Savannah Navy Week brings Sailors from across the fleet to the area to emphasize the importance of the Navy to Savannah, the state of Georgia, and the Nation.
Participating Navy organizations include Navy Band Southeast, Underwater Construction Team 1, USS Constitution, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (METOC), United States Ceremonial Guard, Navy Operational Support Command (NOSC) Augusta, Naval Information Operations Command (NIOC) Georgia, Navy Recruiting Command, Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Jacksonville, Navy History and Heritage Command, the nuclear-power Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729), and the recently commissioned Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28).
More than 75 Sailors will participate in education and community outreach events throughout the city, including the Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade. All participating commands will follow DOD, CDC, state, and local guidelines for safety during the current pandemic.
The Navy's senior executive host is Rear Admiral Susan BryerJoyner, Navy Enterprise Networks & Cybersecurity Division Director. Rear Adm. BryerJoyner is a native of Savannah and a graduate of Hershel V. Jenkins High School. During Savannah Navy Week, she will participate in community engagements, meet with students, and speak with local businesses, civic, education, and government leaders.
"I am excited to represent the Navy and engage with the city of Savannah," said BryerJoyner. "My experience growing up in Savannah instilled a sense of responsibility, confidence, and deep appreciation for the strength of diversity that has fueled my service to the Nation. I am honored to come home and talk about how the Navy shares the values I learned growing up and the drive to serve and succeed, which I learned as a student at Hershel V. Jenkins."
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 cities like Savannah.
"We are excited to bring Navy Week to Savannah," said NAVCO's director, Cmdr. John Fage. "Navy Weeks give us the opportunity to help connect Americans to their Navy. We are looking forward to safely and responsibly building those connections in the Savannah area and showing everyone why their Navy is so important.”
Throughout the week, Sailors will participate in various community events across the area, including engaging with students across multiple high schools and volunteering for the city of Savannah, the Salvation Army, Frank Cullen Boys and Girls Club, America's Second Harvest, and Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity. Residents will also enjoy free live music by Navy Band Southeast at venues throughout the week.
Savanna Navy Week is one of 14 Navy Weeks in 2022, which brings a variety of assets, equipment, and personnel to a single city for a weeklong series of engagements designed to bring America's Navy closer to the people it protects. Each year, the program reaches more than 140 million people -- about half the U.S. population.
Media organizations wishing to cover Savannah Navy Week events should contact Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Kelsey at (901) 302-5166 or joshua.l.kelsey.mil@us.navy.mil.