So You’re Going to Be Chief of Staff
By Captain Paul Stader, Captain Bill Parker, and Captain Cathal O’Connor, U.S. Navy
Congratulations. Whether afloat or ashore, you have an opportunity to mentor commanders, coordinate the actions of a staff, and drive your principal’s agenda as the focal point for synchronizing decisions on personnel, operations, and strategy. Remember the staff works for the ships and subordinate commands, and not the other way around. It is the difference between being a taskmaster and enabling the force. Here are some suggestions to make your tour smoother and more productive.
The Admiral
This is your first and key focus of study. First, learn how your principal processes information. Does she have a laser-beam focus, assessing one item and making a decision before moving on? Does he absorb large amounts of data and then ruminate on the information for days or weeks? Does your boss lie somewhere in between? This is the most important thing to learn. It will impact the staff’s daily battle rhythm and guide how you run the office, adjusting your principal’s schedule to meet the deadlines.
It is not enough that your principal can meet daily tasks and make key decisions in a timely fashion. You must throttle the paperwork flow and meeting schedules to ensure the admiral has time to think and communicate between events. Scheduling one after another leaves the principal without any time to debrief personal staff or provide follow-on tasking before walking to the next appointment. A meeting with a senior officer or civilian should be followed by 30 to 60 minutes of “executive time” back in the office. This will allow your boss to review notes, draft an email to his counterparts (i.e., numbered fleets, OPNAV, Joint Staff, or interagency) and provide an after-action report to his boss. As chief of staff (COS), you, the executive assistant, or the flag secretary can build the outline of an after-action email prior to the meeting (also called a ghost email). This way, your principal can fill in the details and send it in a timely manner.
Second, determine if your principal is energized or exhausted by social events. There will always be plenty of work to do in the office and opportunities to visit sailors around the United States and overseas while building relationships with international counterparts. But there will also be countless invitations to give speeches, sit on a question-and-answer panel, and attend dinners with the prerequisite social hour. There are endless events your flag officer “can” participate in, and very few one “must” attend. Balancing the finite attention span, energy, and focus your principal can bring to his family, his command, and his social obligations is a key task of a good COS.
A close study of your principal’s biography will help you identify affiliations that may translate into recurring invitations, and a review of last year’s social calendar with the protocol officer and flag secretary will identify events to attend and potential times to take leave. But remember that the COS only makes recommendations. You can say “perhaps” (“I think the boss will say yes”) and “maybe” (“I’m pretty sure the boss is already committed”) but only the admiral can say “yes” and “no.”
Third, and most challenging, a good COS provides the admiral with a smooth operating staff. Whether afloat or ashore, forward-deployed or in the United States, that is the hallmark of a successful COS. Such a team is easy to describe but hard to achieve. If you are not already blessed with such a staff, your first challenge is training the assistant chiefs of staff to operate in an efficient, collaborative, and unified manner. Some will quickly align to a new process, while others will need to be encouraged to take some time off—this will allow you to restructure the command’s processes in their absence. In very few cases, someone will need to be made available for early transfer. Ensure you have informed the admiral of the obstacle to progress, your verbal and written efforts to correct the shortcoming, and your conclusion that the admiral will be better served by gapping a billet in the short term—also known as “addition by subtraction.”
A symptom of a broken process is an assistant chief of staff (ACOS) who runs into the admiral with a “last-minute” task more than once a week. This suggests an area for process improvement. Usually it indicates communication issues between the staff and outside commands, or within the staff at the ACOS or action-officer levels. In all cases, COS defines the process, reinforces the admiral’s priorities to the staff, and holds everyone accountable.
Mentoring Commanders
Many times your principal will be unavailable when a subordinate flag or captain calls. In those instances, you are the window into the admiral’s perspective and mood. This requires you to have a regular and close-held dialogue with him on his perspectives of the commanders. How are the leaders performing, and how successful are they in training, exercising, and operating their forces?
Some principals will be open in their discussions, and others will be more circumspect. Regardless, you will have a better perspective of what the boss is thinking than anyone else. So as COS you are the subordinate commander’s sounding board for ideas they would like to propose to the boss. You will have a perspective of how a recent incident is being received overseas and in the United States, what legal topics are on the front burner due to ongoing investigations, and what initiatives could contribute to a discussion at the flag level.
At the same time, you are also the last point available to clarify misunderstandings between commanding officers, commodores, and carrier air-wing commanders (CAGs) before it rises to the admiral’s level. For those junior commanders who may have a personality conflict with their commodore or CAG, and for transiting units who are new to the region, you can provide an unemotional and detached perspective, helping them to maximize their success in command. Occasionally, on those rare days when no one seems to understand the instruction, it’s also your job to step in, take the phone from the flag-watch officer, and tell the CO yes, you have to send a SITREP even though the crew says it’s not really necessary.
Finally, you owe the commanders a frank and honest answer if asked, “How am I doing?” But never confuse the admiral’s assessment with yours, and never inject your personality into the message. As one admiral warned his staff, “Don’t wear my stars—one day you won’t wear my loop.”
Execution
This is the business of getting things done—people, strategy, and operations. In executing the admiral’s vision, you must get the right people on the staff. This starts with the commanding officers. The COS crafts the change-of-command schedule with the Bureau of Personnel based on the admiral’s assessment of a commander’s skills and future potential, along with the commander’s long-term career goals. Sometimes this includes shortening a CO, CAG, or commodore’s command tour to allow them to compete for a follow-on assignment, or because the admiral needs to give someone else an opportunity for a “hard breakout” fitness report, where they are ranked number one out of their peers.
At the same time, the COS must unemotionally assess the staff’s strengths and weaknesses. These become short-term issues to correct. But at the same time, the COS is paid to take the long view and assess the changing operational environment, and then update the billet descriptions to define the staff you need on the next two deployments. Man the staff with the best talent you can find and build them into a team with the most challenging training you can provide. Finally, harness their skills and drive to turn the admiral’s strategy into an operational plan you can execute.
Finally, remember that the admiral’s staff is here to champion the subordinate commands’ good ideas to big Navy. However, it is also responsible for making the hard calls and saying no when it is the right thing to do.
Acting Task Force or Strike Group Commander
From time to time, both in port and under way, your principal will be on travel and you will serve as the acting commander. When this happens, it’s important to remember the distinction between being the COS and the executive assistant (EA). The EA’s focus is on the admiral’s schedule, the personal staff, and ensuring that the Flag Administrative Department is providing documents that are ready to sign. The COS’s scope of responsibility includes the EA’s tasking but extends further. The COS leads, coordinates, and trains the staff in how to support the admiral, advance his agenda, and fight the strike group, task force, or fleet.
Some chiefs of staff are blessed with amazing deputy chiefs of staff for plans and for operations. These are extremely knowledgeable, well connected, and forceful officers who bring their fellow assistant chiefs of staff together, synthesize their work, and provide the COS with a 90 percent solution that requires minor polishing before presenting it to the admiral. But hoping that will be the case rarely ever works.
Instead, the good COS facilitates the daily briefing of plans, operations, and personnel to ensure the staff remains synchronized internally across the directorates, vertically with higher headquarters and subordinate staffs, and horizontally with adjacent commands. Based on our experience, it is much easier to write the preceding sentence than it is to conceive, plan, and execute daily for two or more years, but it is definitely worth the effort.
Simultaneously the COS must understand the principal’s priorities, how much trust each of the subordinate commanders is authorized, and what the principal’s red lines are for each of the commanders. This is only possible if you have the complete trust and confidence of the commander. If you don’t earn it or it is not given, then your assignment as COS will be frustrating because you are limited in your ability to support your principal. A strong understanding of your scope of responsibility, both inside and outside the lifelines of the admiral’s staff, and your demonstrated ability to speak on your principal’s behalf will provide the admiral with time to travel, build relationships, and take leave while providing continuity across the command.
Quality of Service
Part of the fun of being COS is you get to set time aside for having fun under way. Meals taken together in the flag mess can become an anticipated community affair when a little creativity is applied. Given the staff’s relative seniority, mess bills can be slightly higher, which allows the cooks to be more creative. Mongolian barbecue, pizza night, Sunday brunch, and “burn your own” burger night are all possibilities. In the interest of delaying work, you can schedule a movie night right after the Sunday dinner—or watching an episode of The Sopranos, Sons of Anarchy, or Homeland.
Once ashore, hail and farewells—where all egos are checked at the door—become a way to say “thanks” to our more colorful shipmates with well thought-out gag gifts. Just be sure to identify whether this will be an adults-only affair; sometimes finding a good babysitter can prevent people from participating, and a change of venue or tone of the gift exchange may be required.
In summary, a COS serves personally and professionally on three levels simultaneously. First, it’s a relationship with your principal. It’s worth noting the personal relationship can shift dramatically with a change in command but cannot impact your professional relationship. Second, it’s a relationship with the staff. Even as new personalities with their attendant strengths and weaknesses come and go, there cannot be a drop in performance. Third, it’s a relationship with subordinate commanders that requires you to speak on behalf of your principal while always remembering that you are not in command. Best of luck and take good care of the fleet.
Military Cyber Policy: A Legal Primer
By Lieutenant Commander Ryan A. Rippeon, U.S. Navy
Military leaders often wrestle with a similar series of questions when it comes to their abilities to monitor information technology (IT) systems. As a commanding officer, what can I monitor? What do I do if I detect an issue? What if I suspect something? The insider-threat example of Edward Snowden coupled with a growing list of Department of Defense electronic systems raises more of these questions for afloat and ashore COs. Rules are not always clear and depend heavily on the circumstances of each scenario. COs must know the extent of their power so it can be properly utilized when necessary. Let’s break down the daunting task of system-monitoring to the basics.
Applicability. Afloat (IT-21/ship networks) and ashore excepted networks (e.g., Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command, Bureau of Personnel, medical) can have their in-house system administrators (SYSADMINs) provide access to a suspect’s mailbox and data-storage drive. OneNet and Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI)/Continuity of Services Contract (CoSC)/Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN) have authorization forms that must be completed and submitted to the SYSADMINs of those networks.
Background. The rules for monitoring civilians on civilian networks do not apply to military/contractors/government civilians on DOD networks. Two court cases, United States v. Long (2006) and United States v. Larson (2008), highlighted a need for change in DOD policy due to paperwork gaps and inconsistencies. The DOD warning banner and System Authorization Access Request (SAAR) were formally aligned and implemented across services by the DOD chief information officer in 2008.1 Prior to this, SAARs and warning banners varied between each command. Standardization of these documents—using legally sound verbiage specifying that users do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the contents of a government computer system—eliminated loopholes. This is why the Defense Information Systems Agency/Navy Command Cyber Readiness Inspection checks for the presence of the warning banner/SAAR safeguards during inspections.
Burden of proof. This is critical and acts as the transition point from collection of evidence to actions based on that evidence (See Figure 1). For the CO or command entity to officially access another person’s email, the burden of proof is reasonable belief/suspicion. There simply needs to be an official purpose for the access. The indicator that triggers the initial access can be as simple as a statement from an individual that they are aware of suspicious activity.
Access examples. Typical access occurs under two scenarios—either non-investigatory, work-related purposes or investigatory involving workplace misconduct.2 Proper access examples include:
• Contain/clean spillages. A SYSADMIN accessing an email account, deleting a higher classification email that was sent on a lower classification system.
• Fix problems. A help-desk sailor accessing an account remotely to fix/test a calendar/profile issue with user knowledge.
• Legal issues. An employee has repeatedly alluded to getting kickbacks from a vendor. SYSADMINs get CO authorization to access the employee’s email to look for investigation evidence.
Improper access examples include:
• Personal reasons. A sailor monitoring his fellow sailor’s email account because he thinks she is cheating on him with another man.
• Stealing information. A SYSADMIN accessing their supervisor’s email address to steal interview questions or look at candidates for a job.
Approval process. For a CO to access email, three things must be true: There are DOD warning banners on all investigated systems; an updated SAAR is in place for the applicable person and the applicable system; and the burden of proof necessary for investigating the email is met (i.e., less than a reasonable doubt, but more concrete than idle curiosity).
It is best for the Judge Advocate General (JAG)/Command legal officer to package this information in an email request to the CO, keeping the authorization in writing. Include this package in the investigation, eliminating any question of authorized access. If a search authorization is needed to search a government computer, contact Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for investigative assistance.
Exception to the approval process. Spillages (releasing higher classified information at a lower level) cost commands hundreds of thousands each year. The price escalates over time because there is a higher probability that more systems will need to be sanitized as files are read and forwarded/saved.
To rapidly contain such incidents, it is a good practice to have a command instruction in place authorizing access for IT leadership such as the communications officer or information-assurance manager. Appoint representatives in writing and clearly list the circumstances. Delegated individuals should drive containment and authorize the SYSADMINs access to user mailboxes/accounts so necessary files can be deleted. Appointed personnel should be backfilling the CO once incidents are under control.
Gaining access. Concerns over retaliation are real—insider threats are incredibly dangerous. Disgruntled employees could copy files to discs, email personally identifiable information home, or place logic bombs on internal systems. Two simple measures to combat this are suspension of the suspect’s accounts and removal of the suspect’s clearance.3 Virtual private network, Outlook web access, remote access, and other management accounts they might possess should be suspended.
Beware: If you question the accused, ensure that you read them their rights, or any evidence obtained cannot be submitted during a criminal case (military rights differ from civilian/contractor rights).
Potential Roadblocks
Most roadblocks to investigations involve encryption. Here are some potential issues and workarounds.
Encrypted personal folders file (PST). Users often choose to have Microsoft Outlook encrypt their PST files as an added sense of security. This is not a problem when it comes to investigations, as the encryption on PSTs can be easily broken due to a weak algorithm.4 Simply download, install, and run the cracking program on the PST file. The password will be available in seconds. Is this legal? Absolutely. The data belongs to the CO.
Public key infrastructure encrypted emails. These cannot be opened by a third party without the proper credentials (i.e., user private key/PIN). If encrypted emails are encountered in an investigation, save them for NCIS or order the accused to open the emails. If the accused refuses, military personnel can be charged with violation of UCMJ Article 120 failure to obey a lawful order, civilians can be charged with a conduct offense under failure to comply with an investigation, and contractors can be terminated for failure to comply.5
Data at Rest encryption. Programs that encrypt hard drives and other storage devices (e.g., Symantec’s GuardianEdge, McAfee’s Data Loss Prevention, Microsoft’s BitLocker) are not helpful in investigations. If a suspect’s computer might contain important files, and that computer is powered down or falls asleep, the local files will be inaccessible. Master keys can be created by SYSADMINs, but they are not always reliable or accessible.
Commercial accounts. The CO owns information on his government servers and computers. This ownership does not translate over to webmail (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail) or social accounts (Facebook, Twitter), all hosted on commercial sites. If the suspect has these websites open on his or her government computer, the CO’s agents may not dig in that account. In these situations, secure the computer, keep the session active, and call Legal/NCIS.
The Way Ahead
In all cases, investigate using the criteria and turn results over to NCIS if necessary. If the accused is a contractor, discuss options with a contracting officer (KO) or contracting officer representative (COR). The KO/COR will alert the contracting company and have the accused counseled or removed. If the accused is a civilian, discuss options with Human Resources and determine if the issue is either conduct- or performance-based. Typically, counseling or a performance-improvement plan will be used for performance issues, and disciplinary action for conduct issues. If the accused is a member of the military, discuss options with the command legal officer/JAG. The CO determines counseling, NJP, administrative separation, court-martial, etc.
The Naval Justice School has a great quote: “There’s no such thing as a legal emergency.” In all legal issues, remain calm, ensure safety for all parties involved, freeze the scene/evidence, review necessary procedures, and ask for help if needed. Additionally, surround yourself with smart people and empower them to get the answers for you. Weigh the options and examine the situation from all angles. Once a decision is made, be as transparent as possible. This will prevent you from any perception of abusing authority. Documentation is vital to the success of this entire process, as it will record the decisions made and enable future action.
1. Directive-Type Memorandum 08-060 (Policy on Use of Department of Defense (DOD) Information Systems–Standard Consent Banner and User Agreement), 2008.
2. United States v. Long, 64 MJ 57, 2006.
3. Department of the Navy Personnel Security Program, SECNAV M-5510.30, June 2006.
4. “Bug in Outlook PST Password Protection,” 6 April 2014, www.nirsoft.net/utils/pst_password.html.
5. Manual for Courts-Martial, Department of the Navy Civilian Human Resources Manual, Subchapter 752 Disciplinary Actions, 2003, 33.
Meet NATO’s Maritime 911 Battle Force
By Captain James L. ‘Red’ Smith, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The NATO alliance is more relevant today in its core mission of collective security than it has been for over two decades. To face the strategic threats identified by East and South at the Wales Summit, NATO must use all of its capabilities. At the high end of maritime maneuver and expeditionary striking power is an organization called Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO). STRIKFORNATO’s unique value is its service as the only integration mechanism for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps combat power. The STRIKFORNATO battle force is NATO’s always available, trained, and proven high-end joint maritime battle force.
Battle Force Structure
Directly under the operational command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), STRIKFORNATO is ready to deploy at just five days’ notice. It’s an experienced, three-star-led battle-force staff of joint warriors who stand ready to command and integrate U.S. carrier or expeditionary strike groups into a wider NATO battle force. STRIKFORNATO’s commander is dual-hatted as the commander of U.S. 6th Fleet, which results in seamless integration when the strike groups shift from U.S. or coalition operations to those under NATO. The combined power of the 6th Fleet and STRIKFORNATO staffs delivers a formidable capability.
STRIKFORNATO is a memorandum-of-understanding organization supported by 11 member nations: France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It takes advantage of the flexibility and agility inherent in a small organization. Its raison d’être is the link with the United States and its ability to bring U.S. high-end capabilities such as carrier and expeditionary strike groups into NATO operations.
A role as joint force maritime component commander (JFMCC) operating below an expanded task force (ETF) is the most likely for STRIKFORNATO peacetime deployment. Taking its turn in a five-year rotation along with European High Readiness Maritime Forces from France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, the command serves as the maritime component commander (MCC) for the NATO response force (NRF). This involves commanding NATO maritime forces as assigned, which may not include U.S. forces. The next planned NRF rotation will be in 2017. This responsibility can be met by permanent members of the battle staff with some augmentation and is commanded at the two-star level by the U.K. deputy commander. There is a significant overlap with higher-level roles also undertaken by the headquarters, which means that lessons learned in the preparation and execution for this role also help prepare STRIKFORNATO for its primary role to command as an expanded task force maritime component commander (ETF JFMCC) at the three-star level.
STRIKFORNATO’s primary role is as the deployable three-star MCC integrating major U.S. forces into a NATO operation. With renewed interest in NATO collective defense and deterrence, it is time to fully exploit the ETF JFMCC capability. The importance of JFMCC ETF to the development of NATO’s assurance measures is demonstrated by the fact that STRIKFORNATO is the only NATO command involved in all of the alliance’s contingency plans, with STRIKFORNATO directly under the command of SACEUR. In the event of a major joint operation conducted by NATO, the STRIKFORNATO battle force would fulfill this larger role as joint task force MCC commanding multiple carrier and amphibious strike groups. This capability is reinforced in exercises such as Bold Step (support to the U.S. Joint Task Force Exercise, Fleet Synthetic Training Joint, and Composite Training Unit Exercise) and through interactions with deploying carrier and expeditionary strike groups transiting the NATO area of responsibility.
STRIKFORNATO’s newest certified role is as joint headquarters for a maritime expeditionary operation (JHQ [M/E]). This fills a significant gap in NATO expeditionary capability, and again STRIKFORNATO is at five days’ notice to move. NATO defines maritime expeditionary operations as:
NATO’s ability to project maritime forces at up to strategic distance that can deliver decisive joint effects from the sea on land, at sea, in the air, space and cyberspace, with little or no host nation support. This immediate response capability is built on rapidly deployable and interoperable maritime forces, including sea-based strike, initial entry and amphibious assets, sustained by embedded logistics and communications. It provides an agile and flexible allied response across the full range of the crisis spectrum.
In its role as JHQ (M/E), STRIKFORNATO is the only certified NATO battle force that can synergize across the domains of sea, air, land, space, and cyber to deliver joint effects on land from the sea.
Other Assignments
A deployable maritime HQ requires an afloat command platform. As the lead nation for STRIKFORNATO, and in accordance with the MOU, the United States is responsible for providing the command ship. STRIKEFORNATO uses the USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) with its superb and unique U.S. and NATO command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence systems, giving the commander unequaled situational awareness and command-and-control capabilities. During exercises and operations, the Mount Whitney has demonstrated the capability to support both STRIKFORNATO and U.S. 6th Fleet for different events simultaneously.
STRIKFORNATO battle force’s ability to accomplish its assigned tasks relies heavily on a small, talented international staff where each member’s efforts are vital. As the lead nation, the United States provides over 40 percent of the manpower and much of the senior leadership—including the commander, Vice Admiral James Foggo, who is dual-hatted as the U.S. 6th Fleet commander. He maintains a headquarters in Naples, Italy, so the daily management of STRIKFORNATO is performed by the deputy commander, currently Rear Admiral Tim Lowe of the Royal Navy. The United Kingdom provides 13 percent of staff manning. Other major manpower contributions come from Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece. Germany, Turkey, France, the Netherlands, and Poland provide other headquarters personnel, each with a specific skill set.
Leveraging other organizations’ capabilities and expertise is essential for the small staff to be effective. STRIKFORNATO is a linchpin for interoperability and experimentation across the Atlantic due to its relationships with NATO’s Allied Command Transformation and U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Strong links to combined joint operations from the Sea Center of Excellence in Norfolk, Virginia, have resulted in cross-pollination between work on sea-basing and the development of maritime expeditionary operations. STRIKFORNATO also develops linkages across the NATO command and force structure. As a joint proactive battle force, one will invariably find a member of the team supporting Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, the Joint Force Commands in Naples as well as Brunssum, Netherlands, the NATO command structure single-service components, and force structure commands such as the headquarters for the allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
In Summary
STRIKFORNATO maintains several key competencies and remains NATO’s primary linkage in integrating U.S. naval forces into alliance operations. With its acknowledged experts at delivering high-end striking power through an expanded task force of multiple carrier and expeditionary strike groups, STRIKFORNATO is a proven high-readiness, flexible, and agile battle force. It is closely involved in ongoing efforts to reinvigorate the NRF and establish the newly created Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), and remains a viable command option directly available to SACEUR further solidifying the relevance of this capable battle force. STRIKFORNATO is more than a hammer; it is a multifaceted tool with as many uses as a Swiss Army knife. STRIKFORNATO stands ready to deploy immediately and deliver sea-based effects across the full range of NATO missions through certification and experience as Joint Headquarters for maritime expeditionary operations, its role as MCC for the NATO response force, or any future role commanding the maritime element of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force.
The events in the Ukraine and the Middle East that caused 2014 to be an annus horribilis are still ongoing in 2015 with no easy solutions. Long-term united actions by the international community, including NATO, will be required to defend the freedoms that are the basis of European civilization and provide stability to the world order. Determination and commitment are needed to restore a system based on rule of law and peaceful negotiation. NATO will have its political and military role to carry out in this process. SACEUR will need all the forces at his disposal to reassure, deter, and defend when required. When SACEUR calls, STRIKFORNATO will respond as his ready maritime 911 battle force.