Often referred to as the “heart beat” of

the command, the Operations Department at

NCTS Sicily has very big shoes to fill. Broken

down into several divisions, the Operation’s

Department fills a wide range of services from

telecommunication support to network ser-

vices.

The first division we’ll discuss is Tech

Control, which is the pathway through which

all telecommunication services ride through.

Tech Control consists of 16 sailors on rotating

watch bills who perform a wide array of tasks

involving everything from COMSEC material

to troubleshooting equipment and establish-

ing services.

When asked about his role in Tech

Control, IT2 Bellavia stated, “ We’re here to

make sure our customers are receiving the ser-

vices they require, so if the Navy had go

down range, we’d be ready to roll.”

The next division we’d like to intro-

duce is TSCOMM (Tactical Support Commu-

nications). Although they are separated from

the main NCTS building, they provide direct

services to the war fighter, by way of commu-

nications support

N3 Tech of the Month IT2 Mitchell

By IT1 Espin and IT2 Dale

for Command Task Force 67 and other at-

tached squadrons. TSCOMM has even

support large-scale NATO exercises, which

they accomplished almost effortlessly, and

served to strengthen United States relation-

ships with other NATO countries, such as

Great Britain, Canada, Germany and Italy.

TSCOMM is the nucleus of communica-

tions with aircraft for the Anti-Submarine

Warfare and Surveillance Operations in the

Mediterranean Operations Area.

The last division we’ll introduce is

the LNSC (Local Network Service Center).

Likely the most prolific group of ITs in the

Command, LNSC technicians undertake

everything from computer repair to network

connectivity issues. They can be found all

over NAS I and NAS II, even as far as Nis-

cemi, providing customer support to ensure

that customers have the ability to perform

their tasks without being hindered by com-

puter or network issues. When asked about

LNSC’s mission, IT2 Bergen said “We pro-

vide and ensure vital IP services are main-

tained so that NAS Sigonella as a whole can

continue supporting the Navy’s mission in

the various Operations areas.”

At the center of it all is the JFTOC

Watch Officer (Joint Fleet Telecommunica-

tions Operations Center). The JFTOC is a

fairly new position in the NCTS structure,

and serves as a focal point for the various

operations divisions. The JFTOC is respon-

sible for the collection of information from

the various divisions as well as coordinating

with several other commands to ensure that

services are not interrupted or hindered that

could affect the Navy’s global mission.

Hooyah, N3!

SWC (Select) Raymond Cabral

LSC (Select) Gilmore Olive

By IT2 Katie Dale

Unlike Petty Officer First Class

and lower rates, advancement to Chief

Petty Officer not only carries require-

ments of time in service, superior

evaluation scores, and outstanding ex-

aminations, but also an added require-

ment of peer review. A Chief petty of-

ficer can only advance after review by

a selection board of serving master

Chief Petty Officers, in effect

"choosing their own" and conversely

not choosing others.

A maximum select quota for

each rating is established by BUPERS

planners and is provided to the board.

This quota is filled by the "best-

qualified" candidates. The chance to

advance for eligible chiefs this cycle

was an estimated 27 percent, the high-

est in eight years. Within that 27 per-

cent we, NAVCOMTELSTA Sicily,

congratulate LSC(Sel) Olive and

SWC(Sel) Cabral. It is time to start a

new chapter in your US Navy careers

as Chief Petty Officers in the United

States Navy.

In time you will make a uniform shift

and don the Navy Chief Petty Officer

khakis and emblem. The emblem is

symbolized by a fouled anchor with

the letters "USN" centered on the an-

chor. Officially the letters stand for

United States Navy. According to Na-

val tradition, the letters are symbolic

of the following:

Unity: to symbolize camaraderie of

the fraternity.

Service: to symbolize service to

one's god, fellow man, and the Navy.

Navigation: to symbolize true course

before God and man.

The United States Navy is distinct

among the US Armed Forces in that pro-

motion to the paygrade of E-7 tradition-

ally has involved a season of specialized

activities known collectively as

"initiation", "orientation", or most re-

cently, "induction". The "induction sea-

son", as it was called, has been replaced

by a program called CPO 365, a year-

round program for First Class Petty Of-

ficers. On January 7, 2013, the Master

Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

(MCPON) Michael D. Stevens an-

nounced:

“Effective immediately, we're re-

spectfully sun-downing the word

'induction', and in its place we'll use

CPO 365 as the primary term," said Ste-

vens. "I believe that induction is more

about a moment in time, and CPO 365

and the development of our FCPOs to

become CPOs is not about a moment in

time. It's about a continuous time. This

is something we're going to do every

day, 365 days a year, and so we want to

make sure the term we are using is

matching what we are doing.”

CPO Selects meet for group PT and

leadership development training as they

prepare to wear the uniform and take the

title of Chief Petty Officer in the months

ahead. Congratulate the NCTS Selectees

as well as others you see around NAS-

SIG.

Creighton Cup

ET3 Ryan Smiddy

August 2013 GMT Awardees

CE3 Lucas NAM

IT2 Hearndon LOC

YN3 Adams GCA

IT1 Schreiner IDW

IT1 Mundo IDW

Where were your IA orders to and how

long were you there for? Djibouti, Africa/

for 11 months

Did you volunteer for IA duty? If so,

why? Yes, I volunteered to serve on this IA

to experience a new job opportunity as well

as build on my professional resume for ca-

reer enhancement reasons.

What was your job? I was dual-hatted as

the Camp Lemonnier N6 Deputy as well as

the NCTAMS LANT DET Assistant Officer

In Charge (AOIC).

What challenges did you face?

Adversities faced while deployed were the

language barrier between Americans and

Djiboutians working on Camp. Another

misfortune that happened while deployed

was the Camp actually flooded in April and

it caused catastrophic damage to the Camp

as a whole. Unfortunately, Djibouti is a

place that does not see a lot of rain, the town

flooded, and 11 Local Nationals lost their

lives due to the torrential rain fall; they were

swept away down river. This was a hardship

for all as one of our missions was building

community relations. This took a toll on

everyone and it took days to get the Camp

back to a manageable state.

Do you have a favorite moment? I enjoyed the

COMRELS to the Baby Orphanage and the

School of English for the Djiboutians.

What was a typical day like? The weather was

extremely hot. This started as soon as the sun

came up in the mornings. By 0800 everyday

their was a black flag, which limited movement

around Camp, unless it was absolutely neces-

sary. The work week was Monday through Sat-

urday, Sundays were left for a day of rest. The

days in Djibouti were tedious however, the mis-

sion was important and a priority for all on

Camp.

If you had the chance, would you do another

IA tour? If I had to yes, meaning being told I

had to fill a billet. I sacrifice a lot when I deploy

due to being a single parent. My son is 16 years

old and I have deployed unfortunately the ma-

jority of his existence. It is tough however, if

needed, I would do it.

By: IT3 Karina Yoshimitsu

After spending nearly a year in Djibouti, Africa on an IA, we warmly welcome

home one of our own, LT Tracy Culbert. LT Culbert was kind enough to take a break from

her very busy job as the N3 Operations Officer to have a chat with the Transmitter about her

time in Africa

Facts about

Djibouti

Capital: Djibouti

Population: 774, 389

Total Area: 8,950 sq

miles

Official Languages:

Arabic; French

Official Religion:

Islam

Currency: Djiboutian

Franc

President: Ismail

Omar Guelleh

Loretta Prefectus

Walsh

Born: 22 APR 1896

Died: 6 AUG 1925

Years of Service: 1917

-1919

Rank: Chief Yeoman

Battles/Wars: World

War I

War events quickly led up to Walsh's decision to enlist in the United

States Navy. Word War I was in its fourth year when, on January 31, 1917 the

Germans announced they would resume unrestricted submarine warfare on all

ships, including those sailing under the United States flag. On February 23,

1917, American opinion further was angered when America learned of Berlin’s

proposal to Mexico to join the war as Germany's ally against the U.S.Over the

next few weeks, four American ships fell victim to German U-boats causing the

death of fifteen Americans.

On March 12, 1917, all American merchant ships were ordered to be

armed in war zones. On March 13, 1917, these armed merchant ships were au-

thorized to take action against German U-boats. It was in the face of this adver-

sity challenging the United States that Walsh made her decision to enlist in the

United States military.

At age 18, on March 17, 1917, Walsh engaged in a four-year enlistment

in the U.S. Naval Reserve, becoming the first active-duty Navy woman, and the

first woman to serve in any of the armed forces in a non-nurse occupation. On

March 19, 1917, the Navy Department authorized enrollment of women in Na-

val Reserve with ratings of yeoman, radio electrician, or other essential ratings,

becoming the first branch of the United States armed forces to allow enlistment

by women in a non-nursing capacity. Walsh subsequently became the first

woman Navy Petty Officer when she was sworn in as Chief Yeoman on March

21, 1917.

12 days after Walsh was sworn in as Chief Yeoman, President Woodrow

Wilson went before the U.S. Congress late on April 2 to ask for a declaration of

war, which Congress did on April 6, 1917.

The war ended on November 11, 1918. Walsh and other female yeomen,

all of whom held enlisted ranks, continued in service during the first months

after the November 1918 Armistice was signed. However, as a result of the post

-World War I Naval reductions, the number of Yeomen declined steadily, reach-

ing just under four thousand by the end of July 1919, when Walsh and the re-

maining Yeomen were all released from active duty. Walsh continued on inac-

tive reserve status, receiving modest retainer pay, until the end of her four-year

enlistment on March 17, 1921.

By IT2 Joshua Hearndon

YNC Loretta Walsh

Facebook. Twitter. The OPSEC veritable “nightmare”! Not only is

your personal privacy at stake when you log in to social media sites and post

information, but you could be letting the enemy in as well. Here are a few

ways that you can protect your privacy from the “bad guys”.

Don’t fill out your social media profile. The more information you share

online, the easier it will be for the wrong people to get their hands on it.

Make it difficult!

Lock down your hardware. Set your PC up to require a password when

you boot up, as well as when you are not sitting at your machine.. Same

goes for your mobile devices. At work, make sure you remove your CAC

card from the workstation!

Use two-factor authentication. You can lock down Facebook, Google and

Apple ID accounts, among others, with two factor authentication. Two-

factor authentication works beautifully for keeping others from accessing

your accounts, although some people feel it’s too time consuming. But if

you’re serious about privacy, you’ll put up with the friction.

Keep your social network activity private. Check your Facebook settings

and make sure only friends can see what you’re doing. In fact, make sure

you actually “KNOW” the people you add as friends on Facebook.

The main takeaway here shipmates is that you should be aware of

what you post online. Not only are there people who simply want your in-

formation to steal, but the enemy is always watching. Something as simple

as giving away your plans for the day could essentially make you target. Not

to mention, posting when your spouse is on deployment or is supposed to

come home could give away vital information about a unit or ships move-

ment, which could be a goldmine for the enemy to plan an attack. So simply,

be alert and be aware of your surroundings and the company you keep, and

remember...

“Loose lips sink ships!”

Protect Your Privacy!

By IT1 Shelly Espin

Editors

IT1 Shelly Espin

IT2 Katie Dale

IT3 Jesse Roswell

IT3 Karina Yoshimitsu

Photographer

IT1 Daniel Enderle

Questions or comments?

IT1 Espin: 624-5551

Address

PSC 812 BOX 3290

FPO AE 09627-3290

Command

Numbers

CWO:

COMM:

011-39-095-86-5553

DSN:

314-624-5553

Quarterdeck:

COMM:

011-39-095-86-5521

DSN:

314-624-5521

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