Navy Week returns to Shreveport in 2023 for the first time in 5 years

Special to the Times
·2 min read
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The U.S. Navy is preparing to bring Navy Week back to Shreveport and Bossier City, Mar. 20-26, with Sailors from across the fleet set to take part in the service’s signature outreach program.

The Navy is returning to Shreveport and Bossier City for the first time since 2018, and this year’s program will conclude at the Barksdale Defenders of Liberty Air Show with a performance by the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels. It will be the third Navy Week in 2023.

A member of the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs parachute team carries a U.S. flag onto Airline Stadium in Bossier City in 2015.
A member of the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs parachute team carries a U.S. flag onto Airline Stadium in Bossier City in 2015.

Shreveport and Bossier City Navy Week will feature in-person demonstrations, performances, and engagements throughout the week that will include:

● Senior Navy Leaders – Flag officer and senior civilian Navy leaders with ties to Louisiana.

● Namesake Sailors – Sailors serving on the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Louisiana (SSBN-743).

● Navy Band Southeast - Performances and masterclasses with Navy Musicians.

● Navy Expeditionary Combat Command – Educational STEM presentations and fitness demonstrations by technicians, medics, and divers.

● U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command – Educational presentation on the importance of atmospheric and oceanographic science and the overall value of STEM education to the Navy.

● Naval History and Heritage Command – Educational presentations and lesson plans about the deep ties between Louisiana and the Navy.

● Office of Small Business Programs – Workshops on doing business with the Department of the Navy

● Navy Talent Acquisition Group – Educational presentations, community service projects and static displays.

● Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron – Community engagements and air show performance.

“We are very excited to bring Navy Week to Shreveport and Bossier City,” said NAVCO’s director, Cmdr. Anthony Falvo. “Sea power and America’s Navy are more important now than ever before.  The U.S. Navy remains our nation’s most powerful instrument of military influence and Navy Weeks allow us to showcase how the Navy serves America at sea, in the air, and ashore.”

Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort to regions without a significant Navy presence, with over 250 Navy Weeks held in more than 80 different U.S. markets. Each year, the program reaches more than 140 million people -- about half the U.S. population.

“We coordinate about 75 outreach events during a Navy Week,” said NAVCO Navy Week program manager Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Chambers. “Outreach events range from corporate, civic, government, education, media, veterans, community service and youth engagements. We’re excited about this year’s schedule as it allows us to visit new markets as well as return to cities like Shreveport and Bossier City.”

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Navy Week returns to Shreveport in 2023 for the first time in 5 years