In his own hand

The Vice Admiral who wrote my first set of orders as a naval officer back in 1982 and I are still connected nearly 28 years later. Vice Admiral Lando W. Zech Jr., was the Chief of Naval Personnel when I was commissioned an Ensign from Officer Candidate School at Newport, Rhode Island.

Little did I know that he had also written the orders on CWO3 Wallace Louis Exum, sending him to be our navigation instructor at OCS. He was 55 years old and nearing the end of his long and illustrious Navy career - 43 years in all - with 18 of those at sea. He taught us well - lessons in navigating life. I couldn't use a maneuvering board to save my life, today. That lesson didn't stick.

Even though he lives only 5 miles away, VADM Zech still takes the time to write me a note "in his own hand" every couple of weeks on his official Navy stationary. When his health allows, I pick him up and we enjoy lunch at his favorite place. A legendary submariner, VADM Zech also served as the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. I am anxious to hear his views on women in submarines. He is a progressive, forward thinking man of incredible objectivity. I am sure he has given it much thought.

Dedication in our Naval profession

Dedication to the mission, to the people, and long hours at work form the foundation of a successful intelligence professional. I remember one of my seniors telling me that “they call work ‘work’ for a reason...if it was meant to be fun, they would have called it ‘fun’.” While I don’t quite agree with that line, it does support my belief that putting in extra hours is a normal part of being successful in this business. If you truly desire success, it’s not good enough to simply say you want the most challenging job – most of us fit into that category. What differentiates the truly successful is that they excel in the tough assignment, and are then “rewarded” with another challenging job. Many of these demanding jobs require putting in a bit of overtime. Seniors recognize those who put in the extra time; but, they also recognize whether there is productivity associated with folks who are staying late, or whether folks are just putting in long hours but not achieving much for the time expended.

I’d much rather see someone work a “normal” work week and get all her or his tasks completed on time. Few seniors like people to stay around just to stay around and be seen. That doesn’t impress very many people, and certainly doesn’t impress one’s family. Dedication to our profession comes at a price...the cost for this level of success is frequently measured by less time at home, with your family, or with your hobbies. You need to figure out how much you intend to invest at work and with your family. You need to achieve an optimal balance...to paraphrase a former boss “When your Navy career is over, your shipmates will all be miles away involved in their own lives, all you will have left is your family...so you better take care of them!”

From VADM Jack Dorsett's
THE ART OF SUCCESS IN NAVAL INTELLIGENCE

We are in permanent whitewater

Unit cohesion can only be developed through trust and confidence in leadership. That is why clear accountability, open and honest communication, and decisive action are what I expect from my commanders. Lean forward, support your people, hold fast to our tried and true standards, and get the job done - as we always have and always will, because we are the United States Navy.

Admiral Harvey, Fleet Forces Command

Female Naval Aviator Number 1

LTjg Barbara Allen received the wings of gold of a naval aviator on 22 February 1974. She became the first female naval aviator in history.

Allen and seven other women reported for flight training on March 2, 1973 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. She was the first of her class to win her Gold Wings and was designated the first female Naval Aviator in history in ceremonies at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 22, 1974. She was assigned to fly C-1s in Alameda, California with a transport squadron and became the first jet qualified woman in the U. S. Navy flying the T-39.

Lt. Cmdr. Barbara Allen Rainey, the mother of two daughters, the Navy's first female aviator was tragically the victim of a training crash in 1982. Her student was also killed.

Naval Security Group - 11 March 1935

On 11 March 1935, Op-20G became the "Communication Security Group."

This date commemorates the birth of the Naval Security Group.

By Alvin H. Grobmeier, CDR, USN (Ret.)

Historically, the Naval Security Group began in 1916 when the Code and Signal Section was established in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. In 1918 our first modern codes were issued. They were copied after British codes used by us during World War I.

After the armistice was signed, an intelligence clerk from the Cable Censor's Office was transferred to the Code and Signals Section for research work in the development of codes and ciphers. This was the beginning of communications intelligence research. It became apparent at once that in order to learn the weakness of codes and ciphers, and hence how to construct secure ones, the first essential was to learn to solve them by cryptoanalysis.

There is no evidence that the Navy engaged in radio intercept during World War I, but the Navy definitely has been engaged in radio intercept since the early 1920s. In 1923 the Office of Naval Intelligence requested that all ships of the Asiatic Fleet forward intercepted Japanese and commercial code messages. In 1924 and possibly before, the naval radio station at the Navy Purchasing Office, Shanghai, China was intercepting and forwarding Japanese traffic. In 1924 the Naval Radio Station San Francisco was forwarding all official Japanese traffic to the Code and Signals Section and in that same year the first Navy intercept station was established in the U.S. Consulate at Shanghai.

In early1935, in accordance with joint action of the Army and Navy, radio intelligence was determined to be a function of communications and the Navy portion of radio intelligence was assigned to the Office of Naval Communications. On 11 March 1935, Op-20G became the "Communication Security Group." This date commemorates the birth of the Naval Security Group.

In 1942 Op-20G expanded into seventeen subsections and its chief became as Assistant Director for Communication Intelligence in the Office of Naval Communications. This coincided with the inclusion of all COMINT functions, including direction finding, under one officer. On 7 February 1943 Op-20G moved from the Army-Navy Building on Constitution Ave. to the new Communication Supplementary Annex, 3801 Nebraska Ave., Washington D.C. This location was later renamed Naval Communication Station Washington, D.C. and in Sept. 1950 it became the Naval Security Station.

On 28 January 1950 the following functional organizations were designated the Naval Security Group: Communications Supplementary Activities, Communications Security Activities, and Special Electronics Search Projects. In June 1960 the Registered Publication Section was added. In 1953 the organization now designated the Naval Security Group included Naval Communication Units, Security Group Departments of Naval Communication Stations, Naval Security Detachments and Registered Publication Issuing Offices.

In 1956, the U.S. Naval Security Group Headquarters Activity was established and in 1961 it was redesignated Naval Security Group Headquarters under the Director, Naval Security Group. The Naval Security Group Command, now under a Commander, reporting directly to the Chief of Naval Operations was activated 1 July 1968.

The Naval Security Group Command moved from the Naval Security Station to Fort Meade, Maryland in November 1995. The Naval Security Group Command was disestablished Sept 30, 2005, and on October 1, 2005 it was aligned with the Naval Network Warfare Command, Norfolk, Virginia. This action abolished the Naval Security Group after 70 years of service to the nation.

Great News From the CNO

"There are more things we can do, there are more things we will do, and there are more things that together we are going to make the United States Navy an even better place to be, to serve and be a better service for our nation."

Admiral Gary Roughead
Chief of Naval Operations



GENERAL EXCELLENCE
U.S. Navy, Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Navy has instituted a number of workforce policies responsive to sailors who want more control over their careers. Just as employers in the private sector are discovering, the Navy understands that the new generation of workers is demanding greater flexibility and more opportunities for education and career development. Task Force Life/Work is a program designed to help sailors attain more balance between their professional and personal responsibilities. As a result, the Navy has made improvements to maternity benefits, parental leave and flexible work options. The Navy also offers tuition assistance, significantly boosting the number of sailors who obtain associate and bachelor’s degrees and other educational credentials while serving. “The leadership to the very top of the Navy realizes that we’re in a war for talent,” says Vice Adm. Mark Ferguson III, chief of naval personnel and deputy chief of naval operations. “We recruit a sailor, but we retain a family.” For the totality of its workforce initiatives, the U.S. Navy is the winner of the 2009 Optimas Award for General Excellence.

Assessing Performance: leadership standards, accountability, responsibility

Leadership at every level depends on integrity to assess the performance of our people honestly and openly. We can only deal with internal threats if we can rely on the quality of the information in our official records. There are serious effects of failure to reflect fully, accurately, and completely on all aspects of professional, ethical, and personal career development in performance appraisals.

We must instill and preserve the core traits that sustain our profession and keep our forces strong, effective and safe. Entrusting our leaders with the responsibility, authority and resources necessary to carry our their missions is essential, but with responsibility comes accountability. My expectation is that our leaders will set the standards for leadership, management, and mentoring, and will be accountable for the health and performance of the force.

Extracted from SECDEF MEMO of March 2, 2010
SUBJECT: Fort Hood Investigation

What you get when you simply look for excellence - without quotas

Sixteen extraordinary professionals were recognized with Copernicus Awards in 2010. This is the kind of diversity I'm talking about. Excellence knows no color, sex, ethnicity, race, paygrade or any other 'discriminators'. These people are leaders in their professions and represent the best of the C4ISR community. This is the kind of cross section of America you get when you allow excellence to be the only discriminating characteristic - THERE WERE NO QUOTAS!!!

Congratulations to all the winners!! Read more about them HERE.

Not one of them needed any 'hyphenated' assistance (i.e., woman-Copernican, black-Copernican, Asian-Copernican, Coast Guard-Copernican, etc) in reaching the highest levels of C4ISR excellence. Each selectee is exceptional in his/her own right. Information Dominance Corps professionals - leading the way.

360 Degree Feedback - Something like this could have helped Captain Holly Graf - I'm not kidding or piling on. 360 Degree Feedback works.

Enhancing Individual Leaders – 360 Degree Feedback Survey

“I personally benefited in receiving the best feedback in 34 years as a naval officer on how others see me. Honest, constructive feedback from seniors, peers and subordinates enhanced my leadership skill set, and I think it (360 degree feedback) can do the same thing throughout the Navy.”

Vice Admiral Tim LaFleur, Commander, U.S. Naval Surface Forces, 8 October 2004

As part of the Human Capital Strategy, the Navy is testing a new pilot program designed to enhance individual leadership skills. Corporate executives have tested a multi-rater feedback system over the last five years designed to provide honest and frank feedback on their performance within the work environment. Taking the lead from industry, a 360 degree feedback pilot program is currently being tested within the surface warfare officer community as a potential counseling tool to be implemented fleetwide.

• Success in the pilot program will ultimately result in a more professional and qualified officer corps. The measurable analysis will help to shape the counseling process and assist in developing a training plan with the goal of improving performance.
• The pilot program which began in October and is running through September 2007, will be tested onboard a small number of ships, large shore commands, one NROTC unit and at the Surface Warfare Development Group.
• Leadership competencies will be graded in four areas including: self-assessment and assessment by three superiors, three peers and three subordinates.
• The information will be constructive in nature, for counseling purposes only, and will remain confidential. The information will not be entered into fitness reports or be used in administrative screening boards or statutory promotions. If the participant elects, he/she can share the information with their respective chain of command.
  

Like so many other Navy things - GREAT start and poor follow through.

You can read my article about "360 Degree Feedback - Can we really handle the truth?" from USNI's PROCEEDINGS MAGAZINE

Loss of Confidence

Yesterday, I received a thoughtful note from one of my fellow former Commanding Officers on the subject of Navy Commanding Officers being relieved for 'loss of confidence'. The writer suggested that the relief of these COs should be described in Public Affairs releases as ...

"Captain Smith was relieved for violating the sacred trust placed in him/her by superiors and for trampling upon the leadership covenant with our Sailors. We deeply regret the error of selecting this individual for command and will endeavor to do better in the future. Regret the inconvenience and damage this may have done to your careers and the image of our Navy." "Please carry-on."

Senior Member, Command Screening Board

"GENERAL QUARTERS" offers sound advice

...as Commanding Officer, I had one standing order:

"At all times, use your best judgment."

Unfortunately, nowadays, it seems like there is an acute shortage of exactly that - judgment.

Cryptologic Rock Star - Senior Chief Twiford

Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Collection) (SW/SS/AW) David Twiford, USS Constitution command senior chief, presents a helm used aboard “Old Ironsides” to ship six during a ceremony at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes. Ship six is also known as USS Constitution, and the helm will be on display aboard their quarterdeck.

Ladies and gentlemen, this Senior Chief is a Rock Star in my book. BZ Senior Chief Twiford !!

In Case You May Have Forgotten - Captain Kathleen McGrath - awesome Naval officer. Sorely missed by family and Shipmates !

WOMEN ARE 100% CAPABLE OF SERVING IN COMMAND OF NAVY COMBATANT SHIPS!! DO NOT DOUBT THAT FOR A MILLISECOND.

USS Jarrett (FFG-33) is the first ship of that name in the US Navy. She was also the first US Navy warship to be commanded by a woman, Commander Kathleen A. McGrath, from 18 December 1998 until 4 September 2000. By all counts, she was a superb Commanding Officer and went on to make Captain. I was certain that she would make Flag. I was deeply saddened that she passed away from lung cancer before that happened. She is buried (appropriately) in Arlington National Cemetary.

In March 2000, Mark Thompson, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, wrote an excellent article about her in TIME Magazine. You can read it HERE.

Unfortunately, nearly 10 years later (to the day almost), he was forced by circumstances to write about a less successful female commanding officer, Captain Holly A. Graf - HERE.

Sex, race, religion, ethnicity are not determining factors in successful command tours - character, competency and charisma - are a bit more important.

I love this quote from CDR McGrath's Executive Officer at the time, "She's not in command because she's a woman," says her second-in-command, Lieutenant Commander Joseph Chiaravallotti. "She's in command because she's better than everyone else who's not in command." But as McGrath has proved herself, most of the doubters have come around. McGrath's crew seems generally impressed with her.

Worth Repeating - Moral Imperative of Naval Command

"I have known men in leadership positions who were neither intelligent nor energetic nor moral. They created as much havoc among our own forces as an enemy. In most cases they were quickly found out and summarily removed, but their mere existence (at the Flag level) represented a failure of leadership on the part of their seniors, the ones responsible for or who tolerated their appointment."

"The primary responsibility of a Naval officer in every grade is to ... improve leadership at every echelon."

Admiral James L. Holloway III, USN (Ret)
Chief of Naval Operations, 1974-1978
My First CNO
In the Foreword to AMERICAN ADMIRALSHIP

Recognizing your people

Good leaders spend considerable time complimenting and thanking the people who work for them. It is quite an art to do this in a way that conveys sincerity, compliments people who should be complimented, and subtly leaves out people who do not deserve to be thanked or commended.

This is contrary to some of the common platitudes we often hear:

• "You are all doing a great job."
• "I'm extremely proud of all of you."
• "Every one of you is a hero."
• "Every Sailor is a leader."
  

Leaders should be sensitive to the great advantage of im­mediate recognition. They should have compliments, awards, bonuses, and medals at the ready, so when someone does something extraordinary (or something ordinary in an extraor­dinary way or with extraordinary results) immediate recogni­tion can result.

Compliments can be a very powerful tool in motivating people to perform at higher levels of excellence and cooperation. This is especially true of the compliments that are well timed and well phrased. Conversely, the absence of compli­ments can be devastating to an organization. Too many leaders take the attitude that their people are "only doing their job" or "but that's what they get paid for." The hidden price that these leaders pay is low morale and a reduced level of performance.

Major General Perry Smith