Thirty-one Sailors from various commands at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, donned khaki uniforms and combination covers for the first time during a chief petty officer pinning ceremony Sept. 16.

The pinning ceremony welcomed the new Fort Meade chief's mess, including Sailors assigned to Navy Information Operation Command Maryland (NIOC MD) and U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet (FCC/C10F), to the ranks of thousands of other chiefs, a role that has existed since the creation of the chief petty officer pay grade in 1893.

"You are now the back bones of the Navy," said Capt. Don E. Elam, the commanding officer, NIOC MD. "You are carrying a sense of pride and hundreds of years of traditions that came before you."

The new chiefs were pinned on stage by their families, who have helped them through the past six weeks of CPO 365 Phase II training.

"Families, we present to you two smoothly polished anchors, and you will have an opportunity to pin them to their collars," said Command Master Chief Jon Taylor, the command master chief of FCC/C10F. "At the end of today, you will see some chief petty officers in front of you. Like these anchors, they started rough and we polished them up."

Taylor also thanked the families for the sacrifices they have made to allow their new chiefs to reach this point in their careers.

"Spouses, we know the sacrifices you make to ensure that we can do what we need to do," said Taylor. "Thank you for your patience and understanding. This morning, you too will join the ranks and with that some days will be as difficult as you have experienced in the last six weeks."

The new chiefs also reflected on the mentorship that prior chiefs have provided them.

"What we've worked toward for years has finally come to fruition," said new chief petty officer Tim Kenney. "This experience helped me realize that none of this has been just because of me."

The newly promoted chiefs will serve across our Navy for years to come in deployable missions, staff positions, and other operational roles.

NIOC Maryland's primary mission is to conduct information operations and to provide cryptologic and related capability to the fleet, joint and national commanders as well as administrative and personnel support to Department of the Navy members assigned to the Fort Meade area. NIOC Maryland is a subordinate command of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and comprises Task Force 1060 of the U.S. 10th Fleet.

U.S. Fleet Cyber Command serves as the Navy component command to U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Cyber Command, and the Navy's Service Cryptologic Component commander under the National Security Agency/Central Security Service. Fleet Cyber Command also reports directly to the Chief of Naval Operations as an Echelon II command.

U.S. 10th Fleet is the operational arm of Fleet Cyber Command and executes its mission through a task force structure similar to other warfare commanders.


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For more news from Commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/FCCC10F/.