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A Word From The NJ Submarine Commissioning Committee

Back in December we welcomed a new CO for the submarine, Cmdr. Steven Halle. Cmdr. Halle replaced the outgoing CO, Cmdr. Jared Smith, who has since left the Navy to move into the private sector. While Cmdr. Smith wasn’t with us for very long, we certainly appreciated his support. We now look forward to working with Cmdr. Halle on what should be the final stretch before the commissioning event.

Regarding the submarine herself, work continues in Virginia on finishing construction. A major milestone in the process of preparing the submarine to join the fleet is taking the nuclear reactor critical, something that should be happening very soon.

The question we get asked most (not too surprisingly) is when will the submarine be commissioned, and where will it take place? The moment we know what the decision is, and we’re confident it will take place in New Jersey and we will know relatively soon, we will publish the information on our website at http://www.njcommissioning.org

One thing we will do soon thereafter is make available a way for the public to submit their request to attend the event. The Navy will receive all requests that we get and will review them prior to any approvals and issuance of invitations.

In our next newsletter we’ll hopefully have updates on the commissioning, on upcoming crew visits, and a progress update regarding construction.

Change of Command

Please join us in welcoming Commander Steven A. Halle to the USS NEW JERSEY (SSN 796). CDR Halle grew up in Lake Villa, Illinois and enlisted in the Navy in 1999. He was selected for the Nuclear Enlisted Commissioning Program during his initial training and attended the University of Illinois starting in 2001. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and was awarded a commission in August of 2004.

Upon completion of initial nuclear and submarine officer training, his first operational assignment was onboard USS OHIO (SSGN 726) from 2006 until 2009. He then attended Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and earned a Master of Science in Applied Physics. He served on USS MISSOURI (SSN780) as the Weapons Officer from 2012 until 2015 and conducted the maiden deployment to European Command (EUCOM). He then served as the Naval Submarines School's Weapons Officer until early 2017. He was then assigned as the Executive Officer onboard USS HARTFORD (SSN 768) where he completed ICEX 2018, a Surge Deployment, and EUCOM Deployment. He most recently served as the Submarine Non-nuclear Enlisted Community Manager in Millington, Tennessee before reporting to PCU NEW JERSEY (SSN 796).

He is authorized to wear the Meritorious Service Medal (2 awards), Navy Commendation Medal (4 awards), Navy Achievement Medal (2 awards), and other unit and personal awards.

Pictured left to right: Outgoing CO Cmdr. Smith and incoming CO Cmdr. Halle

New Jersey Namesake Program

Our committee is proud to organize and support the navy's “Namesake Program.” The goal of this initiative is to build a relationship and a sense of appreciation between the submarine and its crew and the entity for which the boat has been named, in this case – the State of New Jersey

2022 was a big year - over 70 crew members visited New Jersey during 8 different trips. Activities were diverse, including youth presentations, NJ historical events, company tours, community service, military appreciation, and media appearances. Each trip included a visit to our legacy ship (USS NEW JERSEY BB-62), and breakfast at a "Jersey diner." They are still arguing if it's Taylor Ham or Pork Roll.

Over subsequent newsletters, we will dig into the "archives" and share some experiences. For now, please enjoy the picture below. It shows Cmdr. Otero (then CO) leading his troops (crew members) across the Delaware river during the annual reenactment of Washington crossing the Delaware.

Descriptions of significant crew visit events can also be found on our website.

In Boat News

2023 will be a busy and productive year, and the year started with a bang. Interesting items follow:

The crew completed a well deserved stand down. Rested and refreshed, they are ready for their last few months of shipyard work.
The new commanding officer, CDR Halle (mentioned above) completed his first full month.
The movement toward an integrated crew continued. Four female officers were joined by the ship's first female CPO (TMC Casey). The first female enlisted sailor reported during the last week in January.
The crew supported shipyard work in the forward compartment, including installation of berthing and dining spaces.
Preparations for initial criticality (reactor start-up) continued. Final readiness inspections are scheduled for February.
As always, the boat is committed to training all personnel to exceed the navy's stringent requirements.

Committee Update

Recently, Members of the Commissioning Committee attended Elizabeth, NJ Mayor Bollwage's State of the City address sponsored by the Greater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce. In addition to hearing about the many projects and initiatives that the City of Elizabeth is currently working on, the Committee was able to introduce the USS NEW JERSEY to area businesses and discuss the exciting plans we have to recognize Elizabeth, NJ as the birthplace of the US Submarine Force.

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