Senior Navy leaders visit Fort McCoy to see ongoing ROM mission

Photo By Scott Sturkol | Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Catherine Kessmeier and Vice Adm. John Nowell, Jr., Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP), participate in a socially distanced meeting with Fort McCoy Deputy to the Garrison Commander Brad Stewart and Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Mantha, garrison command sergeant major, on Oct. 27, 2020, at the garrison headquarters building at Fort McCoy, Wis. Garrison Commander Col. Michael D. Poss dialed in virtually from a temporary duty location. The Navy leadership team visited Fort McCoy to meet with Navy cadre personnel who are working with new recruits at Fort McCoy before they attend boot camp at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill. They stopped by to thank Fort McCoy staff for their continued support of this unique and critical Navy mission. Joining the assistant secretary and the CNP were Rear Adm. Peter Garvin, Commander of Naval Education and Training Command, Rear Adm. Jamie Sands, commander of Naval Service Training Command, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

11.12.2020

Courtesy Story

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

Story by Christopher Hanson
Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

Sailors stationed at Fort McCoy as part of the U.S. Navy’s Recruit Training Command’s (RTC) Restriction of Movement (ROM) mission hosted several senior Navy leaders on Oct. 27.

Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Catherine Kessmeier, Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John Nowell Jr., and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith visited the installation to tour the facilities and review the precautions that help protect recruits from contracting the COVID-19 virus.

The U.S. Navy’s ROM mission launched at Fort McCoy on Aug. 21 in an effort to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19 in the Navy’s only boot camp, located in Great Lakes, Ill. Approximately 1,200 recruits arrive at Fort McCoy via bus each week and spend 14 days in a restricted status to ensure they are not infected with the virus. Once they are medically cleared, they return to boot camp to begin their training.

The delegation toured one of the recruit barracks buildings, spoke with Navy medical personnel about precautions and testing capabilities, and conducted a town hall discussion with RTC staff members. Rear Admiral Peter Garvin, commander of Naval Education and Training Command, and Rear Admiral Jamie Sands, commander of Naval Service Training Command, both senior commanders of RTC, also joined the visit.

During a meeting with Fort McCoy leadership at garrison headquarters, Kessmeier and Nowell expressed their appreciation to the Fort McCoy team for their willingness to work with the Navy and allow the ROM mission on the installation. He said that the Navy was saving millions of dollars each month by using Fort McCoy’s resources and it was nice to see everyone working together to help the Navy accomplish this unique task.

“(We see here) that it’s one team, one fight, and we really appreciate that,” he said.

Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Michael D. Poss joined the meeting virtually as he was off post on temporary duty. Brad Stewart, deputy to the garrison commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Mantha, garrison command sergeant major, attended in person.

Poss thanked his guests for coming and having faith in Fort McCoy to help them accomplish this critical mission. He said the post had set many measures in place to ensure the installation was prepared to host the ROM operation.

“We had to be very aggressive with our COVID-19 prevention protocols,” Poss said. “We appreciate your Sailors adhering to these protocols and setting the example for all others to follow.”

The Navy is no stranger to Fort McCoy. From 1995-2014, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 25 was headquartered on the installation before moving to Port Hueneme, Calif. Navy medical units also participate in Global Medic, a joint multicomponent medical exercise held at Fort McCoy each year.

With the multitude of training areas and ranges on Fort McCoy, Poss asked his visitors to consider Fort McCoy for future training opportunities.

“I encourage the Navy to take advantage of our many training ranges and facilities,” he said. “From medical to cold weather training, our motto is Total Force Training Center. We would like to build on this partnership for the future.”

Navy boot camp is approximately eight weeks, and more than 40,000 recruits train at Great Lakes RTC each year.

Learn more about the Navy’s Recruiting Training Command by visiting https://www.bootcamp.navy.mil.

Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

• Date Taken: 11.12.2020
• Date Posted: 11.12.2020 16:48
• Story ID: 382905
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US