Bravo Zulu Rear Admiral Steve Parode !!

Vice Admiral Jan E. Tighe, Commander Fleet Cyber Command/TENTH Fleet promotes Captain Steve Parode to Rear Admiral (Lower Half).  BZ Steve! CONGRATULATIONS.

From 365 letters

I like THIS.

How I feel

 I feel an immense sense of responsibility. Not just to do well, but to do good.

Stay with the bast*rd til he's on the bottom

From: Entrepreneur Magazine

Advice for the Commanding Officer

Here is some advice that will help you avoid a few other mistakes that new Commanding Officers are often prone to make due to inexperience.

• Do not pretend to know everything. If you think you know all the answers—you simply haven’t heard (or asked) all the questions yet.

• Do not make new policy statements arbitrarily to assert your authority. Do not do anything arbitrarily; think about how your people will perceive the new policy.

• Do not alienate everyone with such statements as “I’m going to make this a first-class command.” It might already be.

• Do not make snap decisions. Ask your staff for their advice and involve them in the decision-making process whenever possible. This is an especially useful technique for dealing with disciplinary problems; have the supervisor recommend what to do about a troublesome Sailor or civilian. In any case, if you really involve your people and listen to them, it’s almost guaranteed that you will learn more from them than they will learn from you.

• Use all available talent to help you. Recognize expertise where you find it. The “expert” at fixing some specific problem may be the lowest ranking Sailor in the command. Remember, you cannot possibly accomplish the mission alone!

On the horizon for later this month

NIOC HAWAII

 Mission Statement

                    1. Provide qualified personnel to work the NSA Hawaii national mission.

                    2. Provide quality Information Warfare support to the fleet.

                    3. Develop and train all personnel to be the best Sailors in the Fleet.

Captain James Mills, an Information Professional (IP) Officer, is the prospective commanding officer of NIOC Hawaii (CTF 1070). He will be relieving Captain Justin F. Kershaw, an Information Warfare (IW) officer. Captain Mills’ IP background, however, is ideally suited to the command’s operations relative to the development of DoD’s Cyber Mission Force, the Navy’s pivot to the Pacific theater, and the rapid advances in information technology that are changing the dynamics of Naval warfare. His unique operational and technical experience includes several tours in the Pacific Fleet and extensive education in electrical engineering and computer science. He was one of CNO’s first Cyber Fellows, with significant experience in cyber defense and operations dating back to 1997’s Eligible Receiver – DoD’s first large scale evaluation of the impacts of cyber warfare on DoD and national infrastructure. Given the Information Dominance Corps' cross-detailing approach, NIOC Hawaii stands to benefit heavily from his professional experience and knowledge.

Captain Mills points out, “Cross-detailing allows us to tackle the complex problems faced by IDC commands from a multi-discipline approach. Through cross-detailing, the IDC will create a cadre of leaders able to build strategies and plans with the benefit of the ‘whole of the IDC’ as opposed to just relying on a single specialty.”

 

Commander Rob Damsky (an Information Warfare officer) is the command's Executive Officer. 

Got a nice notecard from the new CO of NIOC Pensacola

I appreciate that CDR Sears only has so much time. Commanding Officers are busy people. I appreciate that he took the time to send me a personal note.  I really like that kind of courtesy and commitment to Navy tradition and custom.

It brings to mind this quote from Denis Waitley (Thanks LCDR Andy Reeves for bringing him to my attention.) "Simply put, time usage is about personal choices, daily choices of how to expend 86,400 seconds, 1,440 minutes or 24 hours. The choices, I believe, come from our attitudes about time and our willingness to set goals that take us to our desired destinations. I believe ultimately, daily time usage rests firmly on one’s personal mission statement; the written principle about what matters in the world."

So, CDR Sears, Thank you again for your time.

From DEEP in the Archives

Awarded to AFJROTC Cadet LtCol Mike Lambert at 

General H.H. Arnold High School 

in Wiesbaden, Germany. GR71st AFJROTC Unit.

Signed by LtCol (USAF Retired) Charles Kelly

NAVY TIMES reporting on this unusual story from June 2014

This is how the Navy reported this in JUNE:

USS Cowpens Commanding Officer, Command Master Chief Relieved 

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The commanding officer of USS Cowpens (CG 63), Capt. Gregory W. Gombert, and the ship's command master chief, Master Chief Petty Officer Gabriel J. Keeton, were relieved by Rear Adm. Michael Smith, Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3, on June 10, due to loss of confidence in Gombert's and Keeton's ability to effectively lead and carry out their assigned duties. 

The loss of confidence stems from the results of a series of inspections following the ship's return from deployment. An investigation is underway. Gombert and Keeton have been temporarily re-assigned to CSG 3 and Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet staffs, respectively. 

Capt. Robert B. Chadwick II will assume temporary duties as CO, and Master Chief Petty Officer Richard J. Putnam will temporarily assume duties as CMC. Cowpens is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser homeported in San Diego, and recently returned from a Western Pacific deployment. NAVY TIMES expands on the story considerably HERE.

So many mistakes were made by the TRIAD.  Yet, the COWPENS' Sailors (officers, white hats and CPOs) brought her home safely despite all of the challenges.

Overheard in the OPNAV p-way last week

One Commander to another in the p-way on the C-Ring.

"John, I think you'll find that the toughest part of working on this staff is learning good leadership traits without ever having the benefit of seeing any."  hmmm

Let's hope he was just messing with you. 

Captain James E. Brokaw retires after 41 years of Service

Captain V, RDML Filipowski and Captain James E. Brokaw

From NAVY NEWS...

FORT GORDON, Ga. (NNS) -- Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Georgia's commanding officer retired after 41 years of naval service, Aug. 1.

Capt. James E. Brokaw leaves the Sailors, civilians, and family members of NIOC Georgia with a lasting impression.

"He enabled Sailors to focus on unity of command and gave them the freedom to focus on operations," recalled Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Ryan Roe, leading chief petty officer of one of 32 divisions Brokaw led.

"He [was] my fourth commanding officer," said Nikol Berns, executive assistant to Brokaw, "but he was the first CO to ask 'How can we do what we do and make it fun?' and actually accomplish it."

Shared Success

Strive to be the best Sailor in your section.  Once you accomplish that, strive to be the best in your division.  Success?  Become the best in your department.  Then strive to be the best Sailor in your command. Strive to be the best and you may succeed. However, strive to help someone else succeed and you'll really be accomplishing something.  Success breeds success. Help your Shipmates achieve their goals.  Shared success brings the greatest satisfaction.

Our Shipmate LT Ryan Haag has a book

Check it out HERE.

Protect the maverick

“General Mathew B. Ridgway once asked five senior officers from the various services: ‘What do you think is the most important job of the chief of staff?’

They did not know.

Ridgway answered: ‘“To protect the maverick, because only the maverick makes progress.’” 

I really like Mark Miller at Chic fil A

His blog post about The Art of Note Taking is HERE.