Serving the NATO, Naples and Gaeta Military Community in Italy Russell Egnor Navy Media Awards – 2016 Best Newspaper in the Navy
63rd year, No. 12
Friday, March 30, 2018
USS Mount Whitney Joins Obangame Express 2018 By Lt. j.g. Dino Teppara
The Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived off the coast of Monrovia, Liberia, March 24, 2018, to participate in exercise Obangame Express 2018 (OE 18). Mount Whitney officially joined OE 18, the largest regional maritime exercise in West Africa. OE 18 is a regional U.S. Navy exercise sponsored by U.S. Africa Command to improve interoperability and cooperation among the maritime forces of Gulf of Guinea nations, Europe, and North and South America. The eight-day exercise, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command, focuses on countering the trafficking of illegal arms and drugs, human trafficking, OBANGAME EXPRESS
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NSA Naples Celebrates 125th Birthday of Chief Petty Officers
Trump, Mattis Hail Spending Bill to Fund Strongest Military Ever By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News
Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Tyler Skinner looks out a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the “Ghost Riders” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28, while conducting flight operations with the Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) during exercise Obangame Express 2018, March 24. Mount Whitney, forward-deployed to Gaeta, operates with a combined crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. Exercise Obangame Express, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness (MDA), information-sharing practices, and tactical interdiction expertise to enhance the collective capabilities of Gulf of Guinea and West African nations to counter sea-based illicit activity. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Krystina Coffey
U.S. Navy chief petty officers on Naval Support Activity Naples celebrated the 125th birthday of the chief petty officer rank on March 29, 2018, at the main piazza onboard Capodichino. The formation formed the shape of an anchor to represent the strength and unity of the Chief’s Mess. Photo by MC2 Joseph Bishop
CAPTAIN’S CORNER. . . . . . . . . 2 BASE NOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 FFSC CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . 5
50%
SOUND OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MOVIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 JOBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 INTL. CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL COMING TO JFC . . . . . . . . page 5
EASTER BUNNY FUN FACTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 14
USO TOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 WORD SEARCH / COLOR ME 14
The $1.3 trillion spending bill President Donald J. Trump signed includes the largest military budget in history, reversing years of decline and unpredictable funding, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said March 23 at the White House. “Together, we are going to make our military stronger than ever,” Mattis said in a news conference today, flanked by Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross, and Department of Homeland Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. “We in the military are humbled and grateful to the American people for their sacrifices on behalf of this funding,” Mattis said. “Now it's our responsibility in the military to spend every dollar wisely in order to keep the trust and the confidence of the American people and the Congress.” Trump hailed the spending measure, saying it funds the strongest military in the world, as well as troop increases and the largest pay raise in more than a decade for service members. The bill, which Congress passed hours earlier, funds the government for fiscal year 2018 and includes $700 billion for defense spending. Trump said that defense funding contained in the bill is an increase of more than $60 billion from last year. It funds the addition of critically needed ships, planes, helicopters, tanks and submarines, he pointed out.