding was coming from,” Shields recalled.
Using memories of what the engine room would have looked like, Shields and his dive buddy felt around and found landmarks to orient themselves by, eventually finding the cause of the flooding. They filled it with a 3-inch braided ship’s mooring line covered in a thick layer of electrical putty.
“We filled in the crack and effectively stopped all flooding,” Shields said.
Stopping the flooding saved the ship from sinking and prevented what could have been a total loss.
Mike Shields descends into a flooded engine room through a ventilation shaft on the USS Cole in October 2000. Photo courtesy of Mike Shields.
The next day, the Cole’s diesel generator stopped running, and members of the dive team had to locate and secure the damaged piping and reroute pressure through alternate channels back to the generators. Navigating underwater in the damaged area again proved challenging. Bulkheads were blown inward, all non-watertight doors had broken from their hinges, filing cabinets lay scattered across the deck, and visibility was reduced to less than 3 inches.
The Navy divers spent a lot of time rerouting valves controlling pressure, fuel, oil, or air to their secondary and tertiary systems to help offset the ship’s left-side listing. With the major flooding stopped and the Cole stable, the team focused on reviewing and assessing the massive opening the blast had ripped in the left side of the ship’s hull.
“It was nothing less than devastating,” Perna said. “The most disturbing sight was the extensive damage inside the ship. The blast from the explosion had torn 30-35 feet into the center of the ship.”
The explosion was so powerful that the deck had blown upward and fused onto the bulkhead where an office once sat. Crew members who’d been eating on the mess decks reported that the blast’s power created a visible wave that traveled across the deck.
The divers created a staging area just aft of the blast area on the Cole’s left side so they could easily access the outside space and assist the FBI and several other agencies in gathering information and documenting evidence for future investigations.
Hull maintenance technician Petty Officer 2nd Class Brett Husbeck, left, and engineman Petty Officer 2nd Class Mike Shields, right, conduct dive operations in a flooded engine on the USS Cole. Photo courtesy of Mike Shields.
Outfitted with thick rubber wetsuits, dive knives, and iconic yellow Kirby Morgan MK 21 diving helmets, divers splashed into the hot Persian Gulf water and entered the blast area.
“Everything was surreal about diving on board and into a ship with an extensive hole in the side of its hull,” Perna said. “The fact that you can dive inside the ship, turn around, and see the sunlight cascading into the enormous space is beyond explanation.”
On Oct. 17, 2000, Navy divers prepared to search the flooded main engine room, which suffered extensive damage in the blast and was essentially a total loss. Confirming primary and secondary routes with engineers and the crew, Perna and his team devised a plan to move through the ship’s ventilation-shaft system to access the previously unreachable space.
Before entering the cramped shaft, divers wrapped fire hoses around their umbilicals for protection, modified their gear to slim down their profiles, and slipped into wetsuits to protect themselves from the environmental hazards of fuel, oil, and razor-blade-like steel. The divers inched their way to the main engine room, a feat Perna and Shields likened to John McClane crawling through the ventilation shafts of Nakatomi Plaza in Die Hard.
Damage to the USS Cole. Photo courtesy of Mike Shields.
Watching closed-circuit video systems, engineers from the Cole and the USS Donald Cook guided the Navy divers as they moved through sheared bulkheads, buckled decks, broken pipes, and wires that created an immense “spider web” of destruction. Metal shavings sparkled as the divers’ lights scanned the engine room.
“We could feel the change in densities between fuel and water,” Perna recalled. “Everything fouled our umbilicals in the engine room. Pieces of broken equipment fell from the overhead as we disturbed their delicate balance.”
In that unforgiving, stifling space, the men of Detachment Alpha recovered three more missing sailors.
Over the following 10 days, from Oct. 18 through Oct. 28, the Navy divers recovered personal items from the flooded spaces and sifted through the fine sand on the seafloor for anything that might have belonged to the fallen. They searched every flooded compartment, including areas deemed too dangerous to enter safely, recovering all remaining missing sailors and assisting FBI investigators in collecting evidence. The divers inspected every inch of the blast area, looking for evidence of the explosive device. The FBI was keenly interested in anything that might help its investigation to identify the terrorists or the composition of the bomb.
A diver descends a ladder in the flooded engine room. Photo courtesy of Mike Shields.
The Navy divers also worked to mend damaged areas of the Cole and helped prepare the ship for its journey back to the United States. They relieved pressure in the main structural supports by drilling holes at the ends of the significant cracks, alleviating stress and preventing the damage from spreading. Once the necessary repairs were made, the team prepped the ship for a journey out to sea.
The challenge was to keep the ship from listing over to the left side. The Cole’s crew worried that the repairs made to stop the flooding might be damaged once in the open ocean.
“We had the idea to hedge our bets and have some contingencies in place if something happened,” Shields said.
The USS Cole is towed from the port of Aden, Yemen. Photo courtesy of the US Navy.
They ran several hydraulic pumps to the critical spaces and had discharge lines over the side in case a space started to fill with water.
On Oct. 29, the USS Cole slowly moved away from the pier with a small crew aboard to monitor the ship. Supported by tugboats and a tow line from the USNS Catawba, the Cole made the journey from the coast of Yemen to the MV Blue Marlin, a 700-foot-long Norwegian heavy-lift transport ship 23 miles out at sea.
When the Cole reached the Blue Marlin, the Blue Marlin partially submerged its lower deck and floated it under the damaged Cole. Once in place, the ship slowly rose to the surface, gently lifting the Cole from the ocean and resting the mighty ship on the Blue Marlin’s deck.
The MV Blue Marlin transports the USS Cole from Yemen following the attack on the ship in 2000. Photo courtesy of the US Navy.
With the Cole on the Blue Marlin, Shields and his divers checked the ship for flooding once more and found that their work had held. Shields gave the thumbs-up to higher, climbed the side railing, and dove into the ocean, swimming back to his team on the Catawba.
The entire docking evolution took nearly 24 hours to complete. With the Cole securely aboard the Blue Marlin’s deck, they made the trip back to the United States.
The Navy divers’ contributions were instrumental, Perna said. In a small amount of time, the team got the diesel generator back online, rerouted the ship’s air system, set up and operated emergency dewatering equipment, and provided air recharging service to the FBI and explosive ordnance disposal divers.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Cole arrives for a scheduled port visit to Souda Bay, Greece, July 19, 2012. The Cole, home-ported at Naval Station Norfolk, is on a scheduled deployment and is operating in the US 6th Fleet area of responsibility. US Navy photo by Paul Farley.
“No one person can accomplish them alone,” Perna said. “I was grateful to have such a fine and experienced diving and salvage team. I am indebted to and extremely proud of the divers in Detachment Alpha who made it all possible.”
The Detachment Alpha divers safely conducted 37 dives with more than 76 hours of subsurface work during the Cole operation. The ship was fully restored to service within 18 months of the attack in Yemen. The men of Detachment Alpha played a vital role in the operation that ensured the USS Cole’s ability to sail freely today.
A US sailor visits the USS Cole Memorial on the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the ship. Seventeen sailors were killed, and another 39 were wounded in the attack. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert.
The Men of Detachment Alpha:
CWO3 Frank Perna
ENCS (MDV/SG) Lyle Becker
BMC (SW/DV) David Hunter
ETC (SG/DV) Terry Breaux
HMC (DV) Don Adams
HT2 (DV) Don Husbeck
GM2 (SS/DV) Roger Ziliak
STG2 (SW/DV) Donald Schappert
IS3 (DV) Greg Sutherland
EN2 (DV) Mike Shields
BM2 (DV) Mike Allison
GM3 (DV) Sean Baker
This is reposted with permission from Jayme Pastoric
SCUBAPRO Sunday – US Navy Birthday
Sunday, October 10th, 2021
On 13, OCTOBER 1775 the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution creating official establishment the Continental Navy. They voted to outfit two sailing vessels, armed with ten carriage guns, as well as swivel guns, and manned by crews of eighty, and to send them out on a cruise for three months to intercept transports carrying munitions and stores meant for the British army in America. Dudley Saltonstall, Abraham Whipple, Nicholas Biddle, and John Burroughs Hopkins were named commanders of the new service by Congress. The 24-gun frigates Alfred and Columbus, 14-gun brigs Andrew Doria and Cabot, and three schooners, the Hornet, Wasp, and Fly, were the Navy’s first ships. Commissions were also given to five first lieutenants, including future American hero John Paul Jones, five second lieutenants, and three third lieutenants. Throughout the War of Independence, the Continental Navy sent to sea more than fifty armed vessels. The Navy’s squadrons and cruisers seized enemy supplies and carried correspondence and diplomats to Europe, returning with needed munitions. They took nearly 200 British vessels as prizes, and some of the British Isles themselves, contributing to the demoralization of the enemy and forcing the British to divert warships to protect convoys and thier trade routes. But with the end of the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Navy was disbanded. Then with threats to American merchant shipping by Barbary pirates from four North African States, in the Mediterranean, President George Washington signed the Naval Act of 1794 the act authorizing the construction of the Navy’s first six frigates ? Congress passed a resolution to establish a national Navy that could protect U.S. commercial vessels from attacks by the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean and nearby Atlantic waters.
US Naval Special Warfare SEALs Enhance Interoperability through Specialized Training in Cyprus with Cypriot Underwater Demolition Team
Monday, September 20th, 2021Limassol, Cyprus – As part of a bi-lateral training exercise in Cyprus the Cypriot Underwater Demolition Team (MYK) is hosting U.S. Naval Special Warfare Task Unit Europe (NSWTU-E) beginning 07 September 2021. This is one of a series of training events throughout the Eastern Mediterranean directed at building cohesion between NATO allies and partners while increasing readiness in the face of multiple threats to the peace and stability of Europe.
“You can see the very real demonstration of cohesion we build during exercises like this with partners like Cyprus,” said the Naval Special Warfare Officer-in-Charge. “We simply cannot accomplish the mission alone – by exchanging tactics and ideas, we build cohesion necessary to defeat any challenge.”
NSWTU-E is currently training with members of the MYK on maritime operations. Joint training in the eastern Mediterranean is essential in maintaining interoperability and strong relationships with our ally and partner nations, ensuring stability throughout the theater.
Story by Capt Margaret Collins DuTart, U.S. Special Operations Command Europe
Photos by Sgt Patrik Orcutt, U.S. Special Operations Command Europe
NEXCOM Participates in Virtual Textile and Clothing Technology Workshop
Monday, September 6th, 2021The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), its business line Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility (NCTRF) and its parent command, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) executed its first virtual webinar from Aug. 25-26, highlighting textile and uniform technology area. The workshop encompassed over 100 participants within industry and academia.
A number of NEXCOM leaders participated in a variety of information sessions and a panel discussion titled, ‘Demystify doing Business with Clothing and Textiles for NAVSUP, NEXCOM and NCTRF.’ NEXCOM leadership who participated in the two-day webinar included Laurra Winters, Director, NCTRF; Navy Cdr. Terri Gabriel, Deputy Commander Uniform Programs; Rich Honiball, Executive Vice President, Global Merchandising and Marketing Officer; and serving as keynote speaker, retired Navy Rear Adm. Robert J. Bianchi, CEO, NEXCOM.
Serving for nearly 30 years in uniform as a Navy Supply Corps Officer, Bianchi shared with the group his sentiment and the importance of a safe, comfortable and functional uniform. “One can say that the readiness of our Navy warfighters intrinsically starts with the uniform that’s on their back and the gear they carry,” stated Bianchi. “There is plenty of ongoing research and development being accomplished in the areas of seamless knitting, cold weather gear experimentation and NWU Type III design refinement—just to name a few. But make no mistake, all of the advancements in uniforms and protective gear has at its foundation a strong partnership with industry, in particular the clothing and textile industrial base.”
The two-day webinar featured discussions on new and emerging technologies, as well as concepts and the importance of the textile industrial base to military uniforms and gear. The workshop was hosted by the Naval-X Northeast Tech Bridge, 401 Tech Bridge, the Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network and the North Carolina Military Business Center. The group discussed opportunities for small business development, to address current capability gaps in textiles for uniform and protective clothing, and collaboration areas with industry and academia. NEXCOM’s participating leadership emphasized their commitment to establishing and maintaining close relationships with industry leaders and explained that such forums can help accelerate the connection.
Bianchi described two recent examples of successes where industry and NCTRF partnered to improve the safety and function of uniform and organizational components for the Navy fleet— the steam suit for submariners resulting in a new design and materials currently transitioning and the I Boot-5 for Navy warfighters which will meet the requirements to be worn in a variety of Navy environments.
“Events like this collaborative workshop serve an important role in highlighting the importance of building military/industry partnerships,” explained Bianchi. “I am optimistic about the future of clothing and textiles…whether research, design, testing, commercial manufacturing, or academia, all play a very important role to ensure our Navy warfighters never enter a fair fight—we always want the advantage, and are truly the world’s best Naval fighting force because of everyone’s contributions!”
Quick Facts
The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), its business line Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility (NCTRF) and its parent command, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) executed its first virtual webinar from Aug. 25-26, highlighting textile and uniform technology area. The workshop encompassed over 100 participants within industry and academia.
SCUBAPRO Sunday – The Navy SeaBees
Sunday, September 5th, 2021On September 1, 1942, the first Seabee unit to serve in a combat area, the Sixth Naval Construction Battalion (SeaBees), arrives on Guadalcanal.
I will not tell the story as there is a movie (with John Wayne, one of the seven he dies in), and I am posting a link at the bottom of an excellent article about them. I am going to say that Navy Seabees are some of the hardest working people you will ever find. I would rather have 1 Seabee than ten other people. They have built almost all the camps I have lived in since the first gulf war in Saudi Araba in 91 thru Iraq in the 2000s, and they never stop working on them to making them better. They build, they fight; you can ask them for something, and they will find it, they may be borrowing it, or they will make it. Indeed, some of the unsung heroes of the military.
Happy Birthday!
www.seabeesmuseum.com/seabee-history
archive.org/details/FightingSeabees44
Navy Updates Hairstyles and Policies in Extensive Uniform Update
Thursday, September 2nd, 2021The Navy has authorized new hairstyles for men and women in a just-released uniform policy and grooming standards update. Also announced are changes to wear rules for watches, prescription glasses and sunglasses while in uniform, medically prescribed head coverings and earrings for men in civvies and changes to name tape policies, just to name a few.
The Navy has authorized new hairstyles for men and women in a just-released uniform policy and grooming standards update. Also announced are changes to wear rules for watches, prescription glasses and sunglasses while in uniform, medically prescribed head coverings and earrings for men in civvies and changes to name tape policies, just to name a few.
The complete list of what’s new in uniform policy comes in NAVADMIN 183/21 released on Aug. 31. Effective date of changes vary pending the policy change, so please read NAVADMIN 183/21.
“Navy uniform policy updates are the result of Fleet feedback, uniform working group discussions, command sponsored requests and direction from Navy leadership,” wrote Vice Adm. John B. Nowell, Jr., chief of naval personnel, in the message.
“Navy uniform policy updates directly support Sailor 2025 objectives to attract and retain the very best Sailors by finding greater flexibility in our policies and practices, including uniforms.”
What all Sailors need to know is that if something isn’t spelled out in the uniform regulations, it’s not authorized, said Rob Carroll, head of uniform matters on the staff of the chief of naval personnel. This applies to everything from uniforms and grooming standards to rules on appropriate civilian attire.
“These changes are aligned with the efforts to eliminate inconsistency in the application of policy standards and provide clearer guidance that will facilitate compliance and enforcement,” Carroll added.
“Also, they will expand options for our Sailors in grooming standards while eliminating policies considered by most as outdated.”
Many of the changes came from Sailor feedback during uniform and grooming standards focus and working groups held in the fleet. According to Carroll, some came up during Task Force One Navy listening sessions held in 2020 and 21.
“We review commonly asked questions submitted by Sailors from around the fleet, we look at trends, and discuss policy considerations,” Carroll said. “TF1N did not drive the policy changes, but it can be noted that some of the changes align with the Navy’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.”
Here are some highlights of what’s new; consult the NAVADMIN for even more changes.
Hairstyles
Navy Uniform Regulations spell out how all Sailors can and cannot wear their hair, but periodically the Navy updates these rules as practices become mainstream.
“These changes recognize hairstyles that are now pretty standard in society and is also aligned with presenting a professional military appearance while in uniform,” Carroll said.
For men, this means officially sanctioned styles now include bald, flat tops, faded and high and tight hairstyles. All styles include allowing squared or rounded gradual tapers in the back of the head. Sideburns are authorized but cannot exceed the hair length of the haircut where the sideburns and side of the head intersect. Sideburns with bald hairstyles are not allowed.
For women, the rules now allow very short hair styles to include showing the scalp. This includes tapered back and sides of the head. Razor-cut bald styles are not authorized except when prescribed for treating medical conditions.
When wearing very short hairstyles, female Sailors are allowed one hard part that may be cut, shaved, clipped or naturally placed into the scalp. The hard part must be above the temple and no higher than the crown, where the side and top of the head meet. One hard part can be on either the right or left side of the head and must run straight “fore and aft,” the rules say. They can be no longer than four inches nor broader than one-eighth of an inch.
“This gives women more options for greater ease on hair care, especially while on deployment when longer styles can be tougher to maintain,” Carroll said. “Female Sailors have been asking for this flexibility.”
Earrings for Men
Earrings still can’t be worn by male Sailors in uniform but now are authorized while wearing civilian clothes in a leave or liberty status both on and off military installations or while using government transportation. Earrings are not allowed when performing official duties in civilian attire, the rules say.
Accented Names
For Sailors whose legal names contain accents, punctuation marks can now be used in name tags, name patches, or name tapes on Navy uniforms.
Higher Heels for Women
For female Sailors wanting a bit more lift in their high-heels, uniform pumps up to 3-inches in height are now authorized, up from the previously approved height of two and 5/8 inches. Carroll said this is now considered the standard heel height for females in civilian business attire. Sailors can wear commercially procured shoes if they also comply with all other rules for uniform shoes (color, design and fabric).
Sun and Prescription Eyeglass Options and rules
Prescription glasses and sunglasses frames worn in uniform must now conform to new rules.
Frame colors can only be silver, gray, black, navy blue, brown or gold. They can, however, be transparent or translucent. Sunglasses can also be green and sport small logos.
“There are just so many options available today for glasses and we needed to get some standardization of appearance in uniform,” Carroll said. “This change allows for a wide variety of options, ease of compliance and enforcement as well as maintaining a professional military appearance.”
Retainer straps can be worn only for foreign object debris prevention and safety. Only black straps are authorized and must be worn snugly against the head. When not in use, eyeglasses cannot be worn on top of the head or hanging around the neck.
More details and the rest of the uniform changes are available in NAVADMIN 183/21. More uniform information is available on the Navy Uniform Matters Website at www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/References/US-Navy-Uniforms.
From MC1 Mark D. Faram, Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs
Schiebel Camcopter S-100 Successfully Completes US Navy Flight Trials
Monday, August 9th, 2021
Fairfax, Virginia, USA, 9 August 2021 – Schiebel Aircraft and Areté Associates, successfully showcased the CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS) combined with Areté’s Pushbroom Imaging Lidar for Littoral Surveillance (PILLS) sensor to the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR).
In a combined demonstration sponsored by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) on a commercial vessel off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, Schiebel and Areté demonstrated the CAMCOPTER® S-100 and its capabilities, as well as Areté’s Push- broom Imaging Lidar for Littoral Surveillance (PILLS) system.
PILLS enables hydrographic mapping of ocean littoral spaces with a low size, weight, and power (SWaP) sensor that easily integrates into the S-100. PILLS has multiple military and commercial applications.
Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group, said: “We are proud that we could successfully showcase the outstanding capabilities and data-gathering features of our CAMCOPTER® S-100 to the US Navy. Globally, we operate extensively on land and at sea and we are confident that our unmanned solution is also the right fit for the US Navy.”
