Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Visits 5th Fleet

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, Bahrain (NNS) -- Master Chief Petty Office of the Navy (MCPON) Mike D. Stevens visited Naval Support Activity (NSA), Bahrain and other local commands, Nov. 18-23 to meet Sailors, access the quality of life in the region, address any concerns and discuss his 'Zeroing in on Excellence' initiative.

Stevens began his visit with an all chief petty officers call where he discussed the three main focal areas of his initiative. Developing leaders, fostering good order and discipline and controlling what we own.

"I believe this initiative provides a strong framework that allows us, through leadership, to build an environment where the Navy gets stronger," said Stevens.

Stevens also visited Commander, Task Force 56 which is responsible for expeditionary combat forces in the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility, where he commended leadership for their outstanding performance in this critical region of the world.

"What I've seen here is a fairly large amount of Sailors in an expeditionary type environment, functioning in a very effective and efficient manor," said Stevens.

During a tour of NSA, Stevens met with the directors of Morale, Welfare and Recreation, Fleet and Family Services Center and base housing where he toured the barracks to learn more about the quality of life for Sailors in the region.

Stevens spent a lot of his time visiting Sailors from different detachments of Naval Security Forces, Bahrain, to include the Military Working Dog unit and the Harbor Patrol unit where he answered questions about the future of the Navy in this region.

"In the foreseeable future the number of Sailors that we have in the Navy is going to remain relatively the same," said Stevens. "At the same time there is a lot going on in the world and in this region that requires the Navy's involvement, so there is going to be a significant demand on our Sailors and their families to continue to execute our mission."

Rounding out his visit MCPON joined the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert for an all-hands call and trip to Mina Salman Pier where they toured mine countermeasure ships.

This was Stevens' first visit to the U.S. 5th Fleet since becoming the Navy's 13th MCPON and he relayed his pride and approval of the job the men and women are doing here.

"Our force is resilient, our sailors and families are strong and our people understand the importance of our mission and I am confident they will continue to deliver," said Stevens.

U.S. 5th Fleet's mission is to conduct maritime security operations, defeat violent extremism and strengthen partner nations' maritime capabilities in order to promote security and stability in the region.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusnc/.