One of 13 Navy Weeks being held nationally in 2021, Santa Fe Navy Week will bring a variety of assets, equipment, and personnel to the city for a weeklong series of engagements designed to bring America's Navy closer to the communities it serves. So long as local health conditions permit, Santa Fe Navy Week will feature live demonstrations, performances, and engagements throughout the week that will include sailors and personnel assigned to:
USS Santa Fe (SSN 763), USS Constitution, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), Naval Surface Warfare Center Detachment White Sands, Navy Band Southwest, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Navy Operational Support Center Albuquerque, Navy Talent Acquisition Group Phoenix, Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Naval Academy and Naval Office of Small Business Programs,.
The Navy Office of Community Outreach is continuing to work closely with community partners in Santa Fe and is carefully monitoring guidance from public health officials to ensure in-person events can be held safely. All participating commands will follow DOD, CDC, state, and local guidelines to safeguard against COVID-19.
Sailors participating in Santa Fe Navy Week will undergo daily screening at the unit level in compliance with CDC guidelines, and will conduct frequent hand washing and adhere to standing mask and social distancing policies. To the maximum extent possible, Navy Week events will be held outdoors. For events held indoors, only the required Navy personnel will be sent to support.
Rear Admiral Chris Engdahl, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Seven, will serve as the senior Navy representative. Engdahl will attend community engagements and meet with local and state leadership in Santa Fe.
"I was honored to be a part of Santa Fe's virtual Navy week last year, so it is exciting for my wife and I to travel to New Mexico and represent the Navy here in Santa Fe this year," said Engdahl. "As a namesake city of an incredible attack submarine and home to many veterans, active duty and reserve personnel, I look forward to reconnecting this year and strengthening the Navy's partnership with the citizens and leadership in this wonderful city."
Local residents will be able to meet their U.S. Navy sailors throughout the week and around town as they provide demonstrations, concerts and other interactive experiences.
Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach designed to give Americans an 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, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to Santa Fe. The program reaches more than 140 million people each year -- about half the U.S. population.
For more information on 2021 Navy Weeks, visit http://outreach.navy.mil. For specific schedules and events for Santa Fe Navy Week, visit https://outreach.navy.mil/Navy-Weeks-2021/Santa-Fe/
Media organizations wishing to cover Santa Fe Navy Week events should contact Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Chambers at (901) 232-4450 or Kevin.L.Chambers4.mil@us.navy.mil.