Navy Week Charts Course to San Jose, Aug. 15-21
02 August 2022
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – San Jose will host the city's first Navy Week since the creation of the Navy Week program when the Navy visits the area for a week of events Aug. 15-21, in conjunction with the Italian Family Festa.
San Jose Navy Week brings Sailors from across the fleet to the area to emphasize the importance of the Navy to San Jose, the state of California, and the nation.
Participating Navy organizations include Navy Band Southwest, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1, USS Constitution, Fleet Numerical Meteorology Command (FNMOC), Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Golden Gate, Navy History and Heritage Command, the littoral combat ship USS Oakland (LCS 24), and the Office of Small Business Programs.
More than 75 Sailors will participate in education and community outreach events throughout the city, including the San Jose Italian Family Festa. All participating commands will follow DOD, CDC, state, and local guidelines for safety during the current pandemic.
The Navy's senior executive host is Rear Admiral Anne Swap, director, National Capital Region Market, Defense Health Agency. During San Jose Navy Week, she will participate in community engagements, meet with students, and speak with local businesses, civic, education, and government leaders.
"I am excited to return to my home state of California, and I look forward to spending time in San Jose, sharing the Navy's story and strengthening our community relationship,” said Swap. “The Navy looks for ways to innovate: strategically, technologically, and for our Navy Team - I can think of no better place to conduct innovation discussions than San Jose."
Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy's flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to cities like San Jose.
"We are excited to bring Navy Week to San Jose," said NAVCO's director, Cmdr. John Fage. "Navy Weeks give us the opportunity to help connect Americans to their Navy. We are looking forward to safely and responsibly building those connections in the San Jose area and showing everyone why their Navy is so important.”
Throughout the week, Sailors will participate in various community events across the area, including engaging with students across multiple schools and volunteering for the city of San Jose, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Boys and Girls Club of San Jose, Girls Inc. Island City, Turning Wheels and Habitat for Humanity. Residents will also enjoy free live music by Navy Band Southeast at venues throughout the week.
San Jose Navy Week is one of 13 Navy Weeks in 2022, which brings a variety of assets, equipment, and personnel to a single city for a weeklong series of engagements designed to bring America's Navy closer to the people it protects. Each year, the program reaches more than 140 million people -- about half the U.S. population.
Media organizations wishing to cover San Jose Navy Week events should contact Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Chambers at (901) 232-4449 or kevin.l.chambers4.mil@us.navy.mil. For more information on the events in San Jose, go to the Navy Outreach website at https://www.outreach.navy.mil/Navy-Weeks-2022/San-Jose-2022/.