Fundamental Changes are Coming

Midshipman Withington has posted the third part of his interview with Vice Admiral John C. Harvey, Jr., and the subject of the future officer corps came up. Interesting Q&A here.

When you were Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower and Personnel, your office released a document about language skills, regional expertise, and cultural awareness. Another article recently in the Naval War College Review [found here (PDF)] suggested a three-tiered track for officers. How will my generation of officers look different than previous generations?

Yeah, I think that’s fascinating. As Chief of Naval Personnel, I had the benefit of being able to take a look at the Navy as a whole…and reflected on how we’ve organized that [human] talent in the past—various warfare communities, various enlisted ratings and specialties. Really, we’re focused on the world that doesn’t exist anymore: the Cold War world with a far more predictable set of circumstances and well-defined roles for everybody in the Navy, whether you were officer or enlisted, warrants or LDO. They were set to deliver a very large, blue-water Navy focused on a war at sea, whether it was in the air, on the surface, or underneath and what it took to support that. So now we fast forward to where we are and we see many, many roles and missions we are expected to carryout, ranging from high-end bluewater conflict to the stuff we’re doing today: riverine squadrons in Iraq, suppression of piracy in Somalia, supporting the Comfort on a swing down South…The scope of activity has exploded on us, yet we still have the same structure to bin our talent as we have had for the last 30-40 years.

So, I think, in my little view of the crystal ball, the Naval War College Review article…[is] a pretty good sign of what our future may be…You will see fundamental changes in the construct of the officer corps that gives us a lot more flexibility to put the talent where we need it, when we need it and then make sure those folks are really optimized.

The Navy is a classic battle of jack-of-all-trades versus deep expertise in a particular field. At various times and places, you got to have those deep experts and other times you need people who know a lot about a bunch of things and are able to swing from one particular skillset and field to another, depending on what the situation demands. I see a real unlocking of the career paths and restructuring to open it up to give our talent a chance to get more focused on the wider range of areas; we’ll see how that takes us.

It’s going to be a heck of a challenge, obviously. The structure of the officer corps has deep roots and to change those things take an awful lot of guided effort. You don’t do it lightly at all, you’ve got to give this very, very careful thought…With that said, we have to make some fundamental changes and you all will be in the midst of it.

Read the rest here.

Last week while I was at the Joint Warfighter Conference 2009 in Virginia Beach, Vice Admiral Peter H. Daly was on one of the panels on Thursday. As I was listening to him talk on the panel, I realized that I had never once blogged about VADM Daly, couldn't recall reading anything he had said, and I only knew two things about him.

First, he was recently assistant deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information, Plans and Strategy (OPNAV N3/N5). As anyone who reads here frequently might imagine, I'll buy beer for the N3/N5 folks any day.

Second, he was commander of Carrier Strike Group 11 during the time period PBS filmed the 10 part CARRIER mini-series.

I decided I would shake hands and introduce myself to the VADM after the panel session, and intentionally positioned myself to be last in line. I also decided not to ask a question, and see whether he starts talking or was looking to get out of there.

After shaking his hand, he asked if I had any questions, and I told him that I didn't. VADM Daly then started a 2 minute discussion about Command at Sea (one of my favorite subjects to listen to naval officers discuss), the responsibilities and what it means to him. He concluded his point by noting how Command at Sea is what separates the Navy from the other services, because it empowers a certain independence streak formed from the requirement demands of Command.

So I countered, "If that is true, then why are Flag officers accused of being part of a group think mentality? Why are there few obvious mavericks among the Navy leadership?"

That pretty much ended the discussion, with him saying the Navy had it better than the Air Force and leaving it there. Then he pointed to a member of his staff that was with him, an 0-4 (whom I really wish I had written down his name) who had just come off an 0-4 Command of a PC in the Gulf.

Nothing personal to VADM Daly, but upon reflection had I known the 0-4 had been a CO of a PC in the Gulf, I would have skipped the handshake and short discussion with VADM Daly and spent the time talking to the 0-4. Claims of independence and experience aside, I just think the 0-3 through 0-6 community generally says things that are more interesting specifically because of that independence VADM Daly is talking about.

I have never met a naval officer who didn't have strong opinions. I think officer development in the US Navy is very effective, because it teaches officers to think. I believe officer development is most effective when it teaches officers how to think, and is not effective when it teaches officers what to think. The tendency of officers to always have an opinion is why I knew VADM Daly would start talking, even in the absence of a question.

A pattern is emerging that I haven't seen in the Navy for about a decade, Navy officers at the Flag level are speaking up and giving opinions in public that are counter to the existing positions of the Navy today. ADM Stavridis and VADM Harvey are two such officers. I think this is important, because we only see this happen when serious issues are on the table and new ideas are being called for from within. The debate is here, and it will influence broadly throughout the fleet. The QDR, which will answer just about every question currently on standby in the public Navy discussion today, is just one part of this debate. Officer development and future leadership is another part I see bubbling up from inside the Navy.

Despite many challenges ahead, my glass is half full regarding the direction of the Navy today. I think VADM Harvey hits a bulls eye in his last statement, fundamental changes are coming to the Navy and the emerging junior officer corps of the Navy will be in the midst of it.