U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rusty Pang
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Most Americans rely on weather forecasts to plan their daily routine. The U.S. Navy is no different. With numerous ships, submarines and airplanes deployed in the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s area of operations, sailors stationed at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Hawaii, make it their primary mission to monitor extreme weather conditions in support of the fleet’s daily operations.
Lt. Cmdr. Kate Coyle, a 2002 Elyria High School graduate and native of Elyria, Ohio, has served in the Navy for 12 years and is one of these sailors serving at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Coyle credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Elyria.
“Importance of being part of a team is what I have brought with me in the Navy,” said Coyle. “I was able to learn this through playing sports growing up.”
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center Detachment provides aviation weather support for the INDOPACOM area of responsibility and resource protection to ensure safety of flight and operations for Atsugi, Japan; Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa; Commander Fleet
As a Navy meteorologist and executive officer, Coyle is responsible for the command and managing the department head leaders.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Naval Oceanography defines and applies the physical environment for the entire Navy fleet from the bottom of the ocean to the stars,” said Rear Adm. John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. “There isn't a plane that flies, a ship or a submarine that gets underway without the sailors and civilians of Naval Oceanography.”
The U.S. Pacific Fleet is the world’s largest fleet command, encompassing 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean.
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Coyle is most proud of earning a Commendation Award and Officer of the Deck qualifications while stationed aboard the USS Nimitz. Aside from being the executive officer, her toughest tour was as the meteorology and oceanography division officer.
“I am most proud of these accomplishments because I was able to perform outside of my comfort zone and it made me proud to stay the course,” said Coyle.
Being stationed in Hawaii, often referred to in defense circles as the gateway to the Pacific, means Coyle is serving in a part of the world taking on a new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
The Pacific is home to more than 50 percent of the world's population, many of the world's largest and smallest economies, several of the world's largest militaries, and many U.S. allies. The Navy has been pivotal in helping maintain peace and stability in the Pacific region for decades.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Coyle, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Coyle is honored to carry on that family tradition.
“My cousins were in the Navy and my father was in the Air Force for one enlistment, but I did not really think about joining the military until I was a junior in high school,” said Coyle.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Coyle and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I am planning to make the military a career as I have now crossed the hump; I am halfway there,” said Coyle. “I would be the first one on my mom’s side of the family to be a military officer and I can encourage other family members to walk in my path.”
“Importance of being part of a team is what I have brought with me in the Navy,” said Coyle. “I was able to learn this through playing sports growing up.”
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center Detachment provides aviation weather support for the INDOPACOM area of responsibility and resource protection to ensure safety of flight and operations for Atsugi, Japan; Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa; Commander Fleet
As a Navy meteorologist and executive officer, Coyle is responsible for the command and managing the department head leaders.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Naval Oceanography defines and applies the physical environment for the entire Navy fleet from the bottom of the ocean to the stars,” said Rear Adm. John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. “There isn't a plane that flies, a ship or a submarine that gets underway without the sailors and civilians of Naval Oceanography.”
The U.S. Pacific Fleet is the world’s largest fleet command, encompassing 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean.
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Coyle is most proud of earning a Commendation Award and Officer of the Deck qualifications while stationed aboard the USS Nimitz. Aside from being the executive officer, her toughest tour was as the meteorology and oceanography division officer.
“I am most proud of these accomplishments because I was able to perform outside of my comfort zone and it made me proud to stay the course,” said Coyle.
Being stationed in Hawaii, often referred to in defense circles as the gateway to the Pacific, means Coyle is serving in a part of the world taking on a new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
The Pacific is home to more than 50 percent of the world's population, many of the world's largest and smallest economies, several of the world's largest militaries, and many U.S. allies. The Navy has been pivotal in helping maintain peace and stability in the Pacific region for decades.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Coyle, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Coyle is honored to carry on that family tradition.
“My cousins were in the Navy and my father was in the Air Force for one enlistment, but I did not really think about joining the military until I was a junior in high school,” said Coyle.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Coyle and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I am planning to make the military a career as I have now crossed the hump; I am halfway there,” said Coyle. “I would be the first one on my mom’s side of the family to be a military officer and I can encourage other family members to walk in my path.”