In his search for examples of positive naval leadership, the author turns to an unlikely source.
Naval leadership is in crisis. During the past decade, numerous scandals have emphasized fundamental weaknesses in our senior leaders. Such scandals are public, but less known is the growing distrust of senior officers by subordinate leaders. For example, the largest manpower survey by the U.S. Marine Corps showed 33% of majors and lieutenant colonels have a negative view of their senior leaders. Little has been done to correct this spreading problem, and positive examples are few.
At the Naval War College, two works of fiction have been used to portray leadership: the book The General and the film Twelve O'clock High. Both demonstrate the finest and worst aspects of combat leadership, but their sound leadership lessons are outdated because cultural contexts have changed. Many students cannot understand the cultural references of World Wars I and II. Required today is a more modern example of basic leadership in a contemporary setting, and Hollywood has provided us with that tool in the film Down Periscope.
Down Periscope is the farcical story of a naval war game using a World War II-vintage diesel submarine skippered and crewed by the least desirable personnel the Navy has to offer. The war game is designed to test the ability of modern nuclear attack submarines to defend against a rogue submarine intent on attacking East Coast seaports. At the senior-most level, Vice Admiral Winslow (Rip Tom) and Rear Admiral Graham (Bruce Dern) clash, and the latter attempts to sabotage the experiment for personal gain. This is why Vice Admiral Winslow selects Lieutenant Commander Tom Dodge (Kelsey Grammer), a submarine officer whose checkered career is at an end, to command the USS Stingray, a World War II boat. Lieutenant Commander Dodge is depicted as eccentric, noted for poor jokes and thinking out of the box. Clearly, he is on his way out of the U.S. Navy. If he is successful in his command of the red force in a series of war games, he could save his Navy career. But the real story is how leadership overcomes adversity.
Vice Admiral Winslow briefs Dodge regarding the conditions of the war game, which will test a theory that one diesel submarine using skill and audacity could be successful against nuclear attack subs. Dodge notes that conventional wisdom is that "one American nuclear attack sub could defeat several diesels."
Winslow replies, "In conventional battle, certainly that's true. But what if you had one renegade diesel captain who decided to hit us, bam! suddenly, without cause or warning, like a terrorist intent on getting a nuclear warhead into one of our harbors? One rebel diesel against the U.S. nuclear navy."
"I think I am going to get my ass kicked, sir," Dodge states ruefully.
Then Winslow chides, "Oh, don't think like that. Damn it to hell, don't go by the book. Think like a pirate!"
Vice Admiral Winslow wants to test a theory, not for personal gain, but for the greater good of the nation. Rear Admiral Graham, however, has other plans. He has never lost a war game, a record he intends to keep.
Dodge's mission seems all but impossible. Operating an antiquated diesel submarine against the most modern nuclear attack submarine, the USS Orlando, would have presented enough of a challenge. Unfortunately, Admiral Graham does not like Dodge, nor does he approve of the war game; his initial efforts at sabotage are to hand-pick the worst possible crew, "the crew from hell." As luck (or screenwriters) would have it, the crew turns out to have hidden talents. More important, Dodge makes a concerted effort to learn what these talents are and begins to mold a team.
Dodge understands that teamwork is the road to success. His by-the-book (and overly rigid) executive officer, however, believes that the crewmembers are incompetent, and calls them "assholes." When he requests transfer because serving on the Stingray might damage his career, Dodge replies, "We are all in this mess together, mister, and you and your career are in the hands of those very assholes, including this one." This is a fine example of what should happen in real life. Observing leadership only from the top down is limiting and frequently false. More than 50 years ago, a young Lieutenant Herman Wouk proposed obtaining fitness report IL observations from the wardroom. His idea was to identify real combat leaders and to weed out the Captain Oueegs. This suggestion has resurfaced recently and should be implemented.
Dodge takes time to learn about his crew, and is able to use that information to his boat's later advantage. He finds out, for example, that his sonarman's hobby is to understand and mimic whale calls.
He later uses that sailor's skill to trick the Orlando into thinking she is tracking an animal and not Dodge's submarine. The lesson here is that crews have interests and talents beyond their training, and a good commander will seek to know these traits and employ them. Far too much attention is paid to credentials and formal training, which leads to a check-in-the-box mentality. Many important skills defy military classification.
Dodge also understands the need for practical experience. After finding out that his dive officer has nothing but simulator experience, he explains to her that "a simulator is not a boat. No one talks about brave men and their proud simulators." Simulators are valuable training tools that enhance skills, but they cannot replace hands-on experience. An important seasoning process is required to "grow" excellent officers, and it only can be realized using real tools in real situations. This is a function not just of a program of training but also of mentoring.
Dodge proves to be a courageous mentor as well. During the cruise, his dive officer loses confidence in her abilities. At a critical juncture, where probability of success is slim, he sets up a failure situation that forces her to take control of the submarine. Had she not done so, Dodge most likely would have lost the war game and his career. Nevertheless, he considers mentoring a promising junior officer more important. Too frequently, articles about mentoring provide senior officers advice on to how to be successful mentors but without taking any risks. A good mentor must take risks in the development of junior officers and crew, particularly in allowing mistakes.
Dodge also knows the value of keeping his people informed. In the final stage of the game he explains to the crew that to succeed, "we're going to have to use a tactic that is somewhat bizarre and extremely risky." His crew rallies around their commander: Dodge trusts them and they trust Dodge. He has proved that he is innovative, tactically and technically competent, and, in keeping with his orders, is thinking like a pirate.
For example, early in the war game he makes the Stingray appear to be a fishing boat by surfacing, using one engine, turning on the running lights, and having the crew loudly sing. Disappointed at not having located the Stingray, the captain of the Orlando exclaims: "Perfect! We just chased down a boatload of beered-up fishermen!" Obviously, Dodge is playing poker while his opponent is playing chess. In war it is important to know when to play what game.
Rear Admiral Graham forces Lieutenant Commander Dodge to make several compromises to conform to the rules of the game and Vice Admiral Winslow's intent. At one point, the Stingray moves out of the exercise area, which is against the rules, but this maneuver allows Dodge to reapproach Norfolk harbor by timing his approach with a supertanker that masks the Stingray's movements. Ultimately, this ruse is successful. As a leadership example, Dodge's maneuver has relevance to today's war games. In Millenium Challenge 2002, the red team used brilliant tactics and techniques that would have defeated the blue team. The game, however, was both rigged and scripted, allowing the blue team to win. A successful experiment contains a measurable or understandable result, regardless of what that result may be. A preordained result has little value and demonstrates a lack of integrity.
In the film's final scene, Dodge shows loyalty to his crew. The Stingray has successfully completed her mission, and Vice Admiral Winslow rewards Dodge by giving him command of a Seawolf (SSN-21)-class boat: "and this time you will be given a proper crew, one that is commensurate with your tactical and leadership abilities."
"Thank you, sir, but I would have to decline," Dodge responds.
"Decline?"
"I would not be in line for such promotion without the help of my present crew. I could not in good conscience accept another command without them."
It is a rare commander who understands the concept that loyalty must go both up and down the chain of command. This is a fine portrayal of loyalty rarely seen in the real world. How many senior officers would stand behind their people, even at the risk of their own careers? If crews are expected to make sacrifices—including the ultimate sacrifice of their lives—then it is reasonable to expect senior officers to share the risk.
An excellent Proceedings article regarding the current problems with naval leadership is Captain Sam Tangredi's "Regaining the Trust". The problem with this article and others like it is that the proposed changes are radical and, therefore, likely doomed to failure. Culture cannot be changed overnight. The process is slow and starts with mid-career officers. Combat leadership is about taking calculated risks. This involves the lives of men and women who must have confidence in their leaders to execute orders properly. If they see leaders who are unwilling to take career risks for the greater good in peacetime, how can they have confidence in these same leaders in war? Education is the place to start.
Mid-career officers who attend the Naval War College have witnessed good and bad leadership. They are in transition between low-level leadership (department head) and development of their higher leadership skills (flag rank). It is this generation of officers who have the greatest potential to make real changes. To shape their leadership styles, good examples must be presented to reinforce learning objectives. These examples must be current, contain elements of pop culture they understand, and be presented in an enjoyable format. Down Periscope fulfills all of these requirements.
Because the film is a comedy, there are objectionable scenes. There is obvious disrespect, an illegal transfer of an officer, an apparent lack of discipline, foolish risks, and the notorious end song by the Village People. Some will object to the submarine tactics depicted, but it must be understood that it is just a film made to appeal to a wide and current audience.
Obviously, Down Periscope is pure fantasy. No naval officer since Admiral Chester Nimitz can survive a major career mistake. From the numerous letters in Navy Times and the commentary of junior officers in articles in Proceedings, there are few positive senior leadership examples. Command has become just a check in the box to promotion. The naval service has few combat leaders and the few we have are not properly rewarded. Being on the right staff, or being a technocrat, is the way to flag rank. This has not always been the case, and there is an urgent requirement to correct how we recognize superior leadership. Until that time, we are forced (unfortunately) to rely on Hollywood to provide us with easily identifiable examples of integrity, loyalty, and leadership. Perhaps the television show JAG should be required viewing?
Lieutenant Colonel Szelowski served in the G-3 (Operations) I Marine Expeditionary Force during Desert Storm, and in the J/G-5 (Plans) I Marine Expeditionary Force during Operation Restore Hope. He graduated from the Naval War College in 1995 and won First Honorable Mention in the 2002 Colin Powell Joint Warfighting Essay Contest. He writes a weekly column for Handlebars.org.