Recruiters in the Navy Recruiting District Los Angeles have now gone mobile, as the initial roll out of the Mobile Recruiting Initiative (MRI) was completed on December 19. The MRI is made up of a common access card (CAC) enabled laptop with Wi-Fi capability, a portable scanner, and a compact printer.

Before the roll out of MRI, recruiters used NMCI-based laptops, which required recruiters to access the Internet and their e-mails through NMCI-enabled lines. They would meet with a prospective Navy recruit, and then set up multiple appointments to gather and process paperwork.

With MRI, a recruiter can visit a prospective applicant at home, and process paperwork such as the scanning of birth certificates and diplomas, and the printing of forms that were needed to join the Navy.

Chief Navy Counselor Josh Tripp, Foothill division leading chief petty officer, shared: “The MRI process streamlines the entire recruiting process… Recruiters have all the tools for processing right there, eliminating the need for multiple visits to the applicant’s home or the recruiting station for processing. This is a time saver for our applicants. Now, the recruiters have more time to develop relationships and raise awareness in the areas they work in.”

The roll out was conducted by the system administration (SYSAD) department of the district. SYSAD Department head Nicole Thompson shared: “The transition was smooth… We put the system through its paces, worked through any potential issues our recruiters may face and came up with solutions to those problems. The initial logon process for each unit took about two hours, but after that initial logon at the district they [the recruiters] can work anywhere.”