DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
2000
NAVY PENTAGON
W
ASHINGTON DC 20350-2000
OPNAVINST 1650.37A
N2N6E
20 Jun 2019
OPNAV INSTRUCTION 1650.37A
From: Chief of Naval Operations
Subj: NAVAL OCEANOGRAPHY AWARD PROGRAM
Ref: (a) NAVPERSCOMINST 1650.3D
Encl: (1) Captain Richard C. Steere Award
(2) Commander Mary Sears Award
(3) Chief Aerographer’s Mate John Dungan Jr. Award
(4) Matthew Henson Award
1. Purpose
a. To establish an awards program to recognize outstanding achievement in the field of
naval oceanography by officers, chief petty officers, and civilians. This program augments
existing award programs such as Sailor of the Year.
b. This revision revises award criteria, eliminates unnecessary personally identifiable
information in submission packages and removes the automatic awarding of personal medals.
2. Cancellation. OPNAVINST 1650.37.
3. Applicability. This instruction applies to officers, chief petty officers, and civilians of naval
oceanography as outlined in enclosures (1) through (4).
4. Discussion. This instruction establishes awards to specifically recognize individuals who
display expertise, accomplishment, and leadership in the application of meteorology,
oceanography, hydrography, and precise time and astrometry to warfighting and fleet operations.
Enclosures (1) through (4) contain specific guidance and criteria for each respective award.
5. Guidance
a. Templates for award submissions are provided in reference (a). Commands are
encouraged to utilize the prescribed format for all documentations.
b. The Oceanographer of the Navy (OPNAV N2N6E) will release an annual announcement
message with specific submission instructions for each award as outlined in this instruction.
