POLARIS POINT, Guam (NNS) - USS Frank Cable (AS 40) was honored as one of the recipients for the 2010 Secretary of the Navy Safety Excellence Award Oct. 5 in Washington D.C.

The ceremony, which was held at the U.S. Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center Theater, recognized Navy and Marine Corps units for on duty and off duty safety excellence during 2009.

Lt. Cmdr. Scott Greenstein, USS Frank Cable safety officer, said that the ship's number one priority is safety.

"It's a message that is sent down from the top," said Greenstein. "The captain has set out what his priorities are. The expectation is that safety is first and foremost before any evolution is conducted."

Greenstein said that since Capt. Thomas P. Stanley has been on board as Frank Cable's commanding officer, safety has been the bedrock of his leadership strategy. Safety is the most important, followed by quality and then quantity, Greenstein said.

When compared to years' past, Frank Cable has had a significant reduction in the number of injuries for Sailors, on duty and off duty. The trend is that these incidents will continue to drop, Greenstein said.

"It's the goal of the Navy to reduce mishaps 75 percent by 2012," said Greenstein, "So we are well on our way to meeting those goals."

Greenstein said there are plenty of things that Sailors can do to help maintain safety aboard the ship.

"As far as avoiding injuries, a lot of it is just doing the right thing and not taking short cuts," said Greenstein.

USS Frank Cable (AS 40) recently finished a Military Sealift Command (MSC) integration and is preparing for sea trials.

For more news from USS Frank Cable (AS 40), visit www.navy.mil/local/as40/.