STENNIS, Ms. – 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 around the world, sailors and civilians serving with the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, advise Navy leaders about the impact of ocean and atmospheric conditions on future operations.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Heidi Cheek |
Lt. j.g. Angellica Perkins, a 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. High School graduate and native of Lithonia, Georgia, is one of those responsible for providing timely, comprehensive and tactically relevant information for ships, submarines, aircraft and other commands operating throughout the globe.
As a meteorology and oceanography officer, Perkins is responsible for providing information about the weather and environment from the bottom of the ocean to the stars, ensuring the U.S. Navy has what they need to complete their mission.
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.”
Perkins is playing an important part 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.”
Though there are many ways to earn distinction in a command, community and career, Perkins is most proud of completing a degree in chemical engineering and a successful deployment to the Mediterranean and the Arabian Gulf in 2014.
“I served aboard the aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush,” said Perkins."I was the damage control division officer and earned my surface warfare qualification."
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Perkins, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Perkins is honored to carry on that family tradition.
“My cousin retired as a Navy master chief and all of my great-uncles were in the Army during the Vietnam War,” said Perkins. "Their service did not directly influence me to join, but my mentor in high school was a retired Navy commander, when I was part of NJROTC in high school. His name is Edward Johnson, and he’s currently the mayor of Fayetteville, Georgia."
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Perkins and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"Serving in the Navy gives me the opportunity to develop and grow personally as well as to be part of something bigger than myself,” added Perkins. "It's an honor to instill those values into those that I'm afforded the privilege to lead."
As a meteorology and oceanography officer, Perkins is responsible for providing information about the weather and environment from the bottom of the ocean to the stars, ensuring the U.S. Navy has what they need to complete their mission.
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.”
Perkins is playing an important part 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.”
Though there are many ways to earn distinction in a command, community and career, Perkins is most proud of completing a degree in chemical engineering and a successful deployment to the Mediterranean and the Arabian Gulf in 2014.
“I served aboard the aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush,” said Perkins."I was the damage control division officer and earned my surface warfare qualification."
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Perkins, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Perkins is honored to carry on that family tradition.
“My cousin retired as a Navy master chief and all of my great-uncles were in the Army during the Vietnam War,” said Perkins. "Their service did not directly influence me to join, but my mentor in high school was a retired Navy commander, when I was part of NJROTC in high school. His name is Edward Johnson, and he’s currently the mayor of Fayetteville, Georgia."
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Perkins and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"Serving in the Navy gives me the opportunity to develop and grow personally as well as to be part of something bigger than myself,” added Perkins. "It's an honor to instill those values into those that I'm afforded the privilege to lead."