European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 16, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday March 162007 stars and stripes Page 3 Navy deployment policy excludes 7th Fleet by Chris Fowler stars and stripes Yokosuka naval base Japan on the surface the navys new personnel Tempo of operations program looks like a sail ors dream to preserve Quality of life while meeting National obligations the program specifies that All time spent on deployment will be matched by an equal amount of time at Home but for some units including those Forward deployed to 7th Fleet things will remain business As usual according to the program the reason some units fall outside its Purview is due to the uniqueness of either Mission or operating Cycle while the instruction directs commanders to meet the pro exempt units include ballistic missile submarines is ii aviation training and flee replacement squad Rons military personnel assigned to military sea lift permanently Forward deployed units operate rotating Crews Chris Trackim h Gimpl logical units covered by the new program aircraft carriers surface combatants amphibious assault ships and attack submarines Carrie based aircraft maritime patrol air Craft electro inc support aircraft and helicopter seagoing or Are unit Mayy combat command Chris Fowler Grams limits it clearly exempts some of them from fulfilling the requirements this new plan is just for conus units it does not Impact Forward deployed wrote 7th Fleet spokesperson it Steven Curry in an email to stars and stripes adding that the new program would affect 7th Fleet ships Only if they leave the 7th Fleet area of responsibility which is rare we just stay in our 52 million Square Miles of Mission area and do our jobs Curry said of the Forward deployed sail ors asked none seemed too concerned the program Doest apply to them Over Here were forwarded played said uss Mccain Petty officer 1st class Robert Mccoy and that Means being ready to go at a moments notice i Haven seen my family in More than a year said uss Kitty Hawk Seaman Isaias Maldonado but Over Here we Are closer to the action so its our Job to go the determining variable for the program is something referred to As dwell according to the new instruction dwell is the ratio of the number of Days a unit spends Between deployments to the length of its last deployment for aviation squadrons and detachments that deploy on an afloat unit dwell will be calculated using departure and return dates to the afloat unit they Are As signed according to the instruction for units covered by the new program there Are exemptions from the on Toone dwell ode ploy ment calculation those in clude time spent training within Home training areas prior to deployment such As dec Landing qualifications and transit time to and from Home port for aviation squadrons and detachments that deploy afloat the new program does not affect emergency needs such As natural disasters or conflicts email Chris Fowler at Home port ashore program is exceeding expectations by Chris Fowler stars and stripes Yokosuka naval base sailors love the free Dom it offers the commander Calls it a strategic Issue from All accounts the Home port ashore initiative for Yokosuka and Casebo naval base continues to move toward its target goal getting 4600 shipboard Els to e4s a place to live ashore rear adm James d Kelly the commander for naval forces Japan says 1708 Junior Fleet sail ors will be living in apart men style housing by april although he thinks it might be a reach to meet the chief of naval operations target Home port ashore completion Date of 2012 he says hell continue to push to Ward the Navy goal of getting 3400 Yokosuka and 1200 Casebo sailors Al to e4 on base hous ing when i talk to some of the older master chiefs they say that living aboard the ship was Good for them so it should be Good for today sailors Kelly said it might have been Good for the Navy 30 years ago but its not Good anymore Kelly says Hes serious about solving the problem of How to take care of sailors Well into the 21st Century to me Quality of life is a strategic Issue Kelly said the for Ward deployed naval forces Fleet sailors have an uptempo percentage of time spent operating commander naval forces Japan rear adm James b Kelly and inf a command master chief Luis Cruz look Over the Home port ashore initiative housing complexes on a map of the naval base on Yokosuka correction a March 15 Story about a i Landrun Case involving a uss Patriot Sailor should have stated that Petty officer 1st class Regulo Guzman or 29 was Aimee saturday on sus Niacar away from Home port of 60 per cent and if anyone deserves to have it a Little better its these folks so far the program is exceed ing our expectations said inf a command master chief Luis Cruz when i walk through the enlisted Bachelor housing and ask Young sailors what they think their eyes Are just glowing when they talk about How Good it is to have a place to Call Home for Petty officer 3rd class Steven Gill being allowed to live in the apartment style quarters is the Best thing that has happened since his ship uss Mustin changed Home ports from san Diego to Yokosuka being Here feels like Home he said this is great we All can hang out and we have a place to go each apartment is Home to four sailors it comes Complete with the Basic amenities Beds a Couch dining room table even decorative plants Ive got friends that still live on the ship said uss Stethem Petty officer 3rd class Jason Lewis shaking his head with a look on his face that said he feels sorry for them when they come Over there like this is Amaz ing according to Lewis the Consen sus is the Benefit of living off the ship is the Best incentive the Navy could have offered to keep sailors on their Best behaviour everyone who lives Here knows that the Guys who live on the ship want these rooms Lewis said so for us we have a reason to set a Good example to be the top Junior sailors on the ship Kelly said All available bed space at Yokosuka has been identified and 1360 sailors Are now living off ships another 348 Junior sailors will move off their ships when renovation on the remaining bed space will be done in april Halfway to the goal Kelly must now find the Money to House the remaining sailors the projected Cost of the future construction is Mil photos by Chris and stripes after work uss muslims Petty officer 3rd class Steven Gill sits Down to relax and watch a Little television now that he has moved into the newly renovated Home port ashore apartment style quarters he spends half As much time out looking for something to do As he did when he lived in austins shipboard berthing compartment lion said Cruz that will pro vide housing for 95 percent of our Fleet sailors according to Kelly there Are basically three different sources to generate needed Revenue Mili tary construction japanese facilities improvement and japanese private funds of those three Kelly believes that japanese private funds May have the most potential i think if i show the contractors exactly what our require ments Are that they would be Able to see that there is a lot of Money to be made by collecting the Basic housing allowance from the residents Kelly said my goal now is to get to the next email Chris Fowler at