JANUARY 7, 2025 – Vice Adm. Rob Gaucher, commander, Submarine Force Atlantic (COMSUBLANT), announced the COMSUBLANT winners of the 2024 Battle Efficiency (“E”) Competition awards, Jan. 1.
The Battle “E” competition is conducted to strengthen and evaluate both command and overall Force warfighting readiness and to recognize outstanding command performance. The criterion for the Battle “E” Award is the overall readiness of a crew to execute its combat mission.
COMSUBLANT Battle “E” winners are the following:
- USS North Dakota (SSN 784), Commander, Submarine Squadron TWO (CSS-2)
- USS Virginia (SSN 774), CSS-4
- USS New Hampshire (SSN 778), CSS-6
- USS New Jersey (SSN 796), CSS-8
- USS California (SSN 781), CSS-12
- USS Florida (SSGN 728) (BLUE), CSS-16
- USS Florida (SSGN 728) (GOLD), CSS-16
- USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) (BLUE), CSS-20
- USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) (GOLD), CSS-20
Special Category – Shipyard Readiness
- USS Hartford (SSN 768)
Special Category – Submarine Readiness Squadron
- Submarine Readiness Squadron 32
Engineering Red “E” winners:
- USS North Dakota (SSN 784), CSS-2
- USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795), CSS-4
- USS Albany (SSN 753), CSS-6
- USS Montpelier (SSN 795), CSS-8
- USS Delaware (SSN 791), CSS-12
- USS Florida (SSGN 728) (BLUE), CSS-16
- USS Maryland (SSBN 738) (BLUE), CSS-20
White Weapons “W” winners:
- USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), CSS-2
- USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795), CSS-4
- USS Pasadena (SSN 752), CSS-6
- USS Montana (SSN 794), CSS-8
- USS Indiana (SSN 789), CSS-12
- USS Florida (SSGN 728) (GOLD), CSS-16
- USS Alaska (SSBN 732) (BLUE), CSS-20
White Strategic “S” winner:
- USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) (BLUE), CSS-20
Navigation Red and Green “N” winners:
- USS North Dakota (SSN 784), CSS-2
- USS Virginia (SSN 774), CSS-4
- USS New Hampshire (SSN 778), CSS-6
- PCU Massachusetts (SSN 798), CSS-8
- USS Delaware (SSN 791), CSS-12
- USS Florida (SSGN 728) (GOLD), CSS-16
- USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) (BLUE), CSS-20
Communications/Cyber Green “C” winners:
- USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), CSS-2
- USS South Dakota (SSN 790), CSS-4
- USS New Mexico (SSN 779), CSS-6
- USS John Warner (SSN 785), CSS-8
- USS California (SSN 781), CSS-12
- USS Florida (SSGN 728) (GOLD), CSS-16
- USS Maryland (SSBN 738) (BLUE), CSS-20
Electronic Warfare Green “E” winners:
- USS North Dakota (SSN 784), CSS-2
- USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795), CSS-4
- USS New Hampshire (SSN 778), CSS-6
- USS Boise (SSN 764), CSS-8
- USS Delaware (SSN 791), CSS-12
- USS Florida (SSGN 728) (GOLD), CSS-16
- USS Alaska (SSBN 732) (GOLD), CSS-20
Supply Blue “E” winners:
- USS Texas (SSN 775), CSS-2
- USS Oregon (SSN 793), CSS-4
- USS New Hampshire (SSN 778), CSS-6
- USS Montana (SSN 794), CSS-8
- USS Indiana (SSN 789), CSS-12
- USS Florida (SSGN 728) (BLUE), CSS-16
- USS Maryland (SSBN 738) (GOLD), CSS-20
Personnel White “P” winners:
- USS North Dakota (SSN 784), CSS-2
- PCU Iowa (SSN 797), CSS-4
- USS Albany (SSN 753), CSS-6
- USS Montana (SSN 794), CSS-8
- USS Hartford (SSN 768), CSS-12
- USS Georgia (SSGN 729) (BLUE), CSS-16
- USS Rhode Island (SSBN 740) (BLUE), CSS-20
Medical Yellow “M” winners:
- USS Texas (SSN 775), CSS-2
- USS Virginia (SSN 774), CSS-4
- USS Pasadena (SSN 752), CSS-6
- USS Montpelier (SSN 765), CSS-8
- USS California (SSN 781), CSS-12
- USS Florida (SSGN 728) (GOLD), CSS-16
- USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) (GOLD), CSS-20
On-time periodic maintenance requirements (PMR) and KMRC accomplishment is essential to meeting submarine force readiness goals. PMRs and KMRCs help ensure the material readiness of the force and are critical inputs to completing the engineering analysis necessary to get more players on the field by extending operating intervals, reducing idle time, and reducing depot availability durations.
The KMRC “K” is a first-time Submarine Force-wide award acknowledging the performance monitoring team (PMT) site that bests supports the fleet and KMRC accomplishment. The PMR “P” is a first-time TYCOM-specific award acknowledging the submarine squadron with the best assigned submarine PMR performance.
KMRC “K” winner: Submarine Squadron 15/ PMT Guam
PMR “P” winner: Submarine Squadron 12
“The competition for these awards is, as always, extremely keen,” said Gaucher. “These awards should be a source of great pride to each and every crew member – Bravo Zulu for a job well done.”
The Battle “E” competition recognizes commands that attained the highest overall or departmental readiness to carry out assigned wartime tasks as a unit of the Atlantic Submarine Force and is based on a year-long evaluation.
For commissioned ships in the shipyard, being awarded the Battle “E” is reflective of overall readiness to meet production milestones throughout the year and the crew’s combat readiness as indicated per the CTQM, pursuit of underway time for the crew, crew-shipyard relationships, inspections, audits, etc.
These ships were considered the most ready for combat throughout the year and were judged based on their warfighting readiness; mission accomplishments; self-assessments and ability to improve; ability to innovate; and resiliency in executing the ship’s schedule.
The Submarine Force executes the Department of the Navy’s mission in and from the undersea domain. In addition to lending added capacity to naval forces, the Submarine Force, in particular, is expected to leverage those special advantages that come with undersea concealment to permit operational, deterrent and combat effects that the Navy and the nation could not otherwise achieve.
The Submarine Force and supporting organizations constitute the primary undersea arm of the Navy. Submarines and their crews remain the tip of the undersea spear.
From Petty Officer 1st Class Justin Yarborough