Musings, leadership tidbits and quotes posted by a retired Navy Captain (really just a high performing 2nd Class Petty Officer) who hung up his uniform a bit too early. He still wears his Navy service on his sleeve. He needs to get over that. "ADVANCE WARNING - NO ORIGINAL THOUGHT!" A "self-appointed" lead EVANGELIST for the "cryptologic community". Keeping CRYPTOLOGY alive-one day and Sailor at a time. 2015 is 80th Anniversary of the Naval Security Group.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Senior Leaders Should Serve...
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Eight Steps Toward Integrity in Leadership
2. Doing the right thing: With the awareness of what's right comes the obligation of right action. That means embodying our convictions - and accepting the consequences.
3. Taking responsibility: Acknowledge our complete, sole responsibility for every one of our actions. No more seeing other people and outside events as the cause of our problems. Blame no one, accept the behavior of others and the circumstances of our lives as givens, and proceed from there. When we see something in the world that we don't like, we recognize our personal responsibility either to change or accept it.
4. Supporting our own weight: Harking back to structural integrity, this means functioning as a whole, being able to support all the elements of our own lives. Examples include being physically fit and financially sound.
5. Holistic thinking: Since integrity is a quality of wholeness, an appreciation of wholeness in the world supports its practice. There's nothing wrong with compartmentalization or reductionist thinking, but don't let that obscure the big picture.
6. Respecting others: Invoke integrity in other people by treating them with respect - even when they do not live up to our expectations. Acknowledge that our own standards are always subject to question, while affirming that the errors of others do not diminish our own integrity. We get the best from others in an atmosphere that supports doing right.
7. Checking the mirror: When we err - as we will, again and again - the best response is to pause for reflection. We can ask ourselves, Is this what I really want? Is this who I am?
8. Defining the rules and values: Explicit agreement about these basics enables groups of people, from couples to business organizations to nations, to benefit from the integrity of members. Absent consensus, personal integrity can lead dissenting individuals to subvert the group. Among people sharing the same intentions, by contrast, disagreements can help to refine and improve ideas for the benefit of all.
From RETHINKING INTEGRITY
By Stratford Sherman
Spring 2003
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Letter to the Secretary
I sent a personal letter to Secretary of the Navy, Hon. Ray Mabus (as a LTjg in the photo) today asking him to reconsider his decision to name LPD-26 USS JOHN MURTHA. I am finding it hard to imagine a Sailor being able to take pride in this ship.
I look forward to his response.
Update 09/08/10 - No response from the SECNAV. Unusual. I will have to do an ADTAKE.
Congressional Research Service's Navy Ship Names: Background Paper for the Congress is HERE. Dated 13 April 2010
PowerPoint Rangers - hypnotizing chickens
Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster (U.S. Army), who banned PowerPoint presentations when he led the successful effort to secure the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar in 2005, followed up at the same conference by likening PowerPoint to an internal threat.
“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control,” General McMaster said in a telephone interview afterward.
“Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”
From the NEW YORK TIMES
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Set our course
Monday, April 26, 2010
On our way...
I wonder what effect the national reporting on the firing of Captain Holly A. Graf, former CO of USS COWPENS, had on the behavior of our COs (and our willingness to report their firing)?
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Never at a loss
Saturday, April 24, 2010
A Master of Naval Leadership - 10,000 hours of serious application and practice
“What’s really interesting about this 10,000-hour rule is that it applies virtually everywhere,” Malcolm Gladwell told a conference held by The New Yorker magazine.
How this applies to the Navy...
Researchers suggested that once you have enough ability to get into the Navy's senior officer corps (Captain and above), the thing that distinguishes one senior leader from another is how hard he works. That’s it.
What’s more, the leaders at the very top don’t just work much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.”
I loosely translate his words into: “You can’t become an Information Warfare Captain unless you spend 10,000 hours on leadership and professional practice." I think Gladwell is on to something.
Friday, April 23, 2010
A Changing Navy...it's okay
From the U.K. Naval Digest circa 1913
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Rock Stars
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Advice to a recently selected IWO Limited Duty Officer (644X)
1) answer every phone call with a phone call
2) answer every message (action) with a message
3) answer every e-mail with an e-mail
4) answer every letter with a letter
5) respond to every command with 'aye aye' or indicate that you don't understand and ask for clarification
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A certain amount of cockiness....
Admiral Arleigh A. Burke
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Information Dominance Corps Purpose
THE IDC SUPPORTS THE CNO'S INFORMATION DOMINANCE VISION BY:
A. POSITIONING THE NAVY AS THE PREMIER INNOVATOR IN THE USE OF INFORMATION AND TO APPLY ASSYMETRIC INFORMATION ADVANTAGE TO OUT-PACE, OUT-MANEUVER, AND OUT-THINK ADVERSARIES IN THE PHYSICAL, INFORMATION, CYBER, SOCIAL, AND CONGNITIVE DOMAINS.
B. DELIVERING AN INFORMATION-CENTRIC FORCE.
C. INCREASING FOCUS ON COLLABORATION BETWEEN INTELLIGENCE, INFORMATION WARFARE, INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS, METEOROLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY, AND THE SPACE CADRE.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Information Warfare Officer Captain Selectees for FY11
CHRISLIP CHRISTOPHER A 9102/0010
ELAM DONALD EMMET 0415/0006
ERTEL THOMAS M 4572/0007
HANSEN ANTHONY P 5427/0008
LOPEZ BRYAN S 8379/0012
MORENO WILLIAM KENNETH 7651/0009
NEMEC KARLA JOY 3550/0003
POWERS DOUGLAS A 6963/0005
PUGH JOSEPH PETER 0386/0011
WEEKS KENNETH LEON III 7894/0002
WELDON STEVEN G 4262/0004
Friday, April 16, 2010
About Promotion Boards
When each batch of promotion lists comes out of the selection board, in it there is at least one officer who makes us all ask - How did that damn fool ever get selected for promotion to Captain?
Here's hoping that you are one of those "damn fool officers" selected for Captain this year.
You know who I'm talking about!! Congratulations !!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Only a moment to sink any of them
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
National Card and Letter Writing Month - April 2010
Each and every day I try to prove (mostly to myself) that, even in the age of electronic communications and the Internet, the art of card and letter writing is still relevant and a tradition worth keeping.
Answer the letters you receive. It's courteous.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Each new day offers an opportunity for serious error
"On the sea there is a tradition older even than the traditions of the country itself and wiser in its age than this new custom. It is the tradition that with responsibility goes authority and with them accountability. ...for men will not long trust leaders who feel themselves beyond accountability for what they do. And when men lose confidence and trust in those who lead, order disintegrates into chaos and purposeful ships into uncontrollable derelicts."
Monday, April 12, 2010
Money, balls and authority at TENTH Fleet
"Finally there's a new sheriff in town with the money, the balls, and the authority to change operations in one of the military services. He (VADM Barry McCullough, Fleet Cyber Command/Commander, TENTH Fleet) is the first guy who is actually acting."
Alan Paller is director of research at the SANS Institute.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Former PACFLEET Cryptologist/Intel Officer to retire from Supreme Court
One day Stevens was approached by the dean of students, an undercover recruiting agent for the U.S. Navy, to take a correspondence course in cryptography. Over the semester he progressed to the point that the Navy notified him that he had qualified for a commission. On Dec. 6, 1941, Stevens went to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in North Chicago, Ill., to fill out the paperwork. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor the following morning.
After a brief posting to Washington, D.C., Stevens was sent to Pearl Harbor, where he spent most of the war as a cryptologic/intelligence officer. He was part of a code-breaking team working on Japanese intercepts. The group's efforts uncovered information that led to the shooting down of a plane carrying the Japanese architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, in 1943.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Cryptologic Technicians Awarded BRONZE STAR medals in Global War on Terror
Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician Technical (SW) James Misner
Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Technical) (SW/AW) Peer Tuckson
Cryptologic Technician Collection 1st Class Brian D. Sims
Cryptologic Technician Collection 1st Class Ismael Jimenez
Cryptologic Technician Maintenance 3rd Class Matthew O'Bryant
Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Technical) Terry L. Thomas
If you know of others, please add their names as a comment.
Information Warfare Officer BRONZE STAR Medal Winners in the Global War on Terror
Captain Kevin Hooley
Commander Stone Davis
Lieutenant Commander Sherri Rene Mitchell (believed to be the first female Information Dominance Corps officer to be awarded the Bronze Star)
Lieutenant Commander Rob Damsky
Lieutenant Commander Andrew Thomas Reeves
CWO2 Michael S. Lester
If you know of others, please add their names as a comment.
Disruptive Leader - Vice Admiral David "Jack" Dorsett - N2/N6
What is compelling about VADM Jack Dorsett is that he has the vision and insight to see that the world and technology are changing, understands the implications of those shifts, and he is pressing ahead in the face of often fierce institutional resistance. Indeed, one of the key reasons he is going to be successful is because he is willing to speak truth to power -- willing to tell superiors and subordinates what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.
This sounds very much like SECDEF Gates' description of General Krulak, Admiral Rickover, Admiral Nimitz and Ray Boehm (creator of the Navy SEALS).
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Traumatic Brain Injuries and the Military
Military men and women are continually involved situations where risk of injury is high. One silent war wound that can often go unnoticed is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) . A TBI damages the brain that can often cause life-altering wounds, which can result in changes in personality, behavior, and even the brain functions of the victim. Some of these conditions are not just life-altering, but can be life threatening and are often partnered with rehabilitation from special care facilities like CareMeridian Las Vegas nursing home.
According to the Veterans Health Initiative, active male members of the military were hospitalized due to TBI related injuries at a rate of 231 per 100,000. The rate for female members of the military was 150 per 100,000. Based on these statistics over 4,000 military personnel are hospitalized on average each year for traumatic brain injuries. Some are as mild as a concussion, while others can be severe and have life altering effects.
The best way to prevent TBI is through awareness. Recognizing and responding to the symptoms of a TBI can often aid in the preventing further damage caused by the injury. Dizziness, headaches, changes in personality or sleep patterns, and memory loss are clear signs of TBI. Unfortunately these symptoms can sometimes be ignored or discarded as minor pains during times of conflict and even once the solider returns home. This sets up a dangerous precedent for a war wound that may never heal, so it is vital that serviceman and their families are aware of TBI, so that they can recognize and help treat it if symptoms are present.
Admrial Burke on the officer promotion system
It is essential that officers be promoted who will be best qualified to lead in battle. They must have other qualifications, such as good administrative and technical ability and a wide array of knowledge also, but the rest of the Navy must have absolute confidence in those selected. Should the less qualified personnel be selected there will come a time in battle in which the Navy will fail because of its leadership.
Like begets like, and inadequate personnel, once they have moved up sufficiently to be on a selection board, will themselves be apt to select other inadequate personnel.
very high,Otherwise the officer corps will decay and decay rapidly, and there will be no effective combat Navy if this happens.
attainable,
equitable,
well known, and
maintained with integrity.
From NAVPERS 91195; December 1950
Admiral Hyman Rickover - Owning a job
His lack of commitment to the present job will be perceived by those who work for him, and they, likewise, will tend not to care. Too many spend their entire working lives looking for their next job. When one feels he owns his present job and acts that way, he need have no concern about his next job.
In accepting responsibility for a job, a person must get directly involved. Every manager has a personal responsibility not only to find problems but to correct them. This responsibility comes before all other obligations, before personal ambition or comfort.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
FY11 Information Warfare Officer (IWO) Captain (O6) Selectees
Release could be imminent.
However, the FY11 reserve line Captain selection list sat at SECDEF for 3 weeks prior to approval.
Admiral Arleigh A. Burke on discipline in the Navy
The first is his belief that the profession has honor and a future.
The other incentive is that a man must feel that if he does his duty well and honorably, and demonstrates his ability, he can progress to a reasonable degree of success within the organization.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Captain Willie Metts Selected for IW Flag and Distinguished Black Engineer of the Year 2010
Captain Willie L. Metts was selected for Information Warfare (IW) Flag (Rear Admiral) by the FY11 Flag Selection Board. Captain Metts is currently serving as division director, information warfare senior detailer/placement officer, PERS 47, Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee.
Congratulations Shipmate !!
Captain Willie L. Metts of the United States Navy has also just been named the 2010 Distinguished Black Engineer of the Year and received recognition at the 13th Annual National Society of Black Engineers Golden Torch Awards ceremony on Saturday, April 3, 2010 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Captain Metts, who serves as division director, Information Operations and Intelligence Assignments (PERS-47), Navy Personnel Command, is one of only 1,070 Information Warfare officers in the Navy and is the highest-ranking African American in that specialty.
Career Highlights:
Savannah State University (NROTC) 1985 (historically black college or university (HBCU))
USS Thomas C. Hart (FF-1092) (CICO/EWO)
USS Thomas S. Gates (CG 51), Desert Storm
Naval Postgraduate School, (Thesis not available)
Naval Security Group Potomac,
Carrier Strike Group 2,
United States Pacific Command
NIOC Hawaii (CO) and
NPC-47
For more on NSBE, go HERE.
PLEASED TO ADD that RADM Arthur J. Johnson (USNA 1979), Commander, Naval Safety Center, was the guest speaker. Admiral Johnson and I were cadet officers in the same AFJROTC unit (GR-71) in Wiesbaden Germany at General H. H. Arnold High School and wrestled for the Warriors all over Europe. Looking for him to pick up his 3rd star soon !!
Equal Opportunity as our former CNO saw it
RACE, RELIGION AND GENDER SIMPLY DO NOT ENTER INTO THE DISCUSSION.
THE KEY HERE IS THAT WE WANT EVERYONE, REPEAT, EVERYONE TO BE JUST AS GOOD AS THEY CAN BE AND WE WILL NOT LET ANYTHING GET IN THE WAY OF THAT GOAL. IF WE ALL SIGN UP TO THAT DEFINITION OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OUR NAVY WILL CONTINUE TO GET BETTER AND BETTER AS OUR PEOPLE GROW AND SUCCEED.
THIS WILL BE THE STANDARD WHILE I AM CNO.
Admiral Mike Boorda
Monday, April 5, 2010
Stars, eagles and oak leafs aligning
Captain Joe Boogren to NPC-47 to relieve Captain Willie L. Metts.
NAVY INFORMATION OPERATIONS COMMAND CHANGES:
Captain Command
Captain Steve Parode to NIOC Suitland for Captain Diane Gronewold.
Captain Jeff Cole to NIOC Hawaii for Captain Jim Hagy.
Captain John Post to NIOC Georgia for Captain Michael Fisher
Commander Command
Commander Sean Heritage to NIOC Pensacola for Commander Frank Shaul.
Commander Tyrone Ward to NIOC Misawa for Commander Ken Weeks.
Commander Joe Pugh to NIOC Whidbey for Commander Bill Dodge.
Commander to Doug Shelb NIOC Sugar Grove for Commander Chris Chrislip.
Commander Jeff Scheidt to NIOC Bahrain for Commander Danny Noles.
On a search for meaning...
Through choosing to enrich other Sailors' lives and careers, you add meaning to both their lives and your own.
Some simple steps to follow:
1. Commit: Commit to lifetime relationships that span events, commands, campaigns and geographic boundaries.
2. Care: Care for the concerns of other Sailors and their families as if they were your own.
3. Connect: Aim to connect with Sailors who will benefit and enrich other's lives in equal measure.
4. Communicate: Communicate candidly. Tell Sailors what they should hear rather than what they want to hear.
5. Expand Capacity: Aim to expand Sailor's capacity to help them give and get more from their lives.
The Litmus Test: If you are truly enriching Sailors' lives, they will typically miss you in their past. They will know that their lives and their careers would have been improved had they met you earlier.
Adapted from Rajesh Setty.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
RADM G. PAT MARCH
More on RADM March in NIOC Maryland's ANCHOR WATCH
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The absolute right to expect
Our country, and every Navy man and woman serving at sea or ashore, has the absolute right to expect that our commanding officers will be the finest, and the most responsible, we can provide. I intend to make it so."
Admiral James D. Watkins, U.S. Navy
Friday, April 2, 2010
Nominations for MIL BLOGGIES
I already have one nomination!
Won't you add your nomination to my Mother's?
Next USMC Commandant
As Thomas Jefferson said, "On matters of style, swim with the current; on matters of principle, stand like a rock." Stand like a rock, General. Stand like a rock.
Semper Fidelis !
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The IDC/IW Leadership Lineup - 04 01 2010
Overarching Leader of the Information Dominance Corps - OPNAV N2/N6
2. RADM Ned Deets - 1610
Information Warfare Officer community leader - Vice Commander, NNWC
3. RADM Michael A. Brown - 1610
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security and Communications - Department of Homeland Security
4. RDML Mike S. Rogers - 1610
Joint Staff, J2 Director of Intelligence
5. RDML William Leigher -1610
Deputy Fleet Cyber Commander/Deputy Commander 10th Fleet
6. RDML (Sel) Sean Filipowski -1610
Director, Cyber, Sensors and Electronic Warfare OPNAV N2N6F3
7. Mr. Mark Neighbors - Former 1610
On assignment to the Defense Intelligence Agency
8. Mr. Jerome Rapin - Former 1610
Deputy Director - Cyber, Sensors and Electronic Warfare - OPNAV N2N6F3B
9. RDML (Sel) Jan Tighe - 1610 - PhD
Executive Assistant to Commander, U.S. Cyber Command
10. RDML (Sel) Willie Metts - 1610
NPC-47 division director, Information Operations and Intelligence Assignments
Hooyah and Anchor Up Chiefs !! 117 years!!
"HOOYAH to all our Chiefs who know what it takes to Anchor Up...at any age."
--MCPON Rick West
Love to see that the MCPON is still using my "Anchor up" phrase in his discussions with the Chief Petty Officer mess.
My Anchor Up article from USNI Proceedings is HERE.
MCPON Campa and MCPON West both thanked me for my article and the CPO community thought enough of it to publish it in their own GOATLOCKER for all CPOs to read.