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Naval Academy updates summer training, flags DoDMERB delays in the 2030 admissions cycle and highlights athletic visibility
Summary
Commandant and Director of Admissions reported summer cruise tallies and a plebe policy adjustment, while Admissions cited DoDMERB processing delays; Athletic Director noted strong recent results and high viewership of the Army-Navy game.
Interim Commandant Captain Austin Jackson and Director of Admissions Captain Chad Redmer provided operational updates to the Board of Visitors on April 13 addressing summer training distributions, plebe policies and admissions processing challenges.
Captain Jackson reported planned summer assignments for the Brigade: 1,040 Surface Cruises, 248 Submarine Cruises, 157 Aviation Cruises and 484 Marine Corps Leatherneck trainings. He said the Academy will place incoming plebes who miss a minimum number of training days on notice and potentially roll them back a class, signaling a move away from "bubble-wrapping" midshipmen.
Captain Chad Redmer said Admissions is emphasizing merit-based transparency this cycle and that the Office of the Secretary of War (as the transcript named it) and the Department of the Navy have been "checking our homework," with staff showing senior offices ranked candidate lists. Redmer reported a backlog at the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB) caused by a system update that has delayed medical waivers and produced nontransparent denial practices; he said the Service Academy Superintendents will meet to discuss possible changes to the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) to better align it with indicators of midshipman success.
Athletic Director Michael Kelly told the Board that recent athletic success — including the Command-in-Chief Trophy and victories in the Star Series and over Army — enhances Academy visibility. He cited viewership figures for the Army‑Navy Game (an average of 7.84 million viewers for the game) and noted facility investments including a Superintendent tailgate area upgrade and a donor-funded Lacrosse Center groundbreaking.
Board members asked how they might assist with admissions and medical-exam backlogs; the Superintendent said he would brief the Board after meeting with other Service Academy Superintendents. The open portion of the meeting was adjourned at 1109.
