If health conditions permit, the Navy will conduct education and community outreach, including taking part in Mobile Mardi Gras.
While sailors have previously participated in Mardi Gras events, Mobile Navy Week will bring between 50 and 75 Sailors from across the nation to volunteer throughout the community and discuss why the Navy matters to local and surrounding communities.
Mobile Navy Week will feature in-person demonstrations, performances and engagements throughout the week that will include:
- Senior Navy Leaders – Flag officer and senior civilian Navy leaders with ties to Alabama and the surrounding area.
- Namesake Sailors – Sailors serving on USS Alabama (SSBN 731), an Ohio-Class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, and USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), a guided-missile cruiser.
- Navy Band Southeast -Performances and masterclasses with Navy Musicians.
- Naval History and Heritage Command – Educational presentations and lesson plans about the deep ties between Mobile and the Navy.
- USS Constitution – Demonstrations about the oldest commissioned ship in the Navy.
- USS Ceremonial Guard- Precision rifle drill demonstration team.
- U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command – Educational presentation on the importance of atmospheric and oceanographic science and the overall value of STEM education to the Navy.
Every Sailor selected to participate in Mobile Navy Week, except those with an approved waiver for health or religious reasons, will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Furthermore, the Navy Office of Community Outreach will work closely with community partners in Mobile and follow guidance from public health officials.
Navy Weeks are the service’s signature outreach program, designed to allow the citizens of Mobile to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. The Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) coordinates Navy Weeks.
“We are excited to bring the first Navy Week of 2022 to Mobile and connect its citizens to their Navy safely and responsibly,” said NAVCO’s director, Cmdr. John Fage. “Mobile Navy Week will allow us to show the people what their Navy does for them and why the Navy is important to the city, the state, and the nation. We are excited to spend this time giving back to the city and connecting with those whom we serve.”
Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort to regions without a significant Navy presence, with over 250 Navy Weeks held in more than 80 different U.S. markets. Mobile is the first Navy Week in 2022.
“We coordinate about 75 outreach events during a Navy Week,” said NAVCO Navy Week program manager Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Chambers. “Outreach events range from corporate, civic, government, education, media, veterans, community service engagements. The 2022 schedule is exciting for us because the great citizens of Mobile continue to welcome the Navy Week Program with open arms and are eager to learn more about their Navy.”
For more information on Mobile Navy Week, contact Mr. Isaiah Sellers at (901) 229-5631 or isaiah.sellers.civ@us.navy.mil.