If the Navy wants to stem the outflow of surface warfare junior officers, it should start by recruiting natural leaders and those who like to go to sea and follow up with more time to drive ships and more junior commands.
To understand today's junior officers (JOs), one has to understand why they joined the Navy in the first place. That original motivation and their early experiences in the service shape JO perceptions of the Navy as a whole and of the surface warfare career path in particular. With that information, our current and future retention problems become clearer. What we do with this information will determine the future of surface warfare.
Why I Joined
My desire to join the Navy was born of books and movies. First, it was stories of the age of sail and swashbuckling sailors. Those early warriors displayed flair and daring against their British and Barbary pirate adversaries. They carried out the high-seas missions required of a growing commercial republic. They had a mission and a threat, and a code of conduct that was respected and admired.
Then came movies such as Red Dawn and Top Gun. They illustrated the threat and the mission of the past 50 years—containing Communism. The spirit of Top Gun influenced the year groups of the early 1990s, the same year groups that are getting out of the Navy in droves today.
Three other factors influenced me personally. First, the Navy offers the opportunity to go to sea. Second, the service's cosmopolitan style—a rich tradition of international travel and an important role in international relations—was very appealing to me. Third, I had an appreciation for national service.
These factors, unexpressed and almost unconscious at the time, framed my expectations of life in the Navy. I looked forward to a strong esprit de corps among the officers, a spirit of intrepidity, and a sense of mission. I thought officers would be respected inside and outside of the Navy and that the wardroom would be a place of collegial discussion and bonding. My ideal assignment was any job on a battleship.
By the time I was commissioned, Tailhook had happened, battleships were being mothballed, and the face of the Navy had changed.
The Navy I Found
On the first two ships to which I was assigned, the make-up of the wardroom was not as I had expected. The ships were gender integrated; the wardrooms had a large share of chief warrant officers and limited-duty officers; and many of the members were married. Actually, I knew from my midshipman cruises that this was the case, but what I had not experienced was how these groups interact over time—and the effect it would have on the work environment.
There are huge cultural differences between these groups and 22-24-year-old single men, not the least of which are career paths and timing. Prior-enlisted ensigns may be halfway to retirement. The diversity in the wardroom included motivations. Not everyone wanted the same things from the Navy that I did, and not everyone saw their contributions to the mission of the ship in the same way.
My combined experience on these ships was that the wardroom was not the collegial group of war fighters I had envisioned. It did seem possible to harness the talents of motivated officers, but there was little cosmopolitan flair and no real élan. Part of this can be blamed on the lack of a pressing national and service mission to focus the wardroom, but part of the problem lies in the surface warfare officer (SWO) culture. My experience is that there is none. Instead, what we have are particular unit cultures, driven by individual personalities, not a feeling of unity. I credit my overall positive feelings about the Navy to the strong personalities of my commanding officers and select JOs and limited duty officers in their wardrooms.
Where to Go from Here
So here I am on my first shore tour. Do I stay in? Do I get out? The Navy recently has made some significant improvements. Up to a 10% pay raise over the next year and improved retirement benefits sound great. Interdeployment training cycle (IDTC) reforms sound good, too. But the pay raise, surface warfare officer's bonus, and retirement changes haven't materialized yet. And as for the IDTC reforms, I'll withhold judgment until I see how they are implemented in the fleet. The potential exists for the commanding officer to use the extra time for something other than training or time with the family.
And what about my personal goals? Education and family are big priorities for me, and supposedly also for the Navy. Major education programs are in the works for the enlisted folks. What about for the officers? I plan on going back to sea for my department head tours, but any commitment after that will be weighed against family goals and my pursuit of an advanced degree.
What I Hope Will Change
My recommendations for surface warfare start in our recruiting. We must seek out natural leaders and those who like to go to sea. Potential midshipmen should be recruited for leadership potential, teamwork, collegiality, and potential command presence. Senior officers should interview these candidates and ask themselves, "Can I picture this person on the bridge of a warship?"
We should begin cultivating our surface warriors as midshipmen, with more time to drive ships, more recreational sailing, and more study of shiphandling. Continual exposure to our proud and storied past is essential. (Read The Good Shepherd and watch The Enemy Below.)
The first sea tours are critical to retention. We should continue the rotation of two ships (the 24- and 18-month cycle), and begin paying sea pay from day one (not three years later). Commanding officers have a huge impact at this point, as they should. They must cultivate the culture of the sea. All junior officers should desire command at sea; we should develop this desire. Let the JOs drive the ship. Have the captain teach tactics. The captain should mentor all officers, from the executive officer on down, and it should be visible to the entire wardroom.
Establish training squadrons of yard patrol craft to be available in port for use all the time. This will be particularly valuable in light of the IDTC reforms. And for the future, let's get more ships and more junior commands to develop those skills. Another item worth mentioning is the limit on fitness report rankings for junior officers at "promotable." This is unfair for surface warriors and a contradiction to the search for early department head rollers. Change this rule and keep the SWOs motivated.
Shore duty for SWOs should be the first breakout point. If you select for department head, you should have the option of going to the university of your choice (contingent on acceptance) for a master's degree—two years guaranteed, three if you qualify for law school or a doctoral program. Instead of spending $100,000 on a Naval Postgraduate School degree, why not spend $60,000 on a degree from a civilian school? This would have several benefits, including major retention appeal. It also would bring more officers into contact with the public, which has less and less military experience. This would increase public awareness and benefit recruiting.
Long hours, hard work, and too little compensation are issues no matter where one is employed. The difference is made by the organization. A 30 January 1999 article in the Economist, "Overworked and overpaid: the American manager," notes that the two issues cited most often by senior managers as critical to job satisfaction are corporate pride and trust in their chief executive's ability to make decisions. Building and maintaining that pride and trust in the Navy should start with the recruiting process.
Right now, we expect to attrit one-third of our SWO ensigns in any given year. Let's ensure that this is because they don't measure up to our standard rather than because they want to be somewhere else. Surface warfare used to be the Navy; everything we do revolves around ships. We will continue to implement much of our national strategy from the sea. Let's claim that future now by creating a culture and atmosphere that inspires young Americans.
Better pay and bonuses are not the best answer. For me, the answer is lieutenant command. Command at sea is far more attractive than 100-hour weeks on Wall Street. I am willing to put in the time and effort for the privilege to command. But that privilege is not being doled out as advertised. I don't know of any commanding officers in their mid-twenties. I am 27 years old, on time in my career path, and only in the first year of my first shore duty.
I am not staying in because I think the Navy is a great deal, or because I buy the party line, or because I can't do anything else. I am going back to sea because I want to be a leader. It is time for a sea change in surface warfare. We must recruit, mentor, and reward the officers who make up the backbone of our Navy. Things are slowly changing for the better, but will it be in time to make a difference?
Lieutenant Callaway, a surface warfare officer, submitted a longer version of this piece in response to a recent junior officer survey.