Publication:Sea Talk Autumn 2007/The Warrant Officer of the Navy

Welcome to 2007. While I can not predict what the year will bring I can say with certainty that it will be a busy one. I look forward to seeing many of you at the remaining Armidale class patrol boat commissioning or Fremantle class decommissioning ceremonies, as well the various ship and establishment visits that I have planned for the upcoming year.

Congratulations to all those people who were recognised in the Australia Day honours list this year. Petty Officer Benjamin Robson should feel particularly proud to be awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross for his work in weapons system training and is Navy's most highly decorated sailor on that list.

I would be remiss if I did not mention this year's Peter Mitchell prize winners. The Peter Mitchell Prize is awarded to Navy's best senior sailor, junior sailor and officer and is decided every year based on a range of issues such as academic achievements, sporting achievements, leadership abilities and overall professionalism. My heartfelt congratulations go to LEUT Benjamin Hurst, CPO Andrew Bertoncin and LS Jonathon Hunter.

We should not forget that somebody took the time to nominate these high performing people for their awards and this is an important role of the divisional system. We each have a responsibility to ensure that our best performers are recognised and I ask every one of us to take these responsibilities seriously.

I was fortunate enough to accompany the Chief of Navy on a visit to the Middle East area of operations (MEAO) over Christmas and appreciate the hospitality provided to us over this special time in HMAS Warramunga. I was pleased to see the chiefs' mess operating very well and whilst their leadership was apparent throughout the ship, CPOMTs Philp and Wade were often mentioned by both their superiors and subordinates as two CPOs who really excel in their day-to-day duties, and display particularly strong value-based leadership. I thank them for their dedication.

You will have all noticed that the Australian Defence Medal is now being worn with pride all over the fleet. This medal is important in that it recognises both Regular and Reserve personnel who have demonstrated their commitment to the nation since 1945. This medal is quite popular with our younger and more junior members and we should all recognise that it marks an important milestone in their careers.

ABMT Jakob Fletcher in the engine room on board HMAS Manoora. Pic by ABPH Quentin Mushins

You may have heard of the Remuneration Reform Project. The next phase of this project will look at some officer categories and warrant officers. Rest assured there is a considerable amount of effort going on behind the scenes, including the allocation of sufficient resources, to ensure Navy's interests are being considered throughout this project.

Finally, should you happen to see me in your workplace or mess please take the opportunity to stop and engage me.

James Levay Warrant Officer of the Navy E-mail: james.levay@defence.gov.au Tel: 02 626 54905