NECC's First Year

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC)'s birthday:

Rear Adm. Jamie Barnett, NECC's deputy commander, pointed out how the command has set an ambitious pace in its first year of operations.

"We started off with 15 people at our headquarters and now weíre up to a staff of 146. In that time period we have stood up a Riverine Group equipped with two squadrons, a Maritime Civil Affairs Group (MCAG), and an Expeditionary Training Command (ETC)," said Barnett.

NECC also focused internally, looking at its existing units and making changes within to better serve its Sailors.

"In the area of community management and expertise weíve created a new EOD and divers rate," said Barnett. "One of the biggest things weíve done in a very short period of time is weíve created the enlisted expeditionary warfare (EXW) pin."

To integrate better training for the expedionary fight and the individual augmentees who often support it, NECC helped to create the Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center (ECRC), which began operations Oct. 10.

A staff of 146? How many boots on the actual ground?