Virtual Presence = Actual Absence

"The last effect, influence, has been perhaps the most enduring trademark of effective Sea Power throughout the ages. Our presence at those crossroads, both figurative and literal, sends a powerful message in a war of ideas. "

"We hear a lot about virtual presence today. I believe that for a naval force, virtual presence is actual absence, and that simply won't suffice in the world in which we live.Our presence, and influence, as a city at sea, can and does inspire hope especially for those under the bonds of tyranny, who aspire to the freedoms we share."

"It's what makes us relevant. But there are other characteristics that make sea power relevant."

Admiral Mike Mullen, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C
-16 August 2005

Our standards are extraordinarily high

“The proximate cause for my relieving him was based on a statement he made ... considered to be false. I reviewed the materials and lost confidence in his ability to serve in the position of the director of the Navy Staff. And I would add that [for] the flag officers that we have serving today — and I would, by extension, include our senior executive civilians — our standards are extraordinarily high, and they live up to that day in, day out.”

Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations explaining why he fired VADM John Stufflebeem, Director of the Navy Staff

Coherent operational art

"This next version of Naval Network Warfare Command brings to our Navy the increased power of information operations, our networks and intelligence as a coherent operational art. Bringing these together delivers to Navy and joint commanders an unprecedented level of IO expertise and responsiveness that hunts, understands and changes the information environment to meet peace, crisis and wartime objectives.”

Rear Admiral Andrew M. Singer, former Vice Commander, Naval Network Warfare Command

The rudder and sails of your seafaring soul

"Your reason and your passion are the rudder.. and the sails of your seafaring soul. If either be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas. For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction."

Kahlil Gibran

Brilliance and integrity of Secretary of Defense - Hon. Donald H. Rumsfeld

"He comes to work everyday with a single-minded focus to make this country safe. We're lucky as a nation that he continues to serve with such passion and such integrity and such determination and such brilliance."

Admiral James Stavridis,
Commander, U.S. Southern Command


For more than a year, (while I was the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Staff Director for the Detainee Task Force) I shared the back bench in the Secretary of Defense's conference room with Admiral Stavridis. The first day in the conference room he was a one star. The very next morning he was a three star admiral. He had been selected for his second star prior to his arrival in the Pentagon. Before he had a chance to put on that second star, he was selected as Secretary Rumsfeld's Senior Military Assistant (SMA) and that got him his third star.

Information Warfare Officer Leadership

"The demand for our skill sets in Fleet, Joint, and National billets rings loud and clear. Our 1610 ACDU billet base has grown by 181 billets since 2000 - that is approx 25% growth in operational billets over the last 8 years. There is simply not that kind of growth in many other Officer Communities.

Obviously, the future brings great challenges and opportunities, and any reflection of our immediate history leads me to only one conclusion - as a community, we are well postured to accept those challenges and expand on those opportunities.

Positive self-talk is a good thing and creates lots of momentum, and I ask that each of you take this letter and use it to guide an IW Wardroom discussion about who we are, the myriad roles we play in support of the GWOT, and the incredible opportunity we all have as individuals and a community to lead the CNO's concept of Decision Superiority."

Rear Admiral Edward H. Deets III, Vice Commander, Naval Network Warfare Command in his 25 March 2008 letter to Information Warfare Officers

Chiefs - go take care of our Sailors

"Chiefs, I need, and the Navy needs, your help. I truly know Chiefs are the backbone of the Navy. However, the only way we get our seniors and juniors to believe that too is to show them. If we make the effort to not leave any Sailor behind, my suspicion is that our entire Navy will agree that we are indeed the backbone and when we say we take care of our people, we mean it. Thanks Chiefs, go take care of our most valuable asset - our Sailors."
FLTCM (AW/SW) Jon Thompson

Requirements for effective leadership

"One of the first requirements for effective leadership is knowledge. A leader quickly becomes aware that his people are watching him to see how he performs under certain circumstances and how he reacts to unexpected things, so the leader simply must conduct himself to the best of his ability and in a way that indicates he understands what he is doing."

Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, former Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

A sixth sense

"The ship talks to you. A good Commanding Officer understands that personal contact with the crew is essential. You need to go to where the trouble is. Have lunch with the crew. Visit all the crew's spaces regularly - by yourself. Make yourself a picturebook with a page for every member of the crew - create your own biography of all crewmembers."

"The single factor that distinguishes one superior command from another - the Commanding Officer."

"The primary responsibility of a naval officer in every grade is to help move the 'leadership bell curve' to the right, to improve leadership at every echelon."

Admiral James Holloway III - Chief of Naval Operations 1974-1978

From "American Admiralship"

MCPON Jim Herdt

"Jim Herdt is a forthright man of integrity. Integrity is high on his list. He's a man of honor. He is a leader who combines dedication to mission with the compassion and concern for our Sailors that is necessary to make sure that we maintain the readiness to be able to continue to meet the mission."

Former Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Vern Clark

A naval officer should be

"The Naval Officer should be the soul of tact, patience, justice, firmness, charity and understanding. No meritorious act of a subordinate should escape his attention or be left to pass without reward, even if the reward be only on word of approval. He should not be blind to a single fault in any subordinate; at the same time he should be quick to distinguish error from malice, thoughtlessness from incompetency and well-meant shortcoming from heedless and stupid blunder. As he should be universal and impartial in his rewards and approval of merit, so should he be judicial and unbending in his punishment or reproof of misconduct."

John Paul Jones, Scots-American Admiral - 1776

John Paul Jones of the enlisted force

"Del Black was the John Paul Jones of the enlisted force. He was the warrior, leader, gentleman, and mentor that began the long march that brought the enlisted force from the era of rocks and shoals to the elite, professional and responsible force we are today. His contributions to our Navy will be talked about far into the future, and written about for all time to come."

Former MCPON MMCM(SS/SW/AW) Jim Herdt

Blog reading level

Good training and leadership

"... all the wonderful platforms aren't worth the metal or the composite material that they are made from if we don't have motivated and dedicated Sailors to bring them to life. Motivated and dedicated Sailors are produced by two main things - good training and good leadership."

Admiral Jay Johnson, Chief of Naval Operations

Victim of yourself

“What Epictetus [told] his students was that there can be no such thing as being the ‘victim’ of another. You can only be a ‘victim’ of yourself. It’s all how you discipline your mind.”

VADM James Bond Stockdale