The Navy is eliminating seven shipboard collateral duties, effective immediately, the office for Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson announced Tuesday.



A working group has also been established to see which other collateral duties can be eliminated or consolidated.



The move aims to remove the burden of extra jobs on sailors so they can devote their attention to primary duties, according to the CNO's office.



The seven collaterals that hit the chopping block Tuesday are athletics officer, library officer, health benefits advisor, community relations project officer, knowledge management officer and voting officer.



The enlisted safety committee will be merged with the enlisted safety council.



"It's not just about removing collateral duties," Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran said in a CNO release. "It's about taking a hard look at all the demands we put on our ships, squadrons and sailors, and refocusing our efforts on eliminating the unnecessary tasks that ultimately distract our sailors from their primary duties."





Tuesday’s eliminations are largely collateral duties performed by junior to mid-grade sailors, CNO spokesman Cmdr. Chris Servello said.

The changes also seek to make collaterals less of a deciding factor in promotions, he said, a concern Richardson has heard when meeting with sailors.

"It’s something that (Richardson) has wanted to go after," Servello said. "I think this is the first step in going after that."

The NAVADMIN states that the seven chosen for elimination could be ended with minimal impact to the mission.

Some duties not specified to a billet or office remain important, according to the NAVADMIN.

"We are after those that are trivial, have outlived their usefulness, are implicit in primary billet descriptions, or should be temporary only," it states.

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Dozens of collaterals remain to be assessed, from the Big Navy to the unit levels.

As part of that assessment, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Steven Giordano is leading a working group that will review all collateral duties and report findings to Richardson later this summer.