CNO, MCPON Visit Sailors in U.S. 5th Fleet

 

The Navy's 31st Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Adm. John Richardson, made his first visit to the U.S. 5th Fleet, accompanied by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Mike Stevens at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, Oct. 18.

More than 700 Sailors and Marines attended an all-hands call with the CNO and MCPON at the NSA Bahrain gym.

"Today marks my first month as CNO," Richardson said. "I wanted to get out and about early to connect with as many of you as possible, to get a sense of matters from your perspective."

Richardson went on to share that he viewed Sailors' service in the Navy as one of accountability, ingenuity and creativity.

"I've had the chance to work at a lot of joint commands and talk to a lot of joint commanders," Richardson said. "Every one of those commanders I've talked to are super grateful when they get a U.S. Navy Sailor on their team. Because they know we are not constrained by challenges. We just find a creative way to get things done."

The all-hands call then turned into a question-and-answer session, as Sailors asked questions regarding advancement, education, sexual assault awareness, deployment timelines and the physical readiness policy. Richardson also addressed the Navy's plan to shorten deployments through proper planning protocols to make sure scheduling, maintenance and training were streamlined properly.

Afterward, Richardson had lunch with junior Sailors and then met with family members. He later toured the waterfront to visit ships and meet more Sailors. His visits included the coastal patrol ship USS Firebolt (PC 10), the mine countermeasures ship USS Sentry (MCM 3) and the afloat forward staging base USS Ponce (AFSB(I) 15).

Richardson is currently on his first overseas trip as the CNO. His travel includes Hawaii, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Italy.

Richardson became the 31st CNO Sept. 18, serving as the Navy's most senior officer, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of Defense and the President.