Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson G. Brown
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN – Petty Officer 3rd Class Christelle Joseph, a Margate, Florida, native, joined the Navy to serve her country and give back to the nation.
Now, two years later and half a world away at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, Joseph serves as the leading-edge of the Navy the nation needs.
“The most exciting part is meeting and interacting with people from all over the world,” said Joseph.
Joseph, a 2017 graduate of Fort-Lauderdale High School, is a master-at-arms at NSA Bahrain, forward-deployed to the Arabian Gulf region in the Navy’s U.S. 5th Fleet.
“As a master-at-arms, I am responsible for providing security for the base and keeping everyone safe,” said Joseph.
Joseph credits success in Bahrain, and in the Navy, to many of the lessons learned in Margate.
“If my time in Florida has taught me anything, it is to surround myself with good people and to take pride in everything you do," said Joseph.
U.S. 5th Fleet directs naval operations to ensure maritime security and stability in the Central Region, which connects the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean through the western Indian Ocean. They work with partner nations to ensure freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in international waterways.
NSA Bahrain enables the forward operations and responsiveness of U.S. 5th Fleet and allied forces in support of Navy Region Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia's mission to provide services to the fleet, warfighter and family.
"We are part of the security blanket required to keep 5th Fleet operating effectively,” said Joseph.
The Navy’s U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of ocean, and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprised of 20 countries, includes three critical choke points; the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
Serving in the Navy means Joseph is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, 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.
“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.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Joseph is most proud of making petty officer on the first attempt.
“I put in the work and it paid off," said Joseph. "This accomplishment shows leadership and my peers that I am committed to improving myself.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Joseph and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy means I am taking a stance to make the world a better place,” said Joseph.