navy trips requirements

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• Requirements

Requirements to Join

REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A SAILOR

To join the Navy, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen; or Legal Permanent Resident (Enlisted)
• Be between the ages of 17 and 41 for Enlisted programs. Age requirements for Officer programs vary.*
• Have a high school diploma or GED equivalent (Enlisted) or have a four-year degree from an accredited university (Officer)
• Have a qualifying score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test (Enlisted) or the Officer Aptitude Rating (OAR) and Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) (Officer)
• Pass the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) medical exam
• Meet the physical, mental and moral standards of the Navy

*The age requirements for joining the Navy depend on the path you take, and they exist mainly to ensure you’re able to succeed in a challenging environment. If you are not yet 18, you need parental consent to join. Other restrictions or exceptions may apply depending on your job or program in the Navy.

Contact a recruiter to request more information about basic requirements.

How Do I Join?

First, contact a recruiter or request more information for answers to basic questions about joining.

With your recruiter, report to a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). Here you will take the ASVAB and undergo a physical exam.

Speak with a career counselor about which Navy job is right for you based on your physical qualifications and ASVAB score.

Take the Oath of Enlistment and receive orders for Recruit Training Command (RTC), also known as boot camp .

Questions About Joining?

What are the physical requirements.

As a branch of the American military tasked to defend our nation’s freedom, Sailors must be able to pull their own weight. The Navy’s physical requirements are measured through the Navy Physical Readiness Test (PRT), which consists of pushups, planks and running. Your overall score must amount to 60 points.

Requirements are adjusted based on age and gender. For example, as a minimum requirement to pass the PRT at boot camp, you must complete: 

For more detailed information, contact a recruiter . Sailors who receive a “Satisfactory” grade in their PRT may also receive enlistment bonus compensation.  

You won’t need to meet any physical fitness requirements before joining the Navy as an enlisted Sailor with the exception of Naval Special Warfare programs . There are requirements if you join through ROTC or another Officer path—your recruiter will provide the details.

What Are the Health Requirements?

All Sailors must meet the weight requirements based on their corresponding height. If the requirement is not met, an abdominal circumference and body mass index (BMI) measurement will be taken. Please see the chart for your information. 

Some medical conditions such as contagious diseases, conditions that limit mobility, geographic placements or performance may disqualify you from service. Learn more about medical parameters by connecting with a recruiter .

What Are the Education Requirements?

Enlisted Sailors need to have a high school degree or equivalent to join, while Officers need a college degree by the time they are commissioned. To enlist, you’ll also need to meet a minimum score on the Navy placement exam, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). It’s recommended you check the requirements of your preferred job, since some specific jobs also require minimum scores.

CAN I NO LONGER JOIN IF I HAVE A SCORE TOO LOW ON THE ASVAB PLACEMENT EXAM? 

The Navy understands that some circumstances can impact your ability to score well. Your recruiter can answer all of your questions about the ASVAB placement exam.

Do I Have to Know How to Swim?

Whether you’re a skilled swimmer or have never swum a stroke, you’re welcome in the Navy. Part of Navy boot camp is the swim test. Many Sailors join the Navy without knowing how to swim, but instructors at boot camp are trained to teach you everything you’ll need to know before the test. The test consists of three events: a jump into a pool, a 50-yard swim and a prone float for five minutes.

What About Tattoos?

The Navy has the most accepting tattoo policy of any military branch. In fact, Sailors have a long history of getting tattoos to symbolize milestones within their Navy careers.

• Sailors can have full-sleeve tattoos on arms and legs.
• Sailors are permitted to have a single tattoo on their neck no larger than 1 inch.
• Tattoos located on the ears, behind the ears, on the neck (below the jawline) viewable from the front as well as those on the back of the neck may be waived by Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, on a case-by-case basis.
• No tattoos are permitted on the head, face or scalp.
• Offensive, racist, extremist and sexist tattoos are not allowed.

What About My Hair and Beard?

Grooming standards in the Navy exist to promote neatness, cleanliness and safety. 

Men are expected to keep their hair short and neat. 

A religious accommodation request can be submitted for personnel to wear a beard.

There is no requirement for women to cut their hair short. Short hair is permitted to be worn down if it falls above the collarbone. Long hair is expected to be pulled back in a bun, ponytail, braids or corn rows.

How Long Will I Be Away from Home?

Sailors rotate between sea and shore duty. You may spend three years assigned to a ship’s command and then rotate to serve three more years at a shore command. You will not be at sea during your entire Navy career. During your sea tour, you may live off-base nearby, but must be available to travel with the ship for deployments or training.

A typical sea deployment on a Navy ship can last anywhere from six to nine months. Ships typically deploy once every 18-24 months. In preparation for deployment, Sailors should be prepared to go to sea for 10 to 14 days each month for training.

How Long Will I Serve?

Enlisted   positions typically require an initial service commitment of four years, but positions involving longer-term training may involve five- or six-year obligations.

Officer positions typically require an initial service commitment of three to five years, but positions involving longer-term training may involve longer service obligations.

Are There Financial Requirements?

Unpaid loans, overdue bills or a history of bad credit could impact your ability to serve in the military because you must be eligible for security clearance. In certain cases, you must prove you can meet your current financial obligations before joining.

What If I'm Married to An Active Duty Servicemember?

Congratulations, and here is the deal: If there are no children in the household, spouses are eligible to enlist. The Navy Reserve also offers opportunities for personnel married to an Active Duty Servicemember.

Can I Serve As A Single Parent?

Yes, you can. However, due to the risks associated with serving in the military, the Navy requires a waiver for any single-parent applicant.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

There are a number of reasons one may be unable to join the Navy. Even if you can’t serve, there are many other ways to help the American people. 

Maintaining physical, mental, and emotional health helps you succeed in the Navy. These requirements are established to make sure you’re prepared to carry out your duties. Some medical conditions may disqualify you from serving in the Navy:

• Contagious diseases that would endanger the health of other personnel
• Conditions or defects that require excessive time lost for necessary treatment or hospitalization
• Conditions demanding geographical area limitations
• Conditions aggravated by the performance of required duties and/or training

CAN I STILL JOIN IF I HAVE ASTHMA, POOR VISION, OR POOR HEARING?  Asthma could potentially prevent you from joining if you were diagnosed with it after your 13th birthday. Hearing, vision, and asthma qualifications are usually determined by medical exams and are not service-specific. You can still request an asthma, vision, or hearing loss waiver if a doctor denies your application. Connect with a recruiter .

CAN I JOIN IF I HAVE ADHD? Potentially. It will only prevent you from joining the Navy if you’ve been treated with ADD/ADHD medication within the last year, or if you display obvious signs of the condition. Many with this history get medical waivers. Cases are looked at on a case by case basis. Connect with a recruiter .

You can still join with a medical disqualification as long as you get a medical waiver, which is issued on a case-by-case basis. If you have a specific medical condition and are not sure whether it disqualifies you, connect with a recruiter .

VALUES & CHARACTER

Candidates will be expected to follow and uphold the Navy’s core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment if they want to join.

IF I HAVE A PREVIOUS FELONY OR A CONVICTION, CAN I STILL JOIN? 

The Military Services are responsible for the defense of the Nation and should not be viewed as a source of rehabilitation for those who have not subscribed to the legal and moral standards of society at-large. Generally, felons and those with several convictions can’t join the Navy, but moral waivers or felony waivers are available in some cases. The waiver procedure is not automatic, and approval is based on each individual case.

WHAT OFFENSES OR MORAL BEHAVIOR-RELATED ISSUES CAN'T BE WAIVED? 

The offenses and moral behavior-related issues that cannot be waived include:

• If you are under any form of judicial restraint (bond, probation, imprisonment, or parole)
• If you are subject to civil court conviction or adverse disposition for more than one serious offense, or serious offenses with three or more other offenses (apart from traffic)
• If you are found trafficking, selling, or distributing narcotics, including marijuana
• If you have three or more convictions related to driving while intoxicated, drugged, or impaired in the past five years before joining
• If you have been convicted of a felony crime of rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault, incest, any other sexual offense, or when the disposition requires the person to register as a sex offender.
• If you are convicted for five or more misdemeanors
• If you are unable to pass a drug or alcohol test, or if you have current charges pending against you
• If you have been previously separated from the Military Services under conditions other than honorable or for the good of the Military Service concerned
• In you have received an unfavorable final determination by the DoD Consolidated Adjudication Facility on a completed National Agency Check with Law and Credit (NACLC) or higher-level investigation, which is adjudicated to the National Security Standards in accordance with Executive Order 12968, Reference (j), during the accession process.

CITIZENSHIP

Although the Navy wants people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, all candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a valid Green Card, (officially known as a Permanent Resident Card).

DRUGS & ALCOHOL

The Navy has a zero-tolerance policy for drug use and alcohol abuse. Dependency on illegal drugs or history of drug use or alcohol abuse can disqualify you from service.

WHAT CAN I DO IF I DON’T MEET THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN? 

The Navy has a waiver process that you can take advantage of to prove you overcame a disqualifying issue that would otherwise prevent you from joining the Navy. After submitting a waiver, a review takes place to make sure you can join. If your waiver is denied, you can also look into pursuing a civilian career within the Navy.

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Traffic Safety

Traffic Safety Training

Traffic Safety Training is coordinated and managed by the respective CNRMA Public Safety installation’s  Safety Office . Please contact the them, as indicated below, to obtain course quotas. Below is a brief synopsis of the courses currently offered:

Basic Rider Course (BRC) - Motorcycle Safety Course ,  (16 hours, 3 days).  Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) approved course. Course is mandatory for all active duty personnel who operate motorcycles on/off-base and on/off duty, and DoD/NAFE civilian personnel operating on-base. State MC license with appropriate motorcycle endorsement or motorcycle learner’s permit is required to enroll for personnel operating their own motorcycle for the course. (Personnel operating a MC with a permit are required to comply with the issuing state requirements for permits. Example: VA requires permit holders to ride with another rider who has a motorcycle operator’s license.) Training sites now have a limited number of training aids for use by personnel who are novice riders or considering the purchase of a motorcycle. Operators of motorcycles with attached sidecars or three-wheeled motorcycles are excluded from required motorcycle training. The BRC card does not expire, however all riders shall continue to enhance their motorcycle skills and competency by completing a follow-on Naval Safety Center approved motorcycle training course (i.e., ERC, MSRC, etc.) at a minimum of every 3 years.

1. Military Sport Bike Rider Course (MSRC) (8 hours, 1 day).  Course is required for military personnel operating a motorcycle on or off duty, regardless of their intent to ride their motorcycle on-base; and DoD/NAFE civilian personnel operating a motorcycle on any naval installation are required to complete the course. Course satisfies the mandatory recertification requirements for sport bike riders, however all sport bike riders are encouraged to complete the training as soon as possible. Riders must have proof of completion of the BRC; and obtained a MC operator’s license prior to enrolling. Riders must provide their own motorcycle for the class.

2. Experienced Rider Course (ERC) – Motorcycle Safety Course (8 hours, 1 day).  Motorcycle Safety Course (5 hours, 1 day). Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) approved course. Group riding suite IS NOT included with this training. Riders must have proof of completion of the BRC to enroll in the course; and obtained a MC operator’s license prior to enrolling. Riders must provide their own motorcycle for the class.

3. Advanced Rider Course (8 hours, 1 day).   The Advanced Rider Course (ARC) is the equivalent of the Military Sport Bike Course, with the difference being it is geared towards cruiser riders.  The first half is classroom training that focuses on your behavior as a rider.  The second half is riding on the range and practicing the different body positions you learn about in the classroom.  There are 8 exercises, mostly geared towards cornering, stopping quickly and safety on your motorcycle.  The course can be taken on either a cruiser or sport bike.

All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Rider Course (8 hours, 1 day).  Operators of government-owned all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) shall successfully complete this course prior to operating these vehicles on any navy installation.

American Automobile Association/Driver Improvement Program (AAA/DIP)  (8 hours, 1 day).  Classroom instruction in traffic safety designed to establish and reinforce a positive attitude toward safe driving. This course is mandatory for (1) all, other than incidental, drivers of government motor vehicles (GMV); (2) military and DOD civilian personnel who, while driving a GMV, were involved in a crash on-base or off-base; (3) personnel operating a GMV or personal motor vehicle (PMV) who have been convicted of a serious moving traffic violation (i.e., reckless driving, driving while intoxicated, speeding, following too closely, failure to yield).

Driver Awareness Safety Training (DAST) (4 hours, 1 day).  Classroom instruction in traffic safety designed to establish and reinforce safe driving habits with emphasis on individual responsibility and correct response to routine and emergency driving situations.  Course meets the military personnel under 26 years of age traffic safety training requirement.

On-Line course Registration via  ESAMS  (search for a course on the Home page)

On-line Registration via  Navy Motorcycle Rider Training Registration

Please contact the CNRMATraffic Safety Program administrator at (757) 444-3140 with additional questions.

Joggers, Fitness Walkers, and Bicyclist's - At night, or in periods of reduced/restricted visibility, joggers, fitness walkers, and bicyclists are encouraged to wear brightly colored, flourescent, or other reflective garments when near roadways on all Navy Region Mid-Atlantic installations.

Travel Risk Planning System (TRiPS)  - an on-line, automated risk assessment tool for use prior to going on leave or liberty requiring driving out of the area.  Click  here  to login. Click it or Ticket  is a high visibility enforcement program designed to raise safety belt usage and save people from death and serious injury on the streets and highways.

The  Naval Safety Center  has released Traffic5100 - mishaps deprive us of people and resources, compromising our readiness. This handbook gives every Sailor and Marine the means to address real traffic-safety issues and provide practical solutions.

A Teen-Safe Community Health Initiative to reduce the incidences of tennage automobile crashed in Virginia. For more information visit  Safe Teen Driving .

Side Mirror Adjustment Safe Driving Aid Some of the most serious preventable accidents occur because of blind spots while driving! Now there is a remarkable simple solution discovered by an engineer named George Platzer.

Gas Pump Safety The Petroleum Equipment Institute make people aware of fires as a result of "static" at gas pumps. The institute has researched over 150 cases of these fires.  Read more >>

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• Condition-Based Movement Fact Sheet

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Travel Information for Japan

COVID-19 Testing Information

• If you are traveling to Japan through an AMC flight, you or your family may be randomly selected for rapid onsite COVID testing while in Seattle, Washington. Below are some details from NAVADMIN 294/20, but you will be taken care of. Please let us and MNCC know ASAP if this happens to provide additional support as needed.
• Any Sailor and/or family member(s) executing PCS travel that tests positive for COVID-19 while going through rapid on-site testing at a PE APOE will do the following:

Narita Airport Shuttle Information

Shuttle bus to yokosuka, daily departure and arrival times:, traveling with family & pets.

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Updated Travel Guidance for Navy Reserve Sailors During COVID-19

By Commander Navy Reserve Force Public Affairs

• If both locations are “green” without any travel restrictions, the member can execute travel without a waiver. Members shall continue to follow CDC guidance for social distancing and hygiene while traveling and on orders
• If either the departure or arrival location is “red,” a waiver must be approved by the supported command, delineating the travel is considered mission essential.

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• Login to DTS
• JTR Ch. 1 - 6 & Appendices
• JTR Changes
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• Computation Examples
• Travel Regulations Archive
• Frequently Asked Questions

Related Resources

Additional policy and regulations related to federal travel.

• Department of State Standardized Regulations
• DoD 4500.9-R, Defense Transportation Regulation, Parts I-V
• DoD Financial Management Regulation
• Federal Acquisition Regulation
• Federal Travel Regulation

Joint Travel Regulations

The Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) implements policy and law to establish travel and transportation allowances for Uniformed Service members (i.e., Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and Public Health Service Commissioned Corps), Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees, and others traveling at the DoD’s expense.

The JTR is published on a monthly basis; however, policy changes may occur at any time during the month. In each issue of the JTR, the cover letter outlines all policy changes from the previous version and the updated sections are highlighted throughout the document. Refer to the travel regulations archive for previous versions.

For Uniformed Service members, the JTR's authority is primarily derived from U.S.C. Titles 10 and 37 statutes. For DoD civilian employees, the JTR's authority is primarily derived from U.S.C. Title 5 statutes, General Service Administration's (GSA) Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) , and the Department of State's Standardized Regulations .

Provisions of the JTR are also determined by decisions of the Comptroller General (CG), the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA), the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA), and DoD General Counsel.

The Per Diem Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee (PDTATAC), or Per Diem Committee, has oversight of the JTR, per DoD Instruction 5154.31, Volume 5 [PDF, 8 pages] . Two working level advisory panels support the subcommittee – the Military Advisory Panel (MAP) and the Civilian Advisory Panel (CAP). The Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) serves as the administrative staff for the PDTATAC by developing, administering, and maintaining JTR.

MAP and CAP meet monthly and evaluate issues pertaining to travel and transportation allowances for Uniformed Service members and DoD civilian employees respectively.

Learn more about governance .

Proposed changes to the JTR may be submitted through a MAP or CAP member or the PDTATAC’s staff. Some changes to the JTR are required by changes to law and Service or DoD policy, or decisions of the Comptroller General, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, or the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals.

To request a JTR policy change, submit your recommendation through your chain of command to your component’s MAP or CAP member.

Review the JTR frequently asked questions . For questions about Pay, Travel Vouchers/Claims, Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), Tax Exemptions, and Clothing Allowances, go to DFAS-Feedback .

Check your organization’s local business rules as they may contain additional clarification or guidance. If you need assistance locating your organization’s local business rules, contact your local level support .

Use your chain of command or contact your local servicing finance, transportation, or personnel office. The local offices are in the best position to review your circumstances and provide appropriate answers.

If you still need information after consulting these resources, submit a question to the PDTATAC’s staff . You must provide contact information for your servicing finance, transportation, or personnel office (whichever you consulted), the name of the person(s) with whom you spoke to, and a summary of any guidance given to you. A copy of the reply is forwarded to the Military or Civilian Advisory Panel member from your service.

Review answers to common questions

Subscribe to policy & regulations updates

Find courses, reference materials, and instructor resources on travel policies & programs

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Foreign Travel Guidance & Forms

DBB members are required to report all foreign travel prior to commencing travel.  Click on the below links for procedures and applicable pre-/post-travel documentation.

• Foreign Travel Reporting Procedures
• Foreign Pre-Travel Questionnaire
• Foreign Post-Travel Questionnaire
• Foreign Post-Travel Foreign Contact

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Defense Travel System

Your travel management hub for dod trips.

Military members and DoD Civilian personnel can book official travel and manage travel expenses.

How It Works

Book your travel.

with all the reservations you need, estimate expenses, and request advanced payments

Receive Approvals

for your travel plans and known expenses before and after you travel

Keep Records Up to Date

with your travel plans and expenses before and during your trip

Input Final Expenses

and attach receipts and records when you return from your trip

Get Reimbursed

back to your bank account, Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC), or both

DoD Travel News

• DoD Approves Reimbursement for Transportation or Shipment of Breast Milk During PCS
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Tips for Easy Travel with the Navy Travel Program

Photo By Matthew Jones | NAVSUP WSS Logo read more read more

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES

Story by asya parker  , navsup weapon systems support.

When it comes to government-related travel, knowing where to turn when you have questions may sometimes be a question in itself. A traveler’s first inclination may be to call CWT SatoTravel – the Department of Defense’s go-to for travel management and fulfillment services. However, callers that have recently gone this route have been met with extreme wait times that have left many people in travel-limbo. Understanding the tools and resources that are available to travelers can save time and will properly equip travelers when on official travel. With the surge in travel following COVID-19, the travel service industry has experienced personnel shortages and hiring challenges post-COVID-19 which impact performance. Additionally, there were over 62 million travel and tourism jobs lost due to COVID-19 throughout 2020-2021, with nearly 9 million of those within the United States. While the travel service industry still hasn’t fully recovered, the contractor’s service level has improved as of late. The travel industry challenges compound the issues of the Travel Management Company (TMC). The Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) confirmed the average time to service a telephone call is currently four times longer than pre-COVID. This is not due to the personnel servicing the calls and is directly tied to the extended time required to search for available flights, cars, and lodging. Excessive calls roll-over to Emergency Support Center after-hours. Hiring challenges for night/graveyard shift are even greater. Although there have been a few systemic issues that impacted numerous travel records, many of the travel “issues” could have been resolved without a call to the TMC or avoided altogether. This issue is of particular interest to the U.S. Navy who currently contribute a large majority of the calls that are being made to the call centers. “Data was captured from the peak travel period in 2022 when calls were at the highest levels. During a 3-month period, the Navy had 84,117 calls placed to the TMC during duty hours,” said Charles Sharon, NAVSUP WSS Navy Passenger Transportation Policy Specialist. “The statistics provided indicated our volume was nearly 20 percent more than the Army contracts and 26 percent more than the Air Force and Marine Corps combined. Navy personnel placed 48,089 calls to the after-hours Emergency Service Center, similarly, exceeding the other services call volume.” Before calling CWT SatoTravel customer support, it is best practice for travelers to understand the services that they provide as well as the self-service tools that can be used such as the CWT SatoTravel’s online chat feature. By utilizing the chat feature, travelers can be assisted with actions before, during, and after travel such as canceling reservations, car rentals, ticket status, invoice requests, refund requests, credit card updates and submit back to Defense Travel System. Chat support is available Monday thru Friday from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. CDT. “The TMC has implemented additional technology in efforts to relieve overall call volume and the amount of time travelers spend on hold when they do call. The chat feature was established for administrative actions that don’t require an actual agent, including duplicate copies of invoice/itineraries, reservation cancellation, credit card updates, and early ticketing,” said Sharon. “This feature can be accessed through the CWT SatoTravel’s website by selecting the ‘Chat directly with a member of our team’ hyperlink. The chat feature responded to over 10,222 requests over a 3-month period, equally reducing the call volume over this period.” Another resource that is crucial for all DoD travelers is the Defense Travel System (DTS). DTS is a one-stop-shop for government related travelers to search and book fights, reserve hotel accommodations, and reserve rental cars. It is also a resource for checking per-diem rates in a given travel location. It is within the DTS website that travelers can prepare the necessary documents that they will need for their trips and accommodations. Also, with the proper permissions in place, documentation can be prepared on the behalf of another traveler. Additional common issues that can be rectified within DTS include the following: • Inputting and updating travel documents • Updating travel preferences in a personal profile • Using Travel Authorization (TA) information to prepare a local travel voucher • Inputting and digitally signing actual trip information • Determining the status of an authorization or voucher at any time “The TMC has made huge strides in addressing the call volume and working to bring their performance back with service level agreements through additional technology and staffing, and continue to improve,” said Sharon. Ways to resolve top call issues to the TMC include: • Missing invoices, duplicate invoices, and itineraries o Ensure accurate e-mail in DTS profile; retain the initial copy; request via TMC’s chat • Requesting reservation changes o Make changes via DTS when possible • Credit cards being declined and/or updated o Update/verify card in DTS profile prior to arranging travel; use TMC’s chat • Rebooking flights that auto-cancelled due to approval official not approving o Verify AO approval 3-5 days prior to date of travel • Verifying ticket issuance o Verify DTS record “CTO Ticketed” stamp; receipt of invoice; use TMC’s chat • Verifying a reservation is cancelled by DTS o Verify in DTS or use TMC’s chat for air/rental car; hotels must be contact directly • Adding rental car and/or hotel to the travel record o Use DTS when possible • PCS reservations requests and verification o Contact Command Pay and Personnel Administrator or Navy Passenger Transportation Office • Record stuck in CTO submit o Use TMC chat to submit back to DTS, contact DTS helpdesk if unsuccessful For more information about travel and to view a list of frequently asked questions, please visit the https://www.travel.dod.mil/ and https://www.travel.dod.mil/Support/Frequently-Asked-Questions/. NAVSUP WSS is one of 11 commands under Commander, NAVSUP. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, NAVSUP employs a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable supply chain, acquisition, operational logistics and Sailor and family care activities with our mission partners to generate readiness and sustain naval forces worldwide to prevent and decisively win wars. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsupwss, and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.

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Navy relaxes career-ending mandate for sailors who fail two consecutive fitness tests

Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson participate in a physical readiness test in August 2022 at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego. (Leon Vonguyen/U.S. Navy )

The Navy will no longer automatically end the careers of sailors who fail two consecutive fitness tests, according to a service policy released this week.

Previously, sailors who failed one physical fitness assessment would be placed in their command’s mandatory fitness program. They also would be restricted from advancing until they passed the next fitness test. A second consecutive failure would prohibit sailors from advancing or reenlisting, according to a prior policy.

The new policy, which became effective Tuesday, relaxes the career-ending mandate, instead leaving the decision to a sailor’s commanding officer.

“Commanding officers are able to evaluate a sailor’s physical readiness progress or lack of progress in performance evaluations, giving them the ability to manage risk, recognize earnest effort, and best take care of their people,” Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman, chief of naval personnel, said in the administrative message.

While sailors will still be ineligible for advancement if they fail a fitness assessment, the failure will no longer be noted on annual evaluations. Additionally, sailors who fail a second consecutive fitness assessment will not automatically receive the lowest possible score in the “Military Bearing/Professionalism” category of their annual evaluations.

Instead, the policy encourages commanding officers to document a sailor’s progress and initiative in meeting physical fitness standards.

In determining a sailor’s retention eligibility, commands should consider the sailor’s qualification for continued service based on the ability to perform the functions of their rate without physical or medical limitation at sea, shore or isolated duty. They should also consider a sailor’s overall ability to contribute to Navy missions and a sailor’s likelihood of improvement in meeting fitness standards within 12 months.

The policy change is part of the Navy’s “Culture of Excellence 2.0,” a service-wide effort to improve leadership principles and standards, according to the administrative message.

“Building the bodies of great people is more than annual (or biannual) testing and includes ensuring healthy food, adequate sleep, opportunities to exercise (especially outside), and medical readiness,” Cheeseman said in the message.

The latest change comes as the Navy struggles to meet its recruitment goal for the second year in a row, with service officials having predicted a shortfall of approximately 6,000 sailors. But Navy officials have said the service surpassed its retention goal for 2024, retaining 16,967 active-duty sailors, Task and Purpose reported.

The Navy made changes to its fitness test in 2015, altering its policy at the time from discharging sailors who failed three fitness assessments in four years to kicking out sailors who failed two in three years, Stars and Stripes reported. The Navy abandoned that policy in 2017, replacing it with the two consecutive fitness-assessment failures mandate. At the time, the Navy was seeking to recruit 4,000 members.

In February 2023, the service wiped the slate clean for active-duty and Reserve sailors who failed fitness tests, resetting their records to zero, in a bid to retain members.

Between the two policy changes, in 2021, the Navy shifted to a single annual fitness testing cycle. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the service had two annual testing cycles. The new policy upholds the single annual fitness cycle through November 2025.

related stories

• Navy to forgive past fitness test failures, end most fitness discharges
• Navy removes failed fitness tests from records in bid to keep sailor numbers high
• Navy pushes for more access to high schools amid recruiting struggle

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Open Ship Day

RIMPAC 2024 Open Ship Day

July 6, 2024 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii

Participating Navy ships:

• CNS Almirante Condell (FF-06) (Chile)
• INS Shivalik (FF 47) (India)
• BAP Pisco (AMP 156) (Peru)
• HMAS Sydney (DDG 46) (Australia)
• JS Haguro (DDG 180) (Japan)
• JS Kunisaki (LST 4003) (Japan)
• ROKN Yulgok Yi-I (DDG-992) (Korea)
• ROKN Choi Yeong (DDH 981) (Korea)
• ROKN Cheon Ja Bong (LST 768) (Korea)
• ROKN Lee Beom-seok (SS-081) (Korea)
• ARM Benito Juarez (FF 101) (Mexico)
• ARM Usumacinta (A 11) (Mexico)
• ITS Raimondo Montecuccoli (P 432) (Italy) [Only available 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.]
• RSS Stalwart (72) (Singapore)
• USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) (USA)
• USS Kidd (DDG-100) (USA)
• USS Somerset (LPD 25) (USA)
• USS Gridley (DDG 101) (USA)
• USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) (USA)

Only RIMPAC participants and those with a U.S. Department of Defense identification will be permitted aboard Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Please note we will be unable to accommodate strollers or babies in arms onboard our ships due to steep ladders and other safety concerns.

Availability of Navy ship tours is subject to change at the discretion of the ship’s commanding officer.

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The Navy’s ongoing carrier conundrum

After a grueling eight months leading the Navy’s effort to counter Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower received a reprieve this month when it transited the Suez Canal and headed into the Mediterranean Sea , on its way back home to Norfolk.

During more than 200 days taking down a barrage of Houthi drones and missiles, the Ike became the latest East Coast-based carrier to see its deployment extended multiple times .

Dating back to 2021, carriers Harry S. Truman, George H.W. Bush, and most recently, the Gerald R. Ford, also encountered extended periods underway to fulfill American naval presence requirements amid pressing global events.

Altogether, these carriers spent roughly nine months at sea – up from the standard seven-month deployment schedule.

And while the Ike is now wrapping its deployment, another East Coast carrier isn’t ready to replace its presence in the region – prompting an already deployed West Coast carrier Navy to replace it.

Naval air crewmen (Helicopter) return after conducting search and rescue training aboard an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to the "Dusty Dogs" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 7, in the Red Sea on Feb. 15. (Navy)

Ike’s latest extended cruise and its replacement once again raises questions about the finite carrier fleet’s ability to respond to a seemingly relentless series of global events that require the uniquely American naval presence of a flattop.

Ultimately, the requirements levied on the carriers by the Navy and combatant commanders are greater than what the 11-carrier fleet can meet, according to Bradley Martin, a retired surface warfare officer and director of the RAND Corporation’s National Security Supply Chain Institute.

Eisenhower carrier strike group deployment extended

“There really just aren’t enough ships to go around,” Martin told Navy Times. “Now, that’s not necessarily strictly, or always, a carrier problem. It’s also a destroyer or [amphibious assault ship] problem. But it’s a problem of size, it’s a problem of capacity.”

As Ike left the theater and a Houthi battle that officials say is the Navy’s most kinetic since World War II, the Pentagon announced that the San Diego-based carrier Theodore Roosevelt would steam into the Middle East from the Asia-Pacific to replace Ike’s presence and capability.

It will be the first time a non-East Coast carrier has operated in the Middle East since the Japan-based Ronald Reagan headed there in 2021 to oversee the American pullout from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Martin said he suspects that such extended deployments will become the norm, given the need for carrier presence in the Middle East, the Pacific and around Europe as the Ukraine war rages on.

An aviation structural mechanic cleans pad eyes on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea on June 7. (Navy)

Carriers like the Truman, Bush and Ford faced roughly nine months at sea during their respective deployments in recent years – up from the standard seven-month deployment schedule.

Out on the West Coast, the carrier Nimitz underwent a roughly 11-month deployment that spanned most of 2020 and the first part of 2021.

“As long as combatant commanders want to have these ships on a fairly constant basis, these types of situations are going to come up,” Martin said. “For the foreseeable future, these types of delays, extended deployments, are probably likely.”

As Ike’s deployment fate hung in the balance before leaving the Middle East this spring, Navy officials said in a statement to Navy Times that “the flexible nature of a carrier strike group allows us to be prepared to conduct operations for as long as needed.”

Capacity Issues

Experts say the taxed carrier fleet comes from a mix of too few ships and global events that are beyond the control of anyone in Washington.

Events like the Israel-Hamas war have unexpectedly placed an additional strain on the fleet – especially for ships based on the East Coast.

Ike carrier heads home as Houthi attacks continue in the Red Sea

The composition of the carrier fleet allows the Navy to deploy a carrier in the Indo-Pacific, but not in both the Middle East and European theaters simultaneously, where the Iran-Hamas and Russian threats linger, respectively, according to Bryan McGrath, a former destroyer captain and head of the FerryBridge Group defense consulting firm.

Before Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the East Coast carrier Ford was operating in the Mediterranean Sea, serving a deterrence role against Russia, as carriers have since the outbreak of the Ukraine war in early 2022.

But after that, Ford and then Ike’s, focus turned toward Israel and the Middle East.

The aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower transits the Suez Canal on Nov. 4. (MC2 Keith Nowak/U.S. Navy)

“We are a nation that has a need for three [carriers] out and about all the time,” McGrath said. “And we are a nation that possesses essentially enough to do two at a time…The bottom line is that these assets are tremendously in demand because nothing says you care more than an aircraft carrier.”

“This just so seriously undercuts the case of the people who talk about the aircraft carrier being obsolete – and it’s not,” McGrath added.

This capacity issue would be exacerbated in the event of multiple global crises, experts warn. Countering multiple threats across the globe was the focus of the Navy and Marine Corps’ Large Scale Exercise in 2023, testing the services’ ability to globally synchronize operations to defeat several threats in different geographic regions at the same time.

The Navy has not made the results of that exercise public.

An Information Systems Technician cleans an antenna aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea on April 10. (U.S. Navy)

Outside of exercises, experts agree the Navy would encounter difficulties juggling simultaneous conflicts in various geographic areas.

The current fleet, Martin said, “is not sufficient to meet multiple crises at once without taking some extraordinary measures.”

A look at where the Navy’s 11 aircraft carriers are now

Ships, including carriers, would face extended deployments and maintenance delays, an arrangement that would be difficult to sustain for an extended period, he said.

While the Navy likely won’t build any more aircraft carriers beyond what’s already scheduled, given technological advancements and the fact that multiple Ford-class carriers are still years away, Martin said the service could reevaluate its force structure and identify ways to meet requirements that carriers provide through alternative means.

“Ultimately, it’s going to take more of something in order to meet what I think are bonafide national needs,” Martin said.

The aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower arrives in Souda Bay, Greece, June 25, 2024. (MC2 Samantha Alaman/U.S. Navy)

The Navy’s new long-range shipbuilding plan released in March calls for an inventory of 11 or 12 aircraft carriers over the course of the next decade. Overall, the proposal sets a goal of 381 ships by the year 2042 – up from the previous target of 373 ships by that time.

Still, accomplishing these numbers are dependent on the industry eliminating lengthy backlogs and cost overruns, coupled with consistent congressional funding.

McGrath said pouring more funding into a bigger fleet could mitigate some of today’s challenges.

“Money doesn’t solve everything, but it solves an awful lot of things, and right now we are spending woefully less money than we need to,” McGrath said.

Why additional strain on the East Coast?

Experts attribute part of this strain to East Coast carriers having to shoulder more geopolitical hotspots than their brethren elsewhere.

Currently, the West Coast hosts the aircraft carriers Carl Vinson, Abraham Lincoln, Nimitz and Theodore Roosevelt.

The carrier George Washington is completing a deployment to South America this summer as it moves from the East Coast to Japan after wrapping up an extended and oft-delayed mid-life refueling and complex overhaul, or RCOH, in Virginia.

GW will replace Ronald Reagan, which will leave Japan and undergo maintenance at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington.

An Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) participates in flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea on April 18. (U.S. Navy)

The Ike, Truman, Bush, Ford, George H.W. Bush and Stennis call the East Coast home.

Unlike the West Coast carrier fleet, nearly all those East Coast carriers are unavailable to deploy due to various maintenance needs.

Stennis will be out of the picture for some time as it undergoes its own mid-life overhaul.

Bush returned home from its own extended deployment last year and entered maintenance in December, and Ford got home from its extended cruise in January and is expected to undergo roughly a year of work before it can go again.

That leaves Truman as the next East Coast carrier up.

It wrapped up a maintenance period in December, and the Navy initially said it would deploy in early 2024, which would have seen it eventually replacing Ike in the Middle East.

But that didn’t happen, and officials now say Truman likely won’t deploy until later this year, following its pre-deployment Composite Training Unit Exercise, or COMPTUEX, this summer.

While West Coast carriers are largely able to focus solely on Indo-Pacific deployments, East Coast carriers are having to navigate cruises in Europe and the Middle East, given the current state of the world.

“The East Coast is under pressure,” McGrath said. “Again, fewer carriers servicing a larger number of hotspots creates deficits.”

Cyclical Maintenance Problems

While the carrier deployment schedule is designed to accommodate the extensions facing East Coast carriers, the main consequence of these lengthy deployments is the maintenance the carriers must undergo once they return, said Bryan Clark, a retired submarine officer and director of the Hudson Institute think tank’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology.

In addition to throwing the maintenance schedule out of whack, extended deployments wear the aging carriers down faster, increasing the likelihood of new breakdowns accumulating, which presents additional challenges when those carriers go into the yards, Clark said.

Despite false Houthi claims, the Ike aircraft carrier fights on

Scant data exists for how a carrier reaching the 45 or 50-year point will perform, and what kind of maintenance such a ship will require, Clark said.

“You’re seeing that with some of the older carriers, how they get delayed coming out of maintenance, because new stuff is breaking that has not broken before,” he said.

The Eisenhower, the second oldest carrier in the fleet, commissioned in 1977, underwent 15 months of maintenance after it returned from a double-pump deployment in 2021.

Following this most recent cruise, McGrath predicted Ike would “almost certainly” face another lengthy period in the yard.

Aviation Machinist's Mates conducts preservation maintenance on an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the "Wildcats" of Strike Fighter Squadron 131 aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea on March 27. (U.S. Navy)

“Without regular maintenance, the more things break, the more things get added to packages, those packages get bigger and the potential time that the ship spends in the yard potentially increases,” McGrath said. “The more you spend in the yard, the less time you have to get ready to get back out and get going next time.”

In the end, the Navy has limited options to remedy the strain currently afflicting its carriers, McGrath said.

“There are only two levers to pull: a larger Navy, smaller requirements,” McGrath said. “Either the nation decides that it has fewer things for the Navy to do…or it builds a bigger Navy.”

Under the Navy’s Optimized Fleet Response Plan, introduced in 2014, aircraft carriers follow a 36-month cycle for maintenance, training and deployments. But across the fleet, surface ships remain plagued with maintenance delays.

Specifically, the Government Accountability Office found there was a seven-day increase in maintenance delays for aircraft carriers between 2014 and 2021, according to a report released last year .

Another GAO report from 2022 found the Navy projecting that it faced a maintenance backlog that totaled nearly $1.8 billion.

Aviation Ordnancemen wait to inspect ordnance attached to an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the "Gunslingers" of Strike Fighter Squadron 105, aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea on April 12. (U.S. Navy)

On the bright side, that report noted that “aircraft carriers have experienced minimal increases in backlog” and the bulk of the backlog stemmed from other surface ships.

“There are still difficulties getting ships out of shipyards on time, and I think that that’s something that’s going to take a long time to get corrected,” Martin said.

Doing the work

Pentagon officials argue that the mission performed by Ike and its strike group was critical to keeping the region from exploding since Hamas’ attack on Israel.

They say a significant U.S. naval commitment to the region sends a strong signal to the commercial shipping industry that vessels can get protection as they travel the crucial transit route through the Red Sea, from the Suez Canal to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

About 12% of the world’s trade typically passes through the waterway that separates Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, including oil, natural gas, grain and everything from toys to electronics.

The aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower approaches the Mubarak Peace Bridge while transiting the Suez Canal on May 5. (U.S. Navy)

The Houthis have attacked ships since November, saying they want to force Israel to end its offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas . But the ships targeted by the Houthis have largely had little or no connection to Israel, the U.S. or other nations involved in the war. The rebels have also fired missiles toward Israel, though they have largely fallen short or been intercepted.

Ike and its strike group–including the cruiser Philippine Sea and the destroyers Gravely and Mason–also have participated in five major joint missions with British forces to target dozens of the militant group’s drones, missile launchers and other facilities and targets in Yemen.

U.S. Navy Lt. Parker Bailey signals the launch of an E/A-18G Growler, attached to the "Zappers" of Electronic Attack Squadron 130 aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Gulf of Oman on Nov. 20, 2023. (MC3 Janae Chambers/U.S. Navy)

All told, Ike’s air wing has flown more than 12,100 sorties, totaling over 27,200 flight hours, and the strike group has launched more than 350 air-to-surface weapons and more than 50 air-to-air missiles.

The warships have each traveled more than 55,000 miles, and they’ve launched more than 100 Standard and Tomahawk missiles. In all, the strike group has gone after about 430 either pre-planned or dynamic targets in its mission to defend U.S., coalition and merchant ships.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Pre-Travel Financial Checklist: 6 Things That Can Make Your Life Easier

Want to ensure smooth sailing on your next trip? Follow these 6 simple pre-travel tips.

Bottom Line Up Front

• When planning for a trip, in addition to checking off typical pre-travel to-do items, be sure to plan ahead for financial essentials, like arranging for bills to be paid while you’re gone or making sure you have more than 1 way to pay while traveling.
• Your financial institution has your back, but taking some simple proactive steps, like letting them know you’ll be traveling, can ensure your credit card won’t be flagged and your trip will go even smoother.
• You’ll enjoy a more relaxing vacation if you plan for the unexpected ahead of time. Consider buying travel or flight insurance and make sure things like life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment coverage and your estate plan are up to date.

Time to Read

June 26, 2024

Fun in the sun, hiking in the mountains, road trips and exploring new places—people love to travel. And, in the excited rush to leave, most people hurriedly ask themselves, “Have I forgotten anything?” Our pre-travel financial checklist can help you confidently answer, “Nope, I’m all set!”

This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how fast spending can get out of control if you haven’t made a plan and set a budget. Once you’ve figured out what you can afford to spend, it’ll be easier to choose fun getaways and attractions that won’t break the bank.

Not going on a pre-paid tour, cruise or renting a car? Get familiar with local costs, like food, fuel, train, subway and bus fares and the availability of ride shares. If you’re traveling internationally, you’ll also want to know just how far your dollar will go. So, it’s a good idea to learn what the exchange rates  are for the countries you’ll be visiting.

Does your credit card company charge foreign transaction fees? If so, you’ll want to account for that in your travel budget. Navy Federal never charges foreign transaction fees on any of our credit cards.

And finally, make sure your bills are up to date. If your due dates will fall during your trip, consider paying ahead of time or turning on automated bill pay to avoid late fees or service interruption.

Check in With the U.S. Department of State

Before traveling overseas, be sure to visit Travel.State.gov . The U.S. Department of State provides important information on countries that don’t allow credit cards as well as required documents, driving abroad, how to get emergency assistance, security alerts and more. You can also join their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for free. You’ll receive emails from the local U.S. embassy or consulate with real-time updates. And, if there’s an emergency where you are, you’ll receive instructions on what to do.

Look for Deals

Whether you’re a global wanderer or prefer to stay closer to home, opportunities for discounted car, hotel and vacation rentals, air fare and cruises are everywhere. Some sites like Booking.com , Travelocity , Expedia.com and many others even offer all-inclusive packages.

More Discounts

Before you buy luggage, clothes for your trip or other pre-travel purchases, check out our Member Deals page. Navy Federal members can get discounts at more than 900 well-known retailers. And, when you use your Navy Federal credit card, you may also earn extra points or bonus cash back.

Plan for the Unexpected

Your trip probably will go off without a hitch, but sometimes the unexpected happens. Trips get canceled and occasionally people get sick or injured. Just knowing you’re covered can reduce some of the stress. Here are some options to consider.

Flight Insurance. What do you do if you have to cancel a trip and you have a non-refundable ticket? That’s where flight insurance comes in. There are any number of options that range from just covering the cost of your tickets to ones that also cover medical and other expenses.

Travel Insurance. What if you miss your flight connection, your luggage is lost or you get sick while traveling? Travel insurance can save the day. One example is if you need medical care while traveling. Your health insurance plan may not cover medical costs incurred in other countries or on cruises. It’s an especially good idea if you’re going on a cruise because most cruise lines don’t accept “land-based” medical coverage.

Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance (AD&D). Accidents happen. If someone is permanently injured or passes due to an accident, AD&D policies will pay out a lump sum. The cost is usually less than traditional life insurance, and you can get coverage quickly.

Life Insurance and Estate Documents. Let’s face it, life sometimes goes off script. So, it’s a good idea to make sure your life insurance needs are up to date before your trip. Plus, since your estate planning documents put on record your most important wishes, take a few minutes to review them to confirm they still reflect your current goals.

Make Sure You’re Protected

Your financial institution is your trusted partner. They can make sure you have what you need while traveling. Before you leave, make sure you’re protected with these 4 items.

Get a Travel PIN. Some countries require a pin number on credit card transactions. If you expect to be abroad, contact your financial institution a month or 2 before you’re due to travel to get one. You should also check to be sure your debit card pin will work.

Set Up a Travel Notification. Before you jet off, let your bank or credit union know where and when you’ll be traveling, so they’ll know it’s you making the transactions. And, don’t forget to include any layover locations. Otherwise, if they suddenly see purchases in a location you don’t usually visit, they could freeze your card to guard against possible fraud. Navy Federal members can notify us in seconds by choosing “travel notifications” in our mobile app.* If you don’t already have the app, here’s how to download it .

Set Up Purchase Notifications. Turn on purchase notifications. That way, if you misplace your card, you’ll know right away if someone tries to use it. And, you can notify your bank or credit union and freeze your card. If you’re a Navy Federal member, you can set them up in our mobile app in seconds.

Get Contact Information. Get your bank or credit union’s contact information (both domestic and foreign), so you know how to contact them if you have a problem. Navy Federal members can call us 24/7 at 1-888-842-6328 or by calling one of our international numbers if overseas. Or, have a local operator connect you to  1-888-842-6328 .

Have More Than 1 Way to Pay

You can’t predict when a merchant will only accept cash, you lose a card or your card won’t work. So, having more than 1 way to pay just makes sense.

Mobile Wallet. If you lose your wallet, having Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay or Google Pay® on your phone can be a lifesaver until you can replace your cards.

A Second Card. It might be a good idea to have a second card, just in case you misplace your main one.

Cash. Although you probably don’t want to carry a lot of cash, it’s a good idea to have some available for tips or merchants who don’t accept cards. Most countries have ATMs where you can get local currency.

We’ll Be There for Each Step of Your Financial Journey

Once you’re back home, no matter where you are in your financial journey,  Navy Federal Investment Services  can help you make a plan to live well, build a secure future and protect what you’ve built. With services like  financial planning ,  investment tools and strategies ,  affordable life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment options ,   estate planning  and more, we can help you build a strategy that meets your goals and fits your budget.

Just want to kick some ideas around?  Set up an appointment  for a complimentary consultation with a  financial advisor  near you.

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Disclosures

Apple Pay is a trademark of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Samsung Pay is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Google Pay is a trademark of Google LLC.

This content is intended to provide general information and shouldn't be considered legal, tax or financial advice. It's always a good idea to consult a tax or financial advisor for specific information on how certain laws apply to your situation and about your individual financial situation.

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Tropical Storm Beryl

Affected Airports - City , State Association:

• Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI)
• St. Lucia, West Indies (UVF)

For complete details View

American Airlines has implemented a special exception policy to our travel partners that is now available for our mutual customers due to Tropical Storm Beryl, operational disruptions, including delays and cancellations are possible. Our Travel Notice exception policies on American are also available when ticketed to/from/through on our Joint Business partners: This applies to both prime and codeshare flights as shown below:

Inventory Requirements

Lowest Inventory, Same Cabin

If original inventory is not available rebook lowest inventory available in the same ticketed cabin. As a reminder, customers that do not hold a Basic Economy fare should never be booked into B inventory.

Basic Economy -

• Must be booked in B inventory only. If B inventory is not available, then an alternate flight must be selected. Advance Purchase and Ticket Change restrictions are waived.

Instant Upsell -

Refer to Travel Notice Policy - Travel Agency Guidelines for rebooking guidelines and Endorsement Box requirement when the customer purchased Instant Upsell (IU) directly with American on aa.com . IU PNRs contain the following SSRs:

• OTHS AGENCY RETAINS CONTROL OF TKT FOR REISSUES
• OTHS INSTANT UPSELL ANCILLARY EMD ISSUED 001xxxxxxxxxx

Refer to Exceptions to Fare Rules .

Note: If customers are unable to rebook or reissue their ticket within the given timeline, they can cancel their reservation and use the value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket; all rules and restrictions apply. Travel must commence no later than one year from the date of original issuance.

Endorsement Box Requirements

• Refer to individual Travel Notice for Event Name
• Ticket Reissue required. This is the only required verbiage and supersedes all other information.

Instant Upsell (IU) tickets must use waiver code: TNADV/IU when rebooking in the Instant Upsell Inventory IU PNRs contain the following SSRs:

Refer to Travel Notice Policy - Travel Agency Guidelines for Endorsement Box requirement when the customer purchased Instant Upsell (IU) directly with American on aa.com .

Changes to Origin/Destination - Not Allowed

• Waive Change Fee
• Ticket reissue for original ticketed fare
• 300 Mile Radius is always allowed, unless otherwise stated in the notice
• Changes to origin/destination are not permitted for the travel notice
• Any changes made to origin/destination all fare rules apply

300-Mile Radius Only - Allowed

• Within same country
• For booking inventory, view Inventory Requirements

Basic Economy Short-haul fares

book in B inventory only.If B inventory is not available, then an alternate flight must be selected.

Changes to Connection City

Changes to Co-Terminal

Changes to Co-terminal and MAC airports on AA Prime and AA*/Codeshare flights are allowed

• Co-terminal & MAC Airports are considered the same routing.  

Reissue Policy Information

American Airlines will waive change fees and travel agents may rebook and reissue tickets provided the below guidelines are met and applied:

• Ticket issued on the following ticket stock: AA 001, AY 105, BA 125, El053, IB 075, JL 131, QF 081
• Applies to AA*/ one world flights
• Travel has not commenced on the affected flight segment and the ticket has not been reissued by American Airlines
• The first departure flight is more than 2 hours away
• Affected coupons are in OK status
• Travel reissuance only in accordance to dates identified in the applicable Travel Notice Exception Advisory
• More than one change allowed without an additional collection, including penalty or change fee within the Travel Notice dates
• Original issuing agency responsible for ticket reissue
• Ticket Revalidation not permitted
• The return travel must be booked in the original class of service (inventory)
• Refer to Extend Travel Rebooking after the Travel Event
• Basic Economy must be rebooked in the appropriate Basic Economy inventory
• Please ensure the above procedures are accurately followed to prevent debit memo issuance

Rebooking - Exception to Fare Rules

Exception to Fare Rules: All fare rules apply with the exception of the following:

• Advance Purchase requirement waived
• Minimum/Maximum Stay requirement waived
• Change Fee waived
• When changes to the outbound travel occur, the unaffected return date may be changed to protect the original length of the trip. The return travel must be booked in the original class of service (inventory).

SalesLink Request

• Rebook flights in compliance with Travel Notice Exception Policy
• Log-in to SalesLink at www.saleslink.aa.com
• Request Type: select 'Service'
• Input AA PNR
• Waiver Type: select 'Travel Notice'
• Travel Notice: select applicable Travel Notice event name
• Select 'Next' - and complete request
• Verify: SalesLink approval remarks in PNR
• New Ticket Endorsement Box: Enter event name only
• Ticket Reissue required

Endorsement Box requirement: 29JUN24A or the exchange will be subject to a debit memo

Extend Travel Rebooking Guidelines

If customers are unable to rebook within the New Travel Dates, may reschedule their reservation to/from the same city or alternate cities and reissue their ticket with the below guidelines:

• Cancel their itinerary and apply the value of the original ticket towards the purchase of a new ticket for travel commencing within 1 year from the date of original issuance
• Change fee only is waived as long as the original ticket is reissued within ticket validity and the impact dates are in accordance with those identified in the Travel Notice
• Basic Economy fares may only be used towards the purchase of other Basic Economy fares.
• Residual MCO's are not allowed when using the TNADVE waiver code for reissue.
• Extend Travel Rebooking does not apply to tickets in conjunction with Instant Upsell (IU)

Refund Policy Information

When the flight is cancelled or the length of delay is 91+ minutes , travel agents may refund ticket(s) through normal GDS/ARC/BSP processing. Refer to our Schedule Irregularity policy for delays 90 minutes or less.

• Refund To Original Form Of Payment - All penalties/fees waived
• Non-Refundable Fare
• Refundable Fare with cancellation Fee
• Basic Economy Fare
• Bulk/Opaque Fare

Note: If the ticket has been exchanged by American as an INVOL submit the refund request directly with American. Refer to American Airlines Refunds .

When the flight is not cancelled or the length of delay is 90 minutes or less , a refund does not apply:

• If customer elects to cancel their reservation and use the value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket outside the Travel Notice dates; may use Extend Travel Rebooking or may hold ticket for future travel; all rules and restrictions apply.
• Travel must commence no later than one year from the date of original issuance.

En route/Diversion

• Connecting customers' en route to one of the above-listed destinations or whose flights are diverted will have the option to return to their original departure city and rebook travel to alternate future dates.
• Customers should work directly with the airport to obtain a boarding pass for return travel to their original departure city. If the customer wishes to rebook travel to alternate future dates, please contact American Airlines Reservations for assistance. Alternatively, they may receive a refund if re-accommodation options are unacceptable.
• If a ticket has already been reissued by American Airlines or the ticket is partially used, travel agents must submit the refund request online at https://prefunds.aa.com/refunds/

American Airlines will continue to monitor this Travel Notice Exception Advisory and adjust this policy if needed. Changes will be posted on AA.com and www.saleslink.aa.com reference. Please check these sources frequently for the most up to date information.

• www.saleslink.aa.com Reference: Select Travel Notice Policy - Travel Agency Guidelines
• Visit www.saleslink.aa.com and navigate to AA News and Offers to view current travel notices.
• Contact your Sales Support Center 800-621-8489 or American Airlines Reservations 800-433-7300 (U.S. and Canada) or for Reservations outside the U.S. and Canada, please see our Worldwide Reservations Numbers American Airlines encourages all customers to check flight and gate status prior to leaving for the airport. For complete travel information, visit AA.com .
• Group reservations must be changed by AA Group & Meeting Travel
• Information contained on this web site is subject to change at any time without notice. American Airlines shall not be liable for any consequences resulting from your reliance on the information.

My father, the silent Cold War captain, proved how vital our nuclear subs were and are

Russian submariners can rest easier now he’s gone – the few who ever knew he was there, anyway

A cutting edge Russian nuclear powered submarine sails in the darkness from the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic on a classified mission into the Atlantic.

On clearing the harbour the submarine heads into deep water, carries out pre-diving checks and the crew takes the boat down. Fortunately, Nato intelligence has done its job and an equally modern Royal Navy hunter-killer submarine (an SSN) is there waiting for them. Within hours, the shadower is locked on to the Russian’s acoustic signature and ‘in the trail’ as they head for the top of Norway. 

The British boat is what’s called ‘special fit’. The one or two hulls that are fitted with the very latest in detection technology, the details of which are known by almost no one, even onboard. Between that, the excellence of submarine command training and the poorer acoustic performance of the Russian boat, we have the edge. 

And so it remains for the next few weeks. The two boats play their high-stakes game of cat and mouse, except both are blind. And only one of them knows they are even playing. 

Both boats pass over the SOSUS seabed detection arrays laid across the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap. Reassuringly, only one of them is detected. The Russian sub loiters off the west coast of Ireland but its operating patterns are predictable allowing the RN submarine time to break contact and message the HQ in Northwood who then vector allied maritime patrol aircraft to continue the tracking. This submarine is well and truly tagged.

The Russian boat then heads West and it soon becomes clear that it is crossing the Atlantic and aiming for Cuba. The relevant signals are sent, and the RN commanding officer, operating on the edge of his patrol orders, decides to follow, across the entire ocean. 

Whilst this sounds very like the story of the Russian Yasen class nuclear submarine which visited Cuba two weeks ago , it in fact is the sort of thing that happened regularly to HMS Courageous , a Churchill class nuclear-powered attack submarine in 1975, in the depths of the Cold War.

To be clear, it is not an exact account of an actual patrol. Even now, 49 years later, that would result in visits and paperwork (at best). But it is representative.

There are two reasons for telling this story. The first is that it was my father who was in command of HMS Courageous back then and sadly, as of last weekend, he is no longer with us. The second is to try and show why SSNs remain so important to us as a maritime nation, how the fundamentals remain largely unchanged and how automation has a way to go before it can replace them.

The basic design of a nuclear submarine is not very sensible. At one end you have a fission reactor, providing nearly unlimited propulsion and power. At the other, racks full of torpedoes and missiles packed with explosive warheads and fuels. In a commercial environment, safety requirements would see these items separated by hundreds of feet of concrete. In a submarine they are separated by a hundred or so people, working, eating, sleeping and watching films. This isn’t normal even before you encase it all in steel, immerse it in saltwater and ask it to dive to hundreds of metres for months on end .

Submarines, therefore, attract a certain type of person. My father described the submarine service “as an illegitimate and piratical fringe attracting a particular type of dissident from the mainstream”. I can report with certainty that this has not changed today. In the diesel-powered boats before the “nuclear bow wave came up behind them and swept them all along”, making fresh water was noisy and so tactically inadvisable. Washing was therefore discouraged or even banned. This habit continues to this day, for reasons that are clear only to the submariners. Your phone won’t work for months on end. This was less of an issue in the 50s … but a very real and significant problem today when it comes to recruiting the modern hygiene-free pirate. 

One thing I envied submariners from my own service above the waves – there wasn’t much – was their focus. With a narrower tasking set than their general service siblings, and a heightened immediacy if things go wrong, they have an intense and admirable professional focus. They are similar to the aviators and divers in this respect and it makes them very good at what they do.

If you do choose this career and seek to command your own sub, the selection course – suitably named “the Perisher” – is brutal and its percentage failure rate is as high as any course in Defence outside of the Special Forces. Unlike most high-failure courses, it doesn’t happen early on in your career: you must commit yourself to submarines for a significant part of your life before you can even attempt it. Perisher is also cited as a key reason for the excellence of our submarines over the decades. The number of countries who send their best officers to it, including the US, is a quantifiable endorsement.

To pass the Perisher, as my father told it:

“You had to convince the ‘Teacher’ that you could take a quick look through a periscope and compute in your head whether any of up to five warships rushing down at you were likely to hit you before you could finish taking avoiding action by going deep enough for them to pass safely over the top. Then you had to decide when it was safe to come back again to periscope depth, based on nothing more than the direction and movement of the noises made by their propellers. You had to allow for the fact that in the time it took the submarine to get from safe depth to periscope depth, and back again if you had got it wrong, a 30-knot ship could travel 2,000 yards.

“This is a simplistic description of a four-month course, half of which was spent in a simulator and half at sea in the Firth of Clyde. During the last month you were often deliberately deprived of sleep. Only by having a natural ‘periscope eye’ and a particular type of mental agility could you show yourself to be safe in command of a dived submarine surrounded by shipping. Either you could do it or you couldn’t, and not surprisingly about one in three failed. On one occasion the whole course of six was failed.”

The submariners of that era were not only learning how to operate this new and game-changing technology that was “as similar to conventional submarines as Dreadnought battleships were to sailing ships of the line”, they were doing so whilst at war. 

And be in no doubt this is how they viewed it.

“We had to demonstrate that we could prevent the Soviets from breaking out into the Atlantic from their Northern Fleet bases. Could we and our allies have stopped them? Answer, probably not … but at least we would have given them a bloody nose and at a higher level, they knew it.”

Acoustically, Russian submarines were ‘noisy’ compared to ours and the US Navy’s. It wasn’t until the 1980s when US Sailors John Walker and Jerry Whitworth leaked decades’ worth of secrets to the Soviets that the gap was closed. 

That’s not to say detecting them was easy, even then. As my father explained – in the “The Silent Deep” by Peter Hennessy and James Jinks – “establishing viable estimates of a target’s course, speed and range when only provided with passive (listening only) sonar bearings was the most important and obscure of the submariner’s black arts. A simple analogy is that it is like being in a field with a herd of cows in pitch darkness. You can hear munching, the swish of tails, footfalls and the occasional seismic contribution to global warming, but only a fool would claim that he knows the exact PIM (position and intended movement) of any individual animal. Part genius or pure ‘con job?’ The answer is, a bit of both”.

This combination of art and science is the first reason I believe that the roles conducted by an SSN will be the last of all maritime domains to be fully replaced by an uncrewed alternative. If air warfare is like speed chess – fast and complex but ultimately formulaic (and therefore suitable for computer augmentation and/or fully unmanned operations) – submarine warfare is like the board game Diplomacy, the human nuances of which mean that even the most advanced AIs can still be beaten.

The second reason is that many forms of drone or remote warfare today rely on unbroken, high-bandwidth communications. Human commanders and operators, and computing power, can often be separated from sensor and weapon platforms.

In submarine operations, high bandwidth is only available with a mast above the surface and not always then. Radio communications through water are not totally impossible but they are extremely limited. The shallower you come to improve matters – and they still don’t improve much – the more detectable you become. It’s possible to communicate through water using sound waves, but this gives your position away and also only works at quite short ranges with things that are also in the water. The Silent Service is silent at least in part because it has to be, as well as because it wants to be.

For now then, submarines need their human decision makers and their computing power onboard. So SSNs will be with us for a while despite their eye-watering expense. Like aircraft carriers, everyone who can even vaguely afford them is building them. Also like aircraft carriers, no one has enough. If you like professionalism, jeopardy, small spaces and being a critical part of our national security you should consider joining. If you like fresh air, washing and using your phone then be grateful for those who don’t, and who sacrifice these things to keep us all safe.  

Putting my own bias aside, Richard Sharpe OBE, commanding officer HMS Courageous 1974-1977, was one of the finest of that pioneering generation of submariners, with a rare mix of intellect, artistry and leadership that inspired his ship’s company to follow him into situations that you and I would call insane, often breaking the rules as he did so before returning home and suggesting they be rewritten. Having said that, I still don’t know the details of what he got up to back then or what his OBE was for. Only the other month I suggested we collaborate in this paper on ‘hunting Russian submarines, above and below the waves’ and he looked at me like I’d gone mad. He put the ‘S’ in silent service .

As is so often the case with this type of wartime leader, he found adapting to the bureaucracy and frills of the surface navy (he commanded the destroyer HMS Norfolk after Courageous ) and the Ministry of Defence a struggle. He made little effort to overcome this issue, which ultimately stopped him reaching the highest ranks, but he would not have enjoyed such service anyway. 

We lost an outstanding Cold War submarine captain last weekend (and father and husband, I should add). I was going to sign off by saying that Russian submariners can now rest easier: but that is to forget that most of the time, they had no idea he was even there. 

Commander Tom Sharpe OBE is a former Royal Navy officer and the son of Captain Richard Sharpe OBE, 1936-2024

• Royal Navy Submarine Service,
• Russian Navy,
• Nuclear power,
• New Cold War,
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