On board our carriers in the Arabian Sea fighting the war against terrorism, and in ships throughout the fleet, sailors are doing hard and dangerous work. What keeps these sailors on board the Enterprise (CVN-65) in the Navy and at the top of their game are the challenges they face every day.
Put the fun back in command." This is a slogan of the modern Navy, a directive widely believed to be a solution to the service's perennial recruiting and retention woes.
The reality, however, is that what keeps sailors in the Navy is not "the fun." It never has been fun, nor should it be. We do hard and dangerous work; our mission is to go in when the diplomats fail. Accomplishing that mission requires us to train so we can kill our enemy. That is not something anyone should call fun.
So if it is not fun, what is it? What keeps sailors in uniform when the technical expertise and leadership experience they have gained over the years make them valuable commodities in the civilian sector?
There are many and varied reasons sailors enter the Navy. For some it is the opportunity to earn money for a college education. For others it is special training that can be obtained only in our service schools. Others just want to get away from their pasts and move on to something different. A recruiter uses all the tools in his toolbox to get those prospects into the Navy. Then it is up to us to finish molding these people into the kind of sailors we want to keep.
What we need to do is challenge our sailors. Of all the services, the Marine Corps packages, sells, and revels in challenge. The other services expect sailors, airmen, and soldiers to find something that will appeal to them so they will stay in the service. There are, however, many things we can do to change this.
One sailor on a frigate was counseled against taking a computer-based PACE (Program for Afloat College Education) course because he was a fireman in engineering. His chain of command believed he would be too busy. But the sailor persevered and finished two courses, with grades of A in both. His performance motivated several others, because petty officers above that fireman decided that if a fireman could be a sailor and a part-time student, then they could as well. This was a case of the initial challenge having a greater impact than originally intended.
Another case involved a young sailor who had made several poor "life choices." He had been at captain's mast once before; on the second trip, the command master chief told him that with his record of screw ups, he thought the captain should throw him out of the Navy. The chief was sure the sailor would get in trouble again, and he could not see the sense in wasting anymore time on him. The sailor told the chief he was wrong, and he would prove it. At captain's mast the sailor told the captain he had made some big mistakes, but he was ready to do things right and show everybody he could be a good sailor. That sailor got his chance, and when he and his command master chief parted ways the sailor was a petty officer third class and warfare qualified (and later made second class). Before he left the command, the sailor shook hands with the command master chief and said he guessed he had proved him wrong. The master chief smiled and agreed. That was a last-chance challenge, and in this case it worked.
There are countless other ways to challenge sailors. Navy leaders need to learn those ways and use them. If sailors are told they are going to work their butts off while on deck or on the flight line, more often than not their response is that the work is not so hard. If making petty officer third class is a challenge, then sailors will work harder to get that crow. Efforts in some parts of the Navy to make third class automatic will serve only to remove the pride that comes with earning that rank.
Sailors' warfare and advanced qualifications are vehicles to challenge sailors and instill pride in accomplishments. Making it a divisional goal to have all members qualify to a certain minimum is a way of spreading the effort over an entire division. These efforts build teamwork, and commands should encourage them. While many supervisors and leaders do this, it remains dependent on individual commands. This type of leadership tool needs to be shared across the fleet.
Challenged sailors are motivated sailors; when the goal is met, they are proud sailors. Several studies by the Center for Naval Analyses have shown that sailors who obtain their education or warfare qualifications have higher retention rates than those who do not. These studies also reveal such sailors advance faster and have fewer discipline cases. It should not take a Ph.D. to realize this. Success breeds success—sailors who accomplish those types of goals are given the opportunities they have earned. They see it, enjoy it, and are hungry for more.
As leaders, we have to encourage that hunger and help sailors succeed. Any command can tell you which petty officer second class is going to make chief if given the opportunity. We identify the next generation's leaders early in the officer and enlisted ranks. With the right amount of coaching, we can challenge these sailors and ensure the Navy will have more than enough leaders in the future.
Is this a vision? It is indeed. It is an attainable vision that will make the Navy better. And it is a vision that needs to be worked from the greatest source of experience and leadership in the Navy: the chief's mess. Chiefs are up to the challenge, and success stories are heard every day. With effort, this vision will give us what we need in the future. It is time to spread the word and get every senior leader on board.
Master Chief Butler is the command master chief of the Whidbey Island (LSD-41). Previously he was command master chief of the Halyburton (FFG-40) and Monongahela (AO-178).
It's Not about Fun
By Command Master Chief Mark Butler, USN