We as leaders have the responsibility to uphold the credibility this mess has earned over the course of a century. Leadership is counting on you, your Sailors are counting on you and I am counting on you.
Keep an eye on one another, take swift and appropriate action if you see someone steering the wrong course, don’t be afraid to ask questions if you see something that your instincts tell you may be unusual, and always set the standards for the Sailors you serve.
Chiefs, anchor up.
MCPON West
And, again, in a shameless act of self promotion, here is my PROCEEDINGS article, "Anchor Up" posted by the Chiefs in their GOATLOCKER about 3 years ago.
9 comments:
Isn't that the whole idea behind your blog - shamelessly promoting yourself and your ideas?
Captain Lambert,
Another posting of “Chiefs, Anchor Up”, I am unimpressed by this continual assault on the credibility of the Chief Petty Officer and his/her ability to perform the duties of the mission required. I have been retired from the Navy for more than 30 years but I was a CPO for 15 years and no one in that 15 years whether they were Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Weapons Officer, or any officer subordinate to those individuals ever questioned my ability as a leader of men. There were many times that I advised or even questioned these same individuals and I was never chastised for doing such because I would never oppose anything a superior officer said unless I knew he was wrong. That never happened often but I feel that I never shirked my responsibility in pointing out my superiors wrong decisions, I always attempted to do this in an appropriate manner, and in privacy to my superior.
I saw on many occasions where Commissioned Officers would take authority from CPO’s or other Petty Officers, whether it was right or wrong, and that in my opinion is part of the reason that the CPO and his/her authority has been diminished. The young Junior Officer has typically been indoctrinated to think they are correct, even though they are relatively uninformed about what their job may be. They are unable in many cases to tolerate an enlisted man correcting them, even if they know the enlisted man is right. This was the attitude of Commissioned Officers 30 and 40 or more years ago and this attitude has overtaken good common sense, which has led to the degradation of the CPO’s authority and responsibility. It is no wonder that political appointees such as MCPON have a complaint about the Chiefs Mess, Commissioned Officers, in my opinion, have attributed more to this problem than any other factor.
Very Respectfully,
Navyman834
This isn't an assault on Chiefs as much as it is a recognition that Chiefs play a vital role in the command structure. Although directed at the Chiefs, there is a message here for all in the chain of command. A lot of Navyman 834's experience is echoed in mine. I can think of one case in particular, where a DO had taken over the nuts and bolts operation of his division, pushing his newly promoted Chief to the background. Fortunately, I was in a position to fix it, and I did. (The DO didn't survive, the Chief retired as a MC). I'm sure Navyman 834 remembers the Zumwalt era, and the correction that took place in the late 1970's. Unfortunately, the pendulum has apparently swung back the other way, even to the point where Chiefs no longer have a distinct working uniform. The chain of command will work and Chiefs are a key part of it. The longer we are away from that, the more we will have to educate both Chiefs and JO's to get back there.
Let's neither over generalize, nor be overly sensitive to constructive criticism. While there are certainly cultural trends within the ranks, in the end, we are all individuals (the basic unit of any group or organization), personally responsible for our actions.
Yes, there are bad individual Chiefs and bad individual Officers (and bad seaman recruits), and there always have been. If the admonition to "Anchor Up" doesn't apply to you, then ignore it, or let it serve as a general reminder.
If it does, square yourself away and carry on. You have to be self-aware enough to recognize whether your own leadership ability needs improvement.
I do not sense that Captain Lambert, in any way, questions the credibility of the Chief Petty Officers as a naval institution. On the contrary, my guess is that he holds the traditional view of Chiefs as "backbone of the Navy."
How about we let the CPO community police it’s self with out the out intervention of the officer corps? Seems officers have a much bigger and boarder ethical problem than the Chief’s Mess anyway; 5 COs relieved in a short 2 month period…Don’t cast stones CAPT; talk about loss of creditability.
You should be applauding the MCPO for having the fortitude to address these issues and try and fix them…who in the Officer’s Corps has taken on this noble challenge? I have yet to see anyone address these issues publically and I question if it is happening at all…or does the Officer Corps eat its own?
LCDR Bob Morrison,
Your Navy and my Navy has suffered a tremendous setback with a number of Commanding Officers being relieved of their commands in recent times. A ships Commanding Officer is in most cases looked upon as God by members of his crew and when the Captain goes down, that to most enlisted individuals is about the worst thing that can ever happen, to a ship and her crew. I came into the Navy straight from the farm and for the next 24 years it was one enlightening experience after another. The CO of every ship I was stationed on was a person that I honored greatly, and not too far below him was the Chief. When these symbols of leadership and knowledge come under fire it is indeed a disturbing thing to me. It was not my intent to criticize Captain Lambert for reporting these events of CO’s relieved for cause, or the Chief’s being told to anchor up on a few occasions. But when ones idols appear to be losing in prestige and stature it is alarming, to me at least. I do hope that as you point out the Chief’s and JO’s ( and CO’s) as well will educate themselves to be the leaders that they have been in the past.
Very Respectfully,
Navyman834
E. A. Hughes, FTCM (SS)
USN (Retired)
Master Chief Hughes,
You and I were definitely in the same Navy, and your last remarks were right on the money. Many of my CO's, both ashore and afloat, went on to flag, and a good number of the Chiefs I worked for went on to Master Chief or Warrant. But as you mention, its more than that. These were leaders that in our eyes as juniors, did no wrong. They were the ones who got us out of the messes we got into, usually with little permenant damage to our career. Later on we assumed that role, learned from those before us. Its obvious that the lesson is no longer being passed on in the wardroom the way it should be. I won't speak to the Chief's Mess, except to say that having seen the CPO community sidelined once, I can see where it might happen again. It wasn't the fault of the Chiefs when it happened the first time. Any Navy policy (such as on-line question forums, etc) that circumvents the chain of command is part of the problem. Any DO who allows his SN or PO3 to approach him with a problem, and who doesn't refer him back to the Chief, is part of the problem. And any Chief, who doesn't make it clear to the SN his first day in the division, that the Chief is the go to man, is part of the problem.
Master Chief, I'm glad we were part of the same Navy. Let's hope someone in today's Navy has read your post, and takes it to heart.
Thank-you, Captain Lambert, for providing this forum to discuss Navy leadership issues. That a spate of CO's has recently been relieved for cause is healthy in that it demonstrates the Navy retains a robust ability to purge itself, "bottom blow," the most notorious of them, and shows that the CO screening process may need revision to minimize future occurances.
That we discuss it all openly here is likewise healthy in that it contributes to an environment of transparency, necessary to create confidence in the system. All levels of the C-O-C must rest assured that there IS a viable method for redress of grievance, up to and including, disciplining the most senior members, and that real penalties exist for bad behavior, especially when it is perpetrated by commanding or flag officers.
Your missive exhorting CPO's to "Anchor Up" may be interpreted by some in the CPO community as unwelcome, coming from an officer. Some (and I emphasize SOME) CPO's endeavor to create an insular, "self-policing" community. It is my strong belief that any organization that presumes to police itself is invariably corrupt, and that would include the community of senior officers.
We are all accountable as individuals, especially so as we gain rank and responsibility. I would love to see a well-composed critique of shortfalls of naval officer leadership written from the CPO perspective and published in Proceedings. A rebuttal to your "Anchor Up" article, again from the CPO perspective, might also be useful in stimulating debate if it could be properly substantiated.
LCDR Bob Morrison,
Many were the Navymen that felt the same as you and I about the United States Navy back in the times before men went to the moon. It was quite clear to myself and all of my shipmates that the C of C was the law and there was no other way in the Navy, this instilled leadership, sense of responsibility and discipline in every Navyman as far as I am concerned. I am not attempting to say I was the perfect Navyman, but as you said, Commander, we learned from those experiences. If I had every rate that I lost during my career I would have been E-12, it was not that I was a bad Navyman, and even the loss of an ID card prevented me from making 3rd Class FT back in 1955. And other minor violations of UCMJ held me back as well. I still felt the Navy did me no injustice and treated me as they should have. I have been before the man with my hat in my hand on a couple of occasions. And those experiences added to my knowledge. Until the CNO at the time decided to be the Seaman’s friend and allowed any Sailor to bypass the C of C, we in the Navy all knew exactly where we stood. After that time and for a number of years to follow we were in limbo in the Navy. I was at the time a Senior Chief Petty Officer and SEA on a R and D vessel stationed in Port Canaveral, FL. Some of our young Sailors wrote letters to their Congressmen without even going through my position or their DO’s, they even bypassed the Commanding Officer. We ended up on the ship having to answer directly to BUPERS for a number of letters to Congressmen that totally ignored the C of C on our ship. Our Commanding Officer Was embarrassed as well as the XO, department heads, DO’s and the Chiefs in those departments. We all survived and the young Navymen threw away their razors and shaving cream. It did take the Navy a few years to recover from that assault. And I am afraid that the present Navy has faltered in its decision to put all hands in the same uniform, and other odd things they are trying to install in the Navy, which, in my opinion, will reduce the effectiveness of the Navy’s standards of leadership, and discipline.
Very Respectfully,
Navyman834
E. A. Hughes, FTCM (SS)
USN (Retired)
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