Naval Nuclear Power Training Command - Controversies

Controversies

NNPTC was noted for discharging 72 sailors under DADT in 2000, representing 23% of all such discharges for the Navy that year, and as a result drew national media attention. The subsequent year (2001), NNPTC lowered the number of gay discharges to 28.

In 2010, two male students were charged with a violation of UCMJ Article 92 for "willful failure to exhibit professional conduct," when the roommate of one of the sailors claimed to have witnessed them sleeping together, while the two claimed to have fallen asleep watching a movie. The facts were insufficient to support a charge of homosexual conduct and so NNPTC opted to charge them with unprofessional conduct at non-judicial punishment (NJP). One of the sailors accepted punishment at NJP and received a suspended reduction in rank believing that the incident would go no further. The other, Stephen Jones, demanded courts-martial and through his attorney contacted national media outlets, revealing not only his name but the name of the sailor with whom he was accused to sleeping. As NJP is intended to be a private matter, several instructors approached the then-CMC to attempt to keep the first sailor's name out of the press, but they were rebuffed by the command. Ultimately, the charges against Stephen Jones were dropped, though the sailor who accepted NJP kept the forfeiture of pay he had been awarded.