“No matter how long I live, no matter how many more different jobs I may have, I have already been given the highest reward I’ll ever receive, the privilege and the responsibility of serving very proudly in the United States Navy.”
Rear Admiral Grace Hopper
22 comments:
Seriously?
Comparing Jan Tighe to Grace Hopper? Put down the Kool Aid.
What's next? Harry Harris is teh new Chester Nimitz.
On the whole, I would put VADM Tighe ahead of Grace Hopper. Grace was a great computer scientist but no one would mistake her for a naval officer of the caliber that VADM Tighe is. Times are different. Tighe held command of one of our largest NSACSS sites, flew on combat reconnaissance missions, was Deputy Commander of our NSG, etc.
You keep mentioning the Ph.D. and referring to her as the Navy's Senior Engineer. Honestly, what has her completing a Ph.D. accomplished for the Navy or the IW Community. As "leading engineer" what is she designing, creating, or engineering? In her own words she is an Operational Commander. The closest we have to Engineers work down the street at NCWDG.
I'd say that it is too early to make a judgement. There is no denying that Vice Admiral Tighe is on a great trajectory of ever increasing achievement.
Anon at 1024am
She was one of those NCWDG engineers, DAWIA certified PM and pres of NPS. Remarkable achievements. How's your resume, CV look?
Seems every time Admiral Tighe gets mentioned on this blog, the knives come out from anonymous posters. Taking it a step further it seems any time any leader in our community is mentioned knives come out. If people do have a real problem with our current leadership, do they have the personal courage to voice their concerns to our leaders directly? Or just post negative remarks through anonymous sources?
It is part of our job as stewards of the community to inform of our leadership of perceived or real problems and assist in finding the solutions if they are needed. Are we doing that?
VADM Tighe certainly has the pedegree to do well, but what has she accomplished that has had community or Navy wide impact to date?
It is one thing to hold leadership positions, gain degrees, etc, but it is entirely something different to do something noteworthy as a result.
I too think it is too early to judge, but to date she is not on par with Grace Hopper WRT impact, perhaps achievemnt, but not impact.
Thanks Gary O. Your thoughts parallel my own. I like to see people own their opinions but understand why some can't. I know some are willing to talk to leadership about their concerns and I know some leaders take those concerns on board. Some others... not so much.
Anon at 1:48PM
I accept what you are saying but would tell you that RADM Hopper's impact was not immediately felt or understood. History will be the judge and I don't think it will be unkind to VADM Tighe, in the end.
And, I would add, that your opinion and mine won't influence her impact in any case.
This...
"You keep mentioning the Ph.D. and referring to her as the Navy's Senior Engineer. Honestly, what has her completing a Ph.D. accomplished for the Navy or the IW Community. As "leading engineer" what is she designing, creating, or engineering? In her own words she is an Operational Commander. The closest we have to Engineers work down the street at NCWDG."
...is fair criticism and discussion. Put your love for VADM Tighe aside and answer the question. What value is the PhD....for her and any other IW? Is it really worth the money to educate some to this extent? What value is added to the community? And if it wasn't for her PhD would you still use the silly engineer moniker?
No one wants to have this discussion?
I'd say the PhD does have value and she is not the first 1610/1810 to earn one. We've had a number of them in the old G80/GX/NIWA/NIOC Suitland/NCWDG organizations.
VADM Tighe was an engineer before she earned her PhD.
Arguing against education is a fools errand. We've sent many officers on Olmstead and Rhodes Scholarships, etc, etc. I'd believe VADM Tighe uses her education every day.
I think VADM Tighe is more an Admiral of the Cyber Sea than Hopper ever was. Hopper didn't deal with the many challenges of the connectedness of her computer system. Hopper was more a LT of the computer pond.
As I've followed this discussion over the last few days, I continue to come back to a single theme.
It's unfair to compare anyone in today's Navy with their predecessors a generation or more ago. It's unfair to both the currently-serving and the long ago veteran. In this case, I think it diminishes Admiral Hopper's accomplishments in some people's minds while erecting in others' a false goal post for Admiral Tighe, one which serves only our own needs and not the needs of the force she leads.
Times they are a different - different challenges, technology, opportunities, etc. Both of these fine officers deserve to have their accomplishments viewed independently IMHO.
Jim
Understand your point but our culture is one of comparing things - teams, people, cars, homes, etc. We all want to know what is better and what is the best.
Anon @1:37pm - True enough, but we typically, and rightly, compare contemporaries.
As an example, it's appropriate to compare the F-35C to the F/A-18E, ut not the F/A-18E to the F4F.
Interesting that Admiral James R. Stavridis has done much more thinking and writing about cyber than the people running it.
Could he be the REAL Admiral of the Cyber Sea?
Admiral James "G". Stavridis wrote in Joint Force Quarterly: "Sailing the Cyber Sea." He didn't imply he was running cyber.
Anon December 10, 2014 at 7:49 AM
Not arguing against education. I would never do that. Rather, if we are going to run PhD programs for IW Officers at the Navy's expense, are we employing these officers effectively and putting them in the right positions to make a difference. Case in point, a IW CDR earns his PhD then goes to command FITC PAC. Does that make any sense to you? The same can be said, and asked, of every education program, especially in an austere financial environment.
ADM Stavridis seeks to remain relevant and will write about anything that will help him do so. Cyber is the recent shiny object, so we should probably expect an article from him in the near future on Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare (EMW), or maybe he'll see to link military racial diversity to what's happening in culture (i.e. Ferguson, Brooklyn, etc...) Expect plenty of buzz-words, though.
Anon @ 6:15PM
Because we lack a coherent strategic plan, none of our decisions are linked to outcomes. People get their sweet deals with the detailer and it's forgotten without getting the payback.
What's the plan? We don't have one that we believe in and will follow.
There are several high-level folks talking about cyber warfare in the Navy & in the government. I have never worked with her but it seems VADM Tighe articulates the Navy mission well. She has relevant operational and leadership experience and exceptional academic credentials.
The academic credentials are of interest to me personally. Specifically how we are picking personnel for post graduate education in our community. My own personal experience is very frustrating having three times tried and not been able to get graduate education from the Navy.
The first time I was told 2d tour JO’s don’t go to NPS – even though they obviously do.
The second time cited my time in service as the main consideration – too close to doing minimum payback and retiring.
The third time cited me having now already finished a graduate degree (on my own time and dime) – the community needing to hold those spots for officers who lacked a Masters. That particularly chaffed since I managed to get mine on back to back DIRSUP (subs then air) tours and for my third tour did PCS afloat. I now also have a second Masters degree that I paid for myself as well.
An interesting excerpt from this year's convening order for IW O5 Command candidates "Cross detail IDC experience and Post-graduate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degrees are valued." While it is said that graduate STEM degrees are "valued" and not "required", how well does my MA in History and my MA in Legislative Affairs (that I got on my own time & dime) compete against someone with a MS in Electrical Engineering from NPS? If all things are otherwise equal -- based on that verbiage, is the STEM degree (the "valued" degree) weighed higher? Are we inadvertently filtering people from potential screening for command because of an iniquitous opportunity at the JO level for graduate (technically oriented) education?
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