Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The high cost of compromise

When Navy leaders compromise, or look the other way when compromise of values, standards or principles occurs, it's the equivalent of the Captain drilling holes in the bottom of his ship.  Even the most basic forms of compromise can derail a command from fulfilling its mission.  Navy leaders are ultimately accountable for seemingly minor breaches, as almost all failures in a command can be traced back to those who lead.

16 comments:

My kids' Mom said...

Oh, God! Don't tell me that the same thing is going on in the military as in the civilian world! I have now been apart of the "civilian world" for four years, which have been a steep learning curve may I add, and one thing that I have realized is that a total lack of MORAL COURAGE among leaders is very prevalent. How disgusting! I am so shocked that people who hold positions of trust and power in society are reluctant to do the right thing! God! My whole world s falling apart! How naiive have I been?

Respectfully,

Anneli Kershaw

Anonymous said...

I was unaware compromise was in my enlisted oath and officer's oath.


Those who lack the courage (to do the right thing) will always find a philosphy to justify it.

HMS Defiant said...

Yes they did. People pointed out that having a double standard was a very bad idea since it would undermine the integrity of the process and destroy the credibility of anyone who preached morally the value of standards and principles while at the same time establishing and enforcing a separate but equal compromise.
Kind of a stupid thing to do.

Anonymous said...

This Snowden character is/was from NSA Hawaii. How will that impact CAPT Carson? Will he be relieved at some point for "loss of confidence in his ability to command"?

Anonymous said...

Mike,
You should write about the brilliant decisions surrounding the Naval War College graduation, scheduled for tomorrow June 21, 2013. First when this decision was made who passed to word to the students? One would like to think the President, Rear Admiral John N. Christenson, would have done this. Leaders pass bad news, they do not delegate except in this case he did … to the Assistant Dean of Students, a CDR/0-5. The NWC prides itself on critical thinking, but not surrounding graduation, they would not entertain alternatives:
1) Hold separate graduations for the Junior/Senior/International courses etc.
2) Hold graduation at the new gym (basketball courts)
3) Hold graduation at the NAPS football field
4) Hold the traditional graduation outside with a big tent
No, the answer was loud and clear: shut up and color. Graduation will be inside Spruance auditorium and each graduate is limited to one ticket. For those who cannot attend, never fear they can watch you graduate via streaming video. Why? Because the NWC President is concerned about perception, he did not want people driving across the Newport Bridge to look down at the campus and have them think we are having a party, during these fiscally austere times. Never mind it would not cost the tax payers a dime, the NWC has a private foundation that donates over 1 million annually. The NWC prides itself on critical thinking, but not in this case. So before you return to the demands of the military, pick your favorite kid, spouse, or parent and enjoy graduation. The CNOs Sailing Directions “People are the Navy’s foundation. We have a professional and moral obligation to uphold a covenant with Sailors, Civilians and their families” the part about families does not apply on June 21, 2013 in Newport, R.I. And the message this send our sister services, intra-agency, and international partners is not one the Navy should be proud of.

Mike Lambert said...

Anon @ June 18, 2013 at 7:25 PM

I don't think it will impact Captain Carson in the way you described. I would believe that CAPT Carson followed prescribed security procedures for his facility. Certainly there will be 'lessons learned' from this monumental violation of security rules. And we'll hear about them to the degree allowed for the general public. NSA/CSS standards for their commanders is handled by NSA vice the Navy. It is unlikely Captain Carson would be relieved for "loss of confidence in his ability to command". And, if NSA did that, they would not make an announcement via the Navy Times of NAVNEWS.

Anonymous said...

Someone allowed an environment to exist where mag media (presumably) could be removed from a secure location.

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous 8:02:

That's a strict position to take if you're implying Captain Carson should be held accountable for mag media being removed.

Anonymous said...

I really hope this spurs us to look at securing our networks a bit more seriously.

Anonymous said...

Securing our networks: outside threats and inside threats. Which is worse?

Anonymous said...

Anom @ 20 June 2:17,

What are you talking about? Your post is very choppy, confusing and hard to follow.

HMS Defiant said...

You secure the networks to yourselves as you always do and eliminate all outside access and sever all connections.

Anonymous said...

And don't employ people who adhere to a literal interpretation of the Constitution.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, June 22 at 12:10 PM,

I do not really understand what you are saying here, I swore on at least 6 occasions to “protect and defend the Constitution”. The Courts are those that look at the words in the Constitution and define their exact meaning, and the results of their inquiry can lead to changes in the UCMJ and Navy Regulations as necessary to allow us to follow their interpretation.

You say to not employ people who adhere to the literal interpretation of the Constitution, but we as military individuals swore on our honor to protect and defend those words, please tell me what words you might change in the United States Constitution to make it acceptable for a person to meet your favor.

You might want to start with the “Bill of Rights “as they are fairly brief and to the point.

Navyman834

Anonymous said...

Navyman 834,

I always enjoy reading your posts. You remind me of my Dad in that he loved to write and were he still alive would probably have a blog of his own (or at least be corresponding on them). I suspect the writer of the posting about the Constitution (that you are responding to) was proably speaking in jest. I can't be for sure but that's how I read it.

Take care,
Navyman835

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, June 25, 2013 at 1:32 PM

Thank you for your response, and I appreciate your compliment. I really could not tell what Anonymous, June 22, 2013 at 12:10 PM was up to, he , I assume he, could be nothing more than a troll, trying to get a rise out of someone who posts on “I Like The Cut Of His Jib”. He has not responded to my request to point out some of the things he has objection to in the Constitution. I am waiting patiently for him to respond.

Respectfully,
Navyman834