Millington, Tennessee - From Springfield, Massachusetts to Sacramento, California, to Bossier City, Louisiana, America's Navy will sail into 14 cities across the country in 2018 as part of the Navy Week outreach program.
Navy Weeks, coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO), are designed to give Americans the opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people and its importance to national security and prosperity. Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy's flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, with 210 Navy Weeks held in 74 different U.S. markets.
"Navy Weeks allow us to showcase the sons and daughters of America who serve in today's Navy. We focus on sharing in communities across the U.S. who often have little to no contact with Sailors," said Cmdr. Linda Rojas, NAVCO's director. "We've found that these exchanges have gone a long way for raising awareness of the Navy and establishing and maintaining relationships with the people we serve."
Navy Weeks are scheduled for the following cities in 2018:
- San Antonio, Feb. 19-25
- Waco, Texas, April 2-8
- Birmingham, Alabama, April 9-15
- Tampa, Florida, May 7-13
- Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 11-17
- Reno/Carson City, Nevada, June 17-23
- Sacramento, California, July 16-22
- Fargo, North Dakota, July 23-29
- Milwaukee, Aug. 6-12
- Louisville, Kentucky, Aug. 20-26
- Cleveland, Aug. 27-Sep. 2
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sep. 10-16
- Springfield, Massachusetts, Sep. 17-23
- Bossier City/Shreveport, Louisiana, Oct. 29-Nov. 4
Navy Weeks bring a variety of events, equipment and personnel to a single city for a week-long series of engagements with the public, key influencers and organizations representing all sectors of the community.
"During a Navy Week, 75 to 100 outreach events are coordinated with corporate, civic, government, education, media, veterans, community service and diversity organizations in the city," said Lt. Cmdr. Brett Dawson, NAVCO's event planning department head. "We bring in as much of the Navy as we can to raise awareness of the Navy, its mission and its importance to the public."
The Blue Angels; the Navy Parachute Team "The Leap Frogs"; bands; divers; Seabees; explosive ordnance disposal teams; naval aviation aircraft and aircrew; Sailors from ships and submarines with namesake ties; hometown Sailors; Navy Medicine personnel; USS Constitution Sailors and equipment; Naval History and Heritage Command; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and environmental assets; the Navy Ceremonial Guard; and Navy recruiting assets all have participated in the Navy Week program in various capacities over the life of the program.
Navy Week cities are chosen based on a variety of factors, including Gallup data on Navy knowledge and awareness, Navy recruiting data, demographic information, namesake ties of ships and submarines, past outreach history in the market and geography, to ensure events are dispersed across the country.
Last year's Navy Week program, through the execution of more than 1,000 individual outreach events, showcased the Navy, its mission and its people to a combined audience of approximately 150 million Americans.
