Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Steven Giordano kicked off his tour of the Indo-Pacific region with a stop in Guam to meet with Sailors during an all-hands call at the U.S. Naval Base Guam theater, April 24.

During his visit, MCPON announced "Laying the Keel -- Developing the Backbone of Our Navy," a document which serves as a vision for enlisted leader development.

"Laying the Keel" provides junior Sailors an earlier opportunity to learn leadership skills and prepare themselves to become future leaders.

"This was developed by Sailors for Sailors," Giordano said. "This deliberate and comprehensive approach is a path to becoming more authentic, competent and courageous leaders. Laying the Keel sets our course towards a stronger culture of ownership, an environment of positive energy, and intrinsically motivated teams, driving towards maximum level of performance with one goal in mind - winning."

The "Laying the Keel" announcement aligned with MCPON's visit to the region during a time of increased operational tempo.

"I want (Sailors) to feel that the Navy is now taking a very committed investment into their development as leaders," he said. "They can look at this and see that investment moving forward with both a process that shows institutional structure but also a level of flexibility that allows all the units to feel empowered to go own their responsibilities in that enlisted force."

While MCPON announced the Navy's newest initiative, he also spoke to Sailors about quality-of-life concerns, Sailor 2025, advancement opportunities and Sailors' perspective of the operational environment within the Fleet and region.

"On behalf of the secretary of the Navy, chief of naval operations and myself, we are so extremely proud of our Sailors and everything they do out here," he said. "We maintain extreme situational awareness of where and how they're operating, and how we can better support them. But what we need more than anything else is feedback from them and how we can make things better for them and their families."



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