Navy News Service

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. You are subscribed to Navy News for U.S. Navy. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Navy News Service NNS130724-02. Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet Hosts 13th Annual Asia-Pacific Submarine Conference -- http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=75545 NNS130724-03. George Washington Welcomes Australian Distinguished Visitors -- http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=75544 DNU -- George Washington Welcomes Visitors From Australia -- http://www.navy.mil/viewVideo.asp?id=18689 NNS130724-14. Sailors Posthumously Receive National Intelligence Medal -- http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=75555 NNS130724-11. Navy Lawyer Among "Nation's Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40" -- http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=75418 NNS130724-15. Pilot Program Enhances Autism Care, Treatment -- http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=75556 NNS130724-12. Current All Hands Update -- http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=75552 NNS020718-12. This Day in Naval History - July 24 -- http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=2615 Eye on the Fleet - U.S. Navy Photo of The Day -- http://www.navy.mil/list_single.asp?id=155950 -USN- -USN- -USN- NNS130724-02. Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet Hosts 13th Annual Asia-Pacific Submarine Conference By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (EXW) Sebastian McCormack, Commander, Submarine Group 7 Public Affairs YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The commander of Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC), kicked off the opening ceremony of the 13th annual Asia-Pacific Submarine Conference (APSC) July 22 at the Mercure Hotel in Yokosuka, Japan. The U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) co-hosted the event July 21-24 to enhance regional cooperation and develop relationships among Asia-Pacific submarine operators, including nations that are not considered allies. "This is an important conference because we're bringing together 18 different nations representing literally thousands of submariners of nations that have cumulatively over 240 submarines," said Rear Adm. James F. Caldwell, Jr., commander, SUBPAC. "Our focus today is on submarine escape, survivability, and rescue. This is a very, very important issue. It crosses international boundaries. "If we ever have to rescue downed submariners, it's going to be a multilateral and multinational event," said Caldwell. "We're going to count on the expertise and cooperation of all the nations that would be present wherever that submarine might go down. So, we're stressing that here today as a very, very important tenant of submarine rescue; cooperation, communications, exercising at sea, tabletop events to expand our expertise and to promote cooperation." The U.S. agenda at the APSC will focus on its experience in its latest submarine rescue exercises and how it can support other countries in submarine rescue. "We are here today to share our experiences, our lessons learned from exercises at sea and make sure that we have these great dialogues and relationships so that we can count on each other should we need to do this," said Caldwell. This year's attendees included representatives from Australia, Canada, China, Ecuador, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and the United States. For more news from Commander Submarine Group 7, visit www.navy.mil/local/csg7/. -USN- -USN- -USN- NNS130724-03. George Washington Welcomes Australian Distinguished Visitors By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ricardo R. Guzman, USS George Washington Public Affairs USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, At Sea (NNS) -- Distinguished visitors from Australia visited the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), July 23. The representatives visited the ship to receive a general orientation of an underway aircraft carrier and to better understand George Washington's strategic mission in the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Operations. "This is my ninth deployment in Australia and I know we have a strong partnership," said Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, commander, Battle Force 7th Fleet. "Whether it's at sea, Afghanistan or elsewhere, the U.S. and Australian military and cultural alliance is strong." Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich, U.S. ambassador to Australia, and Ian Stewart, commissioner of Queensland Police Service were among the 20 distinguished visitors who spent the day aboard George Washington. "Coming out here creates a greater sense of confidence between our two countries," said Bleich. "It's makes our U.S. and Australian relations more interoperable and effective. U.S. Forces and Australia have been long-standing allies and are currently conducting exercise Talisman Saber (TS) 2013. This is the fifth time exercise TS has been conducted. Talisman Saber merges previous the previous exercises of Tandem Thrust and Crocodile into one joint, combined exercise designed to maintaining a high level of interoperability between U.S. and Australian forces. "This is my third time conducting exercise TS," said Montgomery. "I've always found that our ability to build high-end interoperability exercises shows our similarity in tactics, techniques and systems in surface warfare. This exercises gives us the confidence that we can fall back on each other rapidly should a decision be made be made to operate together in a combat zone." The tour gave distinguished visitors a rare opportunity to see TS 2013 in action, giving them greater confidence in the humanitarian and warfighting capabilities in both nations allied navies. "The tour gives you a sense that there are precision operations for every person," said Bleich, "You have Sailors on the flight deck giving hand signals to one another to land the planes safety. It's a magnificent theater for those who don't know about it and at the same time it serves a very serious purpose to keep us secure so that trade routes stay safe and navigable." The TS exercise is a biennial training event aimed at improving Australian Defence Force and U.S. combat readiness and interoperability as a Combined Joint Task Force. For more news from USS George Washington (CVN 73), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn73/. -USN- -USN- -USN- NNS130724-14. Sailors Posthumously Receive National Intelligence Medal By Terri Moon Cronk, American Forces Press Service MCLEAN, Va. (NNS) -- Two fallen Navy petty officers became the 18th and 19th recipients of the National Intelligence Medal for Valor in a July 22 ceremony at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Va. The families of Petty Officers 1st Class Jared W. Day and Michael J. Strange received the posthumous awards. Calling Day and Strange "two young heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion to their country," Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper presented the medals in front of a standing-room-only gathering of families, friends and shipmates. Day, a few days shy of his 29th birthday when he died, was a tactical communicator, and Strange, 25, was an information operations operator. Both were assigned within Naval special operations when they responded Aug. 6, 2011, to enemy forces escaping from a nearby raid in an enemy-contested valley of eastern Afghanistan, the award citations read. Knowing the valley served as an enemy safe haven with no sustained coalition force presence, and knowing that their mission was to interdict and ambush an armed enemy force, Day and Strange volunteered to pursue an enemy known to have attacked and killed coalition forces with plans for future attacks, the citations said. Both "selflessly chose to interdict the fleeing enemy when [they] boarded the helicopter with [their] teammates," the citations said, but the aggressive mission ended tragically when their helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, causing it to crash and killing all on board. Twenty-eight other Americans, eight Afghans and a military working dog were en route to assist an Army Ranger unit engaged in a firefight with Taliban forces west of the Afghan capital of Kabul, Clapper added. "For each of them, the courageous choice to ride to the sound of gunfire was one they'd made many times before," he told the audience. The accident was the largest single loss of American life during the Afghanistan campaign and the greatest single loss of life ever suffered by the U.S. Special Operations community, Clapper said. The U.S. intelligence community looks up to Day and Strange for their heroism and for "setting the example for our entire community," Clapper said. "They served at an amazing nexus of the Navy, special operations and the intelligence community." Serving with the Navy SEALS, he added, Day and Strange were unique, elite and truly remarkable young men. "We continue to look to them as selfless examples of service to this great nation," Clapper said. "They were the best of us." Both men are now part of the history of this country, he said, calling them "a legacy of sacrifice toward something larger than just oneself." Sam Day and Karolyn Kimball Day of Salt Lake City received the medal for valor for their son. "He was just amazing," Elizabeth Kimball Day said of her son, adding that he was only 6 years old when he declared he wanted to join the Navy, and did so when he was 19. "He was always the funny one" she said. "He always got up with a smile, and went to bed with a smile. He always took the underdog under his wing." "[The National Intelligence Medal for Valor] is a great honor, and it shows how much Michael was appreciated," said Elizabeth Strange of Philadelphia, who accepted the medal on his behalf. Michael Strange also joined the Navy at a young age, his mother said, adding that she and Michael's father had to sign papers when he was 17 to allow him to go into the Navy when he graduated from high school at age 18. "It was a decision he made, and he was really determined," she added. Strange's family didn't believe he wanted to join the military at first. His mother said he wasn't one to arrive at school on time, but he scored very high on tests and was excited when the Navy told him about the jobs he could perform. "He meshed well with the Navy, [and] I couldn't believe it," his mother said. "He excelled at it." -USN- -USN- -USN- NNS130724-11. Navy Lawyer Among "Nation's Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40" From Office of the Judge Advocate General WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Navy judge advocate, Lt. Tashinda Richardson, has been named to the National Bar Association (NBA) and IMPACT's "Nation's Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40." Honorees will be recognized at the NBA's 88th Annual Convention in Miami, Fla., July 27. Nation's Best Advocates recognizes talented individuals within the African American legal community who have achieved prominence and distinction, professionally and philanthropically, and have demonstrated a strong commitment to empowering, uplifting and advocating for the African American community. "I am truly honored and humbled to receive this award. I am so grateful to all of my wonderful mentors in the JAG Corps that have constantly motivated me to dig deeper to become a superior attorney and officer. I am also indebted to the lawyers and judges outside of the JAG Corps who have mentored me, my family, my friends, and especially my husband, who nominated me for this award," said Richardson. A native of Minneapolis, Minn., Richardson graduated from Spelman College in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. After completing a year-long Watson Fellowship in Japan and South Africa, she began her legal studies at University of Maryland School of Law. During her second summer, she managed a full load of cases as a law clerk at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and, in her final year, she was a visiting student at Emory University Law School and a law clerk at the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. She earned her Juris Doctor in 2008 and is a member of the State Bar of Georgia. Richardson was commissioned through the JAG Corps Student Program in October 2008. She completed Naval Justice School in April 2009, and subsequently served as trial counsel at Region Legal Service Office Southwest. While at RLSO SW she led the command's recruiting program, acting as an ambassador for the JAG Corps throughout the Southwest, which culminated in her selection as the Naval Legal Service Command Recruiting Officer of the Year. In April of 2011, Richardson transferred to the Office of the Judge Advocate General Military Personnel Division. There, she managed the JAG Corps' presence at recruiting events for legal affinity groups, the internship and externship program, and the Command Equal Opportunity Program. Additionally, Richardson planned and implemented the Navy JAG Corps' Street Law Diversity Pipeline Program, which brought a team of 20 judge advocates together to teach constitutional law issues to 9th-11th grade students at Forestville Military Academy in Washington, D.C. Richardson currently serves as the legal assistance and command services attorney at Region Legal Service Office Southwest in Ventura, Calif., and prosecutes federal criminal cases as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. For more news from Navy Judge Advocate General, visit www.navy.mil/local/jag/. -USN- -USN- -USN- NNS130724-15. Pilot Program Enhances Autism Care, Treatment By Terri Moon Cronk, American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (NNS) -- A congressionally mandated pilot program set to launch July 25 will enhance an existing Defense Department program that provides care and treatment for military children with autism, a senior DoD official said. Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs and director of the TRICARE Management Activity, met with reporters yesterday to explain the new program. An estimated 8,500 children of active-duty military families have a form of autism, Woodson said. He sought to dispel military parents' concerns about rumors of a potential loss in benefits for their children with autism and autism spectrum disorder. "We understand that there's a lot of anxiety in the community of interest around autism about suspected changes that would adversely affect care," he said. "Providing care to children who have autism spectrum disorder and making sure they get the full range of care they need is a priority to us." "All care will be continued," Woodson added, noting that active-duty service members' children's autism care benefits in the applied behavior analysis administered through TRICARE would not change. "Anyone who's receiving care under the [Enhanced Access to Autism Services Demonstration] - there will be no change," he said. There's also no change in benefits to anyone enrolled in the basic medical program that began July 2012, Woodson said. An expansion of services through the autism pilot program, he added, will also allow retirees and their families to receive ASD benefits. Autism care and treatment is evolving, Woodson said. "In the future, we'll try to identify what the best practice is for the periodic assessments - who should get it and over what period of time," he said, noting the pilot program is expected to yield "great insight" into evaluation protocols. The pilot program was developed by crafting requirements through consulting with experts in the field and advocacy groups to "try to find validated tests and the best strategy for focusing on what would be the right care at the right time for children [with autism]," Woodson said. Woodson said the pilot program's overall focus is directed at families, and what is best for their child. Parents' input will be sought to ensure their issues are represented as the program is shaped, he added. There is "an expanding need and recognition" of military families with children who have autism, Woodson said. Integral to increasing autism treatment capability, he said, is having a large network of providers that work with autistic children. "We continually try to improve ... [and] expand our network of providers," he said. "I think we have one of the most robust networks available." Woodson said it is "paramount" for children with autism to obtain professional reassessments to ensure they get the right care, at the right time, with updated care plans. "That's what we're all about," he said. "Focusing on the child and what's best and providing the families with access to these services." NNS130724-12. Current All Hands Update From Defense Media Activity - Navy WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Daily Report for Wednesday, July 24, 2013 All Hands Update features five newscasts today - one two-minute newscast, three one-minute newscasts and one package uploaded to web only. Two-minute newscast- - FLTCM April Beldo Discusses Post 9/11 G.I. Bill Transferability http://www.navy.mil/viewVideo.asp?id=18684 http://youtu.be/F8KXHEX65lY First One-minute newscast- - Headline for Wednesday, July 24, 2013: 21st Century Sailor Office Helps Sailors Meet Challenges http://www.navy.mil/viewVideo.asp?id=18685 http://youtu.be/47lufd99dz4 Second one-minute newscast- - "Keep What You've Earned Fair" Held Aboard Naval Base Kitsap Bangor http://www.navy.mil/viewVideo.asp?id=18686 http://youtu.be/xv1biYLDXCI Third one-minute newscast- - USS George Washington Hosts Warfare Standdown http://www.navy.mil/viewVideo.asp?id=18687 http://youtu.be/gK4hOwPvkzc Web newscast- - Naval Station Mayport Hosts Blood Drive http://www.navy.mil/viewVideo.asp?id=18683 http://youtu.be/_7YmM4xytGs Defense Media Activity - Navy usually produces four All Hands Update (AHU)newscasts each day - one two-minute newscast and three one-minute newscasts. AHU can be seen throughout the day and evening on the Direct-to-Sailor (DTS)satellite television service available aboard 160 ships of the fleet and via the Navy Web site at www.navy.mil. Check your local DTS program schedule for air times. AHU can also be seen throughout the world on the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS). -USN- -USN- -USN- -USN- -USN- -USN- NNS020718-12. This Day in Naval History - July 24 From the Naval News Service 1813- Sailing Master Elijah Mix attempts to blow up British warship Plantagenet with a torpedo near Cape Henry, Virginia. 1944 - Following 43 days of naval gunfire and air bombardment, Naval Task Force lands Marines on Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands. -USN- -USN- -USN- Navy News Service is the official news wire service of the U.S. Navy, containing stories recently posted to the Navy Web site at www.navy.mil. It is a product of the Defense Media Navy - 6700 Taylor Rd., Fort Meade, MD 20755. 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