8 November 2002
NSCC ACTION LETTER 09-02
1. IAW ref (a), ref (b) was
convened at the Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare Training Center (ASW Base
Point Loma), San Diego, Ca. Meeting minutes have been separately
distributed to all Regional Directors and Headquarters Representatives. Action
items in this letter are a continuation of those resulting from the 1998,
1999, and 2000 Regional Directors conferences, previously promulgated in
refs (c), (d), and (e). All refs (c) through (e) action items remain in
effect, unless modified by this letter in subparagraph a below. This
year's action items having immediate, or near future impact on NSCC/NLCC
policy and/or administrative procedure are addressed in this letter and
are as
follow in sub-paragraphs b through o, immediately following. All action
items are being incorporated into updates of NSCC directives as appropriate.
Paragraph 2 includes action items reflecting decisions made at the
NSCC Headquarters Representative's meeting held immediately prior to the Regional
Directors `s conference.
Paragraph 3 addresses other action and information items being undertaken
which may impact units in the future. Unit CO's have no immediate action
to take with regard to paragraph 3 items. They are provided for information
and advance planning only.
- Prior year Regional Director's
conference action items modified and/or updated are as immediately follow:
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- REQUIREMENT TO COMPLETE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS OF THE BMR PRIOR TO
RECRUIT TRAINING CHANGED. NAVEDTRA 12018 dated September 1999 is the
current BMR. Cadets using this newer BMR are to complete Chapter 1,
sections on Hazing, Sexual Harassment, and Fraternization, and chapters
5,6,9, and 10 prior to reporting for recruit training. Further guidance
will be as contained in updates to the Advancement and Training Manual.
This requirement is modified to read that each year's most up to date guidance
will be promulgated in the Summer Training Schedule. Look for it in
the section that addresses Recruit Training.
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UNIFORM REGULATIONS CHANGE FOR BDU's; OFFICER COLLAR DEVICES, NAME AND
NSCC TAGS. Black (subdued) collar devices, to include embroidered
devices, for wear by officers on the BDU uniform is authorized.
Embroidered name tags, last name over right pocket and USNSCC over the
left, is approved for BDU blouse and trouser. This change is
effective immediately and will be incorporated into update of Uniform
Regulations.
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NEW RIBBON APPROVED FOR CADETS WHO SUCCESSFULLY PARTICIPATE IN ISCA
SPONSORED INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM (IEP) EXCHANGES WITH CADET
SELECTION BASED UPON IEP DIRECTOR MANAGED SELECTION BOARD ACTION.
This new ribbon is intended to recognize cadet scholarship, contribution
to NSCC, and citizenship attributes which serve as the basis for program
selection. When developed, this ribbon will be included in the
Awards Manual and will be retroactive to competitive selections started
summer 2001. Senior escort officers will also be eligible to wear
the ribbon, having also applied and gone before the selection committee. Director, NSCC International Exchange Program, will manage the program and
forward awards with appropriate certificate, following NHQ approval.
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WEARING OF NAME TAGS APPROVED FOR CIVILIAN ATTIRE. A name tag
with the officer's rank, last name, and NSCC may be worn on the right breast
of civilian attire. If an Instructor, then last name only. This
will be at Unit CO or Training COTC's discretion, but must be uniform for
the unit or evolution.
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CADETS CAN BANK UP TO THREE (3) TWT's PER YEAR. Effective immediately,
banking of up to three (3) TWT's per year is authorized. This will
be included in updates to the Advancement and Training Manual and included
in summer training schedule guidance.
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FOR ATTENDANCE REPORTING ON THE MARS REPORT, CADETS WHO ARE ON TWT ARE
TO BE COUNTED. This change removes any attendance reporting
degradation just because cadets are on TWT and will allow for improved
attendance percentages on the MARS report when cadets are on TWT. It
is effective immediately.
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ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COLOR GUARD RIBBON CLARIFIED.
A color guard is defined as an evolution where at least 3 cadets (2 guards
and a flag bearer) participate in a public event. This does not include
raising/retiring colors at drill, and/or other color guard events within the
unit at just the unit level. A cadet must participate in at least 10
color guard public presentations over no less than 6 months. Subsequent
awards will be a star on the ribbon.
This change is effective immediately and will be incorporated into the
next Awards Manual update.
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REGIONAL DIRECTORS TO SIGN UNIT CO EVALUATIONS VICE THE COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN. This change is effective immediately, and updates to the
evaluation form, Regulations, and other manuals as appropriate, will
reflect this change.
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PENALTY IN THE INSPECTION GUIDE FOR INSTRUCTOR NON-PERFORMANCE OF TWT
REMOVED. This change is effective immediately and has already been
incorporated into the inspection guide.
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MEDICAL INFORMATION SHEET REQUIRED FOR ADULTS. Effective
immediately, adults are to include in their records a medical information
sheet; the NSC 5A is to be used.
Physicals are still not required. The intent here is to have in
officer records medical information so that should medical assistance need
to be rendered to any adult during drill, TWT, or any other escort duty,
there will be a place for the Unit CO or COTC to go to get this
information. It will also help in determining physical
qualification/limitations for shipboard or other more arduous escort duty. This NSC 5A is to be completed upon
enrollment and updated every five years or whenever a change occurs, and
30 days prior to escort duty. This change is effective immediately
and will be incorporated into the next update of the Admin Manual.
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CADETS MUST PASS THE PT TEST AT RT IN ORDER TO RECEIVE RT CREDIT.
FAILURE TO PASS THE PT TEST MEANS THAT THE CADET HAS TO ENTIRELY
REPEAT RT. UNIT CO's ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR APPROVING REQUESTS FOR
TRAINING FOR ONLY THOSE CADETS WHO CAN PASS THE PT TEST. The NSCC
endorses good health and physical fitness of all cadets. NSCC
Action Letter 4-98 explains in detail the merits of physical
fitness and how the NSCC program borrows heavily from "The
President's Challenge." The long standing requirement
to pass the physical readiness test before going to RTC and to be
physically fit during RTC was not changed with NSCC
Action Letter 4-98 and is not changed now. It should be noted
that NSCC standards remains below those of the 50th percentile of
the President's Challenge, and that cadets are only required to
meet a standard that is less arduous than that currently being met
by at least half of all middle and high school youth of their age.
What this change does is remove Unit CO authority to award RT credit
to cadets at the unit level after having failed to pass the PT test
at RT. This change reinforces Unit CO responsibility to approve
training requests only for those cadets who pass the NSCC PT test
and stay fit, and requires cadets who might fail the test at RT,
to repeat RT until he or she passes the test and receives credit.
Cadets can advance in the NSCC and participate in other trainings
only with RT credit. This change is effective with the 2003
summer training cycle, and will be in the summer training schedule
and COTC guidelines, and in future updates to the NSCC/NLCC
Advancement and Training Manual and NSCC
Action Letter 4-98.
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WEAR OF ALL YEAR RIBBONS OPTIONAL. Effective immediately, wear of
all year ribbons is optional. Members can wear all, or only the most
current, or none. This change will be incorporated into next update
to the Awards Manual and Uniform Regulations.
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CADET ID CARD TO BE ANNOTATED TO INDICATE "UNDER AGE 21".
Effective as soon as can be implemented by NHQ, cadet ID cards will be
stamped "Under age 21" to clearly indicate that NSCC cadets are minors.
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LEATHER SHOES FOR ALL CADETS. Unit CO's have the option of
prescribing leather or corfam for adults, but cadets will have leather
shoes. Effective immediately, all cadet new purchase or replacement
purchase of shoes will be leather. In order to keep costs to no more
than they would normally be, NHQ does not intend to dictate a phase in
period, however, from now until the end of whatever time frame might
equate to the normal life expectancy of a shoe; at the end of that
period all cadets should be in leather shoes. Unit CO's are charged to
disallow any new or replacement purchase of any uniform shoe other
than leather. This change will be incorporated into the next update
of Uniform Regulations.
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CADET HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES 18 YEARS OLD MAY REMAIN IN THE NSCC
UNTIL 30 SEPTEMBER AFTER THEY TURN 18. This change is effective
immediately and will be incorporated into updates in Regulations and
the Admin Manual.
2. This paragraph includes agenda item decisions made either at, or
following the NSCC Headquarters Representative's meeting held immediately prior to
the Regional Director's Conference.
- AWARD AUTHORITY FOR MERITORIOUS RECOGNITION RIBBON AND BELOW IS EXTENDED
TO FIELD REPRESENTATIVES. Effective immediately, Headquarters Representatives,
in addition to NHQ, may approve and award the Meritorious Recognition Ribbon and
below. For COTC's during summer training, awards may still be faxed directly
to NHQ for immediate approval so as to allow presentation prior to trainings end.
They may also be forwarded after training. This extension of authority gives
CO's and COTC's greater flexibility for getting their well deserved award
recommendations approved.
- STACKED TRAINING ENDORSED. Stacked training refers to the
circumstance where multiple training evolutions are concurrently scheduled at a
training site, and NSCC members have the opportunity to attend more than one training
during a single evolution. Examples include OPD courses over the middle weekend
of an RT, or the scheduling of a POLA at the same time an RT is happening.
In these cases the officer gets to go to OPD during the RT, or the RT staff cadet
gets to complete a POLA during the course of his stay as an RT staff cadet.
NHQ has issued no policy statement regarding stacked training until now. NHQ
policy is that because of limited resources, and because it makes sense to capitalize
on training resources whenever they are available, and because it is more cost
effective for participants, stacked training is endorsed and encouraged with the
following caveats for cadets:
- Advancement time credit cannot be given/accrued for more time than is actually spent
at the evolution. For example, using POLA attendance by a staff cadet
during the course of an RT; the cadet is there 10 (or more) days and needs 10 days
credit towards advancement. He or she does the first week entirely as a staff
cadet, and during the second week spends 5 days meeting the POLA 35-40 hour curriculum
requirement and continues with staff cadet duties during the evening hours.
The cadet can take ten days credit towards advancement, and receive POLA course credit
only, no additional day credit for advancement. Or the cadet can take five days
towards advancement, get course credit for POLA and bank his POLA days, go home and
make up the remaining 5 days for the next advancement through multiple 2 or 3 day
participations in other authorized events. He or she could even make up his next
ten day advancement requirement by combining the banked POLA days with a couple more 2
or 3 day evolutions.
For officers, there are no caveats at this time. OPD courses are to be conducted
in accordance with the syllabus, and credit awarded.
- UNIT COMMANDING OFFICERS TO ENSURE REGIONAL DIRECTORS ARE A SIGNATORY ON, AND HAVE
ACCESS TO, ALL UNIT BANK ACCOUNTS USED TO SUPPORT NSCC UNITS. This is an NHQ
directed action. Unit CO's are responsible for taking the action to
ensure Regional Directors have access to all unit bank accounts. Regional
Directors are charged to ensure compliance. The key here is Regional
Director access to the account by authorized signature on the bank
signature card. It does not mean Regional Directors have access to checks
or actually hold or write any checks. Instances have occurred on more than
several occasions where it was necessary to freeze an account to prevent
unauthorized depletion of account assets. Regional Directors must have
this access, so as to be able to take action as directed or warranted.
This applies to any account used to hold funds used in support of any
NSCC/NLCC unit regardless of account title. If for some reason, access by
the Regional Director cannot be arranged, then the Headquarters Representative's
name is to be on the account. This change is effective immediately and
will be incorporated in updates to manuals and instructions addressing
unit accounts and their management.
2. The following items do not require any immediate Unit CO action. They are provided for information and incorporation into planning for CY 2003
and beyond.
- ALL HANDS ASKED TO HELP IN LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.
With federal funding to offset cadet and escort messing and berthing costs,
program growth is well underway. The NSCC is looking for additional
training opportunities to offer our growing numbers of NSCC/NLCC cadets.
Specifically, expanded one week or two week (or even longer) summer training
opportunities are desired. While military training onboard bases, stations,
and ships, continues to be of first preference in accordance with our program
goal of making cadets aware of the prestige of military careers and also to
increase advancement potential for those who join, we are not restricted
to only that training. Our other goals are:
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Develop interest and skills in basic seamanship and seagoing skills.
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Instill virtues of good citizenship and strong moral character and principles.
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Demonstrate value of alcohol, drug and gang free lifestyle.
One and two-week training courses that support any of these goals are desired.
If you have any ideas or recommendations, call NSCC NHQ Capt Nyland or 1SG
Bunting. We need your help, and remember, messing and berthing will
be covered and this applies to both NSCC and NLCC training.
- NHQ ENDORSES STRICTEST AUDITING PRACTICES POSSIBLE. The best unit audit
practice would be to have the annual audit conducted by an independent party
professional auditing service. NSCC resources simply preclude
implementation of such a policy, however, the NSCC does endorse using the
strictest practices available to the unit. It is in the best interest of
every unit CO, to have his or her auditor considered not only reputable, but
"hard", and to have that auditor reporting that the unit's fiscal
management practices are far above reproach.
- REGIONAL DIRECTORS TO AUDIT 2001 CADET UNIFORM ALLOWANCE REBATES DURING
INSPECTIONS SPRING 2003. In 2001, federal grant monies used in support
of training and grant administration totaled approximately $970,000.
The grant total was $1M. A condition of the grant was that any funds not
used for training would be returned to cadets to offset their uniform costs;
accordingly approximately $30,000 was targeted for return. Our 2001 audit,
completed in late spring of 2002, confirmed the appropriateness of this action,
checks have been cut and distribution has been made to all units. The last
step is an audit by Regional Directors during the 2002 inspection cycle (spring
2003), to ensure monies went back to cadets (cadets carried onboard at the time
of the inspection) as dictated by the grant. Regional Directors are charged
to conduct this audit to ensure compliance.
- ALL HANDS CAUTIONED NOT TO ABUSE EXCHANGE PRIVILEGES. Guidance
remains as per OPNAVINST
5760.5C; uniform articles, and health and welfare items.
4. Refs (c) thru (e) remain in effect until all actions or changes are
incorporated into relevant manuals. This action letter announces additional
changes and will also remain in effect until incorporation of changes into
relevant manuals.
M. D. FORD
Distribution:
National Chairman/National President
NSCC
Headquarters Representatives
NSCC
Regional/Associate Regional Directors
NSCC/NLCC
Unit Commanding Officers
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