New sea-shore schedule gives set tour lengths

[unhappycamper]

New sea-shore schedule gives set tour lengths
By Mark D. Faram - Staff wrier
Posted : Tuesday Sep 2, 2008 7:06:49 EDT

Sea-shore rotation, the time-tested yet outdated construct that serves as the backbone of the Navy’s personnel planning system, is no more.

Replacing it is “sea-shore flow,” an easier-to-follow schedule that personnel officials hope will translate to more predictable travel paths for sailors.

Under the old rotations, sea and shore tour lengths for a given rating were mapped out based on a combination of available spots and that sailor’s paygrade. So an E-4 boatswain’s mate going out on his second sea tour might serve a longer or shorter time than an E-5 BM’s second tour. That creates uncertainty for sailors who aren’t able to predict how long their tours will be if they don’t know for certain whether they’ll advance in the next cycle.

The new system creates flat-rate tour lengths, so that every BM’s second sea tour is the same number of months, regardless of his paygrade.

This will translate to less initial sea time for thousands of first-term sailors in 40 ratings and shorter sea tours for many others on follow-on sea tours. And it comes with a guarantee of at least three years ashore for everyone between sea tours.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/09/navy_seashore_090108w/%2e