Personal responsibility

"It is the personal responsibility of every Sailor to maintain a high level of physical fitness.  The Navy Operational Fitness and Fueling series can be used to assist Sailors in meeting their physical fitness goals anytime, anywhere.  I encourage all Sailors to consider incorporating the Navy Operational Fitness and Fueling series into their physical fitness routine as we strive to keep our Navy in top physical condition."

 

VICE ADMIRAL J. M. BIRD, DIRECTOR, NAVY STAFF

You can download the application from the Apple Application Store. 

Navy fires 12th Commanding Officer in 2012

Captain Lisa Raimondo, Commanding Officer, Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, Md., was fired today following an inspector general’s investigation and administrative reviews of her command.

Rear. Admiral Alton Stocks, commander of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda, Md., and Navy Medicine National Capital Area on June 29 relieved Capt. Lisa Raimondo of command due to “a loss of confidence in the commander’s ability to command due to a significant lack of leadership and integrity that eroded good order and discipline in the command.”   No other details were provided other than the statement that the high quality of medical care at the clinic was not degraded in any way.

These actions are part of the Navy surgeon general’s continuing a crackdown on poor leadership in the medical community.  The command's Command Master Chief was also fired. 

The Executive Officer

As the next ranking line officer ashore, the Executive Officer (XO) serves as the aide or “executive” to the Commanding Officer (CO). As such, the XO is the direct representative of the CO in maintaining the general efficiency of the command. With the assistance of the heads of departments, the XO arranges and coordinates all command’s work, drills, exercises, personnel organization, and the policing and inspection of the command.

The XO investigates matters affecting the discipline and conduct of the crew and makes recommendations concerning these matters to the CO. The XO usually approves or disapproves liberty lists and leave requests. If the XO is unable to carry out the duties of the office, the next senior line officer assigned to the normally assumes the duties.

Change of command for Navy Information Operations Command Hawaii

Change of command tomorrow, 29 June 2012 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Officers Club.

Captain Justin F. Kershaw will relieve Captain Jeffrey S. Cole as Commanding Officer.

Rank and file

He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.

Albert Einstein

I have always subscribed to this definition of "taking care of people"

David Marquet

From Captain L. David Marquet's awesome book TURN THE SHIP AROUND - available soon from retailers everywhere.  You can pre-order HERE.

"It's hard to find a leadership book that doesn't encourage us to "take care of our people."  What I learned is this: taking care of your people does not mean protecting them from the consequences of their own behavior.  That's the path to irresponsibility.  What it does mean is giving them every available tool and advantage to achieve their aims in life, beyond the basics of the job.  In some cases it meant further education, in other cases crewmen's goals were incompatible with navy life and they separated on good terms."

You can also read about one of hundreds of ways that we took care of our Sailors at U.S. Naval Security Group Yokosuka, Japan HERE.

Change of Command this week

Commander Julia Slattery relieves Captain Jeff Scheidt as Commanding Officer, Navy Information Operations Command Bahrain.  Commander Slattery's previous assignment was Navy Cyber Warfare Development Group, Suitland, Maryland.

Why I love Letitia "Tish" Long and my wife doesn't mind

I have been fond of Tish Long since the mid 1980s when I first met her at OPNAV while she was working Airborne Special Projects.  Sometimes I'd be fortunate to say a few words when I'd catch her at my friend's home in Alexandria, Virginia when she'd visit for a ladies' wine night.  These women were all fast-rising brilliant professionals in the program and budget world of the various intelligence communities.  She was brilliant then and is even more brilliant now.  She is smarter than most men and certainly much smarter than I am.  She was interviewed recently by Tom Fox of the Washington Post in their NATIONAL section.  You can read the full interview HERE.

But, this first part is what I really enjoyed most because she is all over the DIVERSITY issue and gets it like few professionals do.

Tom Fox asked, "What are the challenges and rewards of being a female leader in a traditionally male-dominated arena like intelligence?"

Tish said, "I tend not to think about being a woman in a man’s world. I really look at it as the challenges and rewards of being a leader in times like today. I cannot deny the fact that I am a woman. Women have made great strides in the intelligence and defense communities, and I think both communities clearly understand the business case for diversity. From an NGA perspective, we really focus on cognitive diversity, not diversity simply based on age, gender or ethnicity. Diversity is about your experience, your background and everything you bring to the table. The challenge is that we are leading during a challenging time, and the reward is being a part of an agency that delivers outstanding geospatial intelligence, analysis and products that make a difference."

Acknowledging Predecessor Successes

I can promise you that former Commanding Officers, Executive Officers and Command Master Chiefs don't get many (if any) letters like the one above.  Thanks Skipper Malloy!  If you've ever received one, I would be grateful if you shared it with me.  This relates back to my post (HERE) about Captain David Marquet's book "Turn This Ship Around".

Going from worst to first is a challenge but there's only one way to go.  Taking over an exceptional command and sustaining that excellence may be more of a challenge.  Getting to the next level may be monumental, while falling back into the old habit of mediocrity may be more likely. 

CWO3 Garofolo earns the Captain Joseph Rochefort Distinguished Leadership Award

Vice Admiral Michael S. Rogers, Commander, US Fleet Cyber Command/TENTH Fleet announced that Chief Warrant Officer (CWO3) Stephen J. Garofolo is this year's winner of the Captain Joseph Rochefort Information Warfare (IW) Officer Distinguished Leadership Award.

Bravo Zulu Warrant and congratulations to you and your wonderful Navy family!!   Your Shipmates are extremely proud of you.

Captain Joseph Rochefort was a major figure in the US Navy's development of cryptologic and intelligence capabilities from 1925 to 1947.  He headed the Navy's fledgling cryptanalytic organization in the 1920s and provided singularly superb cryptologic support to the US fleet during World War II, leading to the victory in the Pacific.  At the end of his career (1942-1946), Rochefort successfully headed the Pacific Strategic Intelligence Group in Washington.  In 1986, he posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contribution during the Battle of Midway.

Last year's winner of this prestigious award was Commander Nicholas Homan, former Commanding Officer, Navy Information Operations Command Colorado.

You don't see this every day...

Squadron Commander Relieved Of Duties After CV-22 Osprey Crash

The Air Force has removed the commander of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, citing a lack of confidence in his leadership following last week's crash of a CV-22 Osprey.

A man of value

“Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value.”

—Albert Einstein

Officer Conduct

"Unless and until officers conduct themselves at all times as officers, it is useless to demand and hopeless to expect any improvement in the enlisted ranks. Matters of correct attitude, personal conduct, and awareness of moral obligations do not lend themselves to control by a set of rules or to scientific analysis.

Many methods of instruction and different approaches to teaching them will present themselves. Each naval officer must consider himself an instructor in these matters and the future tone of the naval service will depend on the sincerity which he brings to this task." 

Admiral T. C. Kinkaid
United States Navy
1947

Commanding Officer of USS ESSEX (LHD-2) fired for "loss of confidence"...

Since the collision of USS ESSEX and USNS YUKON on 16 May, Navy watchers have been anticipating the relief of Captain Chuck Litchfield.  That anticipation ended on June 18 when Rear Admiral Gerard Hueber, Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group THREE fired Litchfield for "loss of confidence in his ability to command."

Advice worth listening to from LCDR "BJ" Armstrong

...we all need to learn to listen. This is especially true as we become more senior. Today we may be the junior leaders, but that means tomorrow some of us will be the mid-grade leaders, and in the future some of us will be the senior leaders of the Navy. Sims is proof that when you remember it’s not about you but instead it’s about the idea and about the Service, you can continue to innovate as you are promoted. However, as a senior officer or senior enlisted it takes more listening and more encouraging of your subordinates, because they’re likely to have the next great idea…like convoys or aircraft carriers. Having senior leaders that listen, and who become the champions of the great ideas of their subordinates, is just as vital as having junior personnel with innovative ideas.

From his post on the USNI blog HERE.