First Prize, Enlisted Essay Contest
The University of Virginia and scores of other universities across the country with NROTC programs yearly graduate thousands of men and women into the military as officers. The Navy needs to start sending its enlisted sailors to schools such as these to acquire the higher educations that are just as vital to their service careers.
The term professional military education (PME) is used most often when speaking of advanced educational opportunities or requirements for naval officers. It is time to expand PME to include enlisted sailors as well. Advanced education must be a part of professional development when creating training methods and opportunities for the enlisted community.
Based on the outdated belief that naval officers are the thinkers of the Navy and the enlisted cadre is made up of the doers, comparable educational opportunities between the communities do not exist. Today, sailors operate advanced technology and assume heavy responsibilities; they are very much a part of the intellectual machinery of the Navy. Not including them in a PME structure perpetuates the "psychology of conscription" often referred to by former Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig and fails to recognize enlisted sailors and Marines as "highly trained professionals."
There are numerous graduate education programs, fellowships, and scholarships available to officers. Funded predominantly by the Navy and performed as full-time duty, these programs offer excellent opportunities for the continuing professional development of those with commissions. With ever increasing requirements for technical proficiency, leadership ability, and management acumen, sailors deserve a similar dedicated educational structure.
Aside from advanced C-schools, the only programs that fit under PME for sailors are the Petty Officer Indoctrination Course, the Navy Leadership Continuum, the Chief Petty Officer Indoctrination Course, and the Senior Enlisted Academy. College-level education is available to sailors—but to complete on their own—through off-duty education or in programs leading to a commission. Sailors in today’s Navy, however, need access to college-level programs that provide for PME but do not necessarily lead to becoming officers. Offering only degree programs that lead to commissions gives the impression that a college education is useful just to those seeking careers as naval officers, when in fact it is important to everyone in the Navy—especially senior enlisted sailors who serve as technical experts and leaders.
The only exception to these programs is the Joint Military Intelligence College (JMIC) at the Defense Intelligence Agency. The four programs offered by JMIC provide enlisted sailors with the opportunity to gain professional credentials in their career fields funded by the Department of defense and to work toward one of four specific outcomes: undergraduate intelligence certificate, bachelor of science, postgraduate intelligence certification, or master of science.
Designed for all those in the intelligence field and with the proper security clearance (mostly intelligence specialists, cryptologic technicians, and electronic warfare technicians), JMIC is a unique program. Along with the associate of arts degree program available to A-school students at the Defense Language Institute, it offers cryptologic technicians interpretive in today’s Navy a valuable opportunity for an advanced education specific to their Navy duties. This example should be examined and replicated where possible for sailors in other Navy specialties.
The opportunity to formulate programs for enlisted PME is ripe while the Chief of Naval Operations’ Task Force EXCEL (Excellence through our Commitment to Education and Learning) still is new and developing. One possibility is to expand the Naval Postgraduate School and Naval War College programs (on- and offsite) to allow enrollment of academically and professionally qualified sailors. This not only would place them among their peers in professional programs, but also would train officers and sailors together. Another possibility is to enroll chief petty officers in civilian colleges and universities with NROTC programs and require them to participate in the professional development of midshipmen. This would help strengthen an area of training currently lacking for these future Navy leaders. A similar PME program for enlisted Marines could be initiated to support the current Marine Corps Lifelong Learning Program.
Enlisted PME would require significant investments both in money and time, but there are significant benefits. Providing advanced educational program could appeal to potential recruits and would attract more education people seeking further educational opportunities. The program also could increase retention through enhanced quality of service and the requisite active-duty obligations following completion of educational programs. If it is not practical to finance education for all eligible sailors, the individual use of G.I. bill benefits could provide opportunities to expand the program to a larger number of sailors.
Much of the cost of this program would be offset by a reduction in tuition assistance outlays. Participants in enlisted PME would, in large part, be those academically oriented sailors who otherwise would use tuition assistance to fund their off-duty education. Money that would have been directed to off-duty classes could be redirected to PME programs. Higher retention would also lead to reduced recruiting and training costs. This program not only would offer sailors a better product in professional development, but it also would demonstrate that the Navy values enlisted sailors, their skills, and their intellect.
Many sailors have not pursued off-duty education for several reasons. Sailors in sea-intensive ratings with short shore tours, for example, usually are unable to complete a degree program before returning to sea duty. Many single parents without strong support networks cannot afford the additional childcare expenses to attend school outside normal working hours. Other sailors are torn between part-time jobs to make ends meet and attending classes. Enlisted PME would eliminate many of the roadblocks.
Recent initiatives from the Navy College Program have enhanced educational opportunities for sailors, mostly through nontraditional avenues, but they are no substitute for enlisted PME. The Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership schools, for example, provide an avenue for sailors to complete degrees partially related to their Navy duties, but distance education may not be the best option for career-minded sailors. Although written as rating-specific guidance, Master Chief Ronald Schwartz’s feedback after sitting as a member of the 2003 Chief Petty Officer Selection Board shows the value of classroom work. "Degrees awarded in nontraditional ways," he says, "don’t carry the weight of one that was obtained from actually attending college classes."
Enlisted PME is a wonderful option for sailors in sea-intensive ratings with few shore billets. An operations specialist would benefit more from earning a bachelor of science in engineering, industrial operations, or human resource management than he would from the many out-of-rate shore-duty options. And the Navy would enjoy the benefits of that education when the sailor returns to sea, better trained to take up the fight at the tip of the spear.
A successful enlisted PME program also would encourage more sailors to participate in off-duty education who might otherwise forgo the extra effort. Sailors who earn undergraduate degrees through PME would be motivated to seek graduate education when they return to the fleet. Sailors might be motivated to complete undergraduate work through off-duty education so they could complete graduate work in PME. Sailors returning to sea duty in leadership positions, having recently completed a degree program, would set examples for their juniors and encourage others to seek similar opportunities. Sailors wishing to enroll in PME would be motivated to enroll in programs related directly to their rating requirements.
The programs available to cryptologic technicians interpretive are outstanding examples of what is possible under enlisted PME. A-school students in this rating are eligible to receive an accredited associate of arts degree through completion of Phase I A-school training and 15 semester hours of general education requirements. After completion of a successful sea tour they are eligible to compete for placement at JMIC and earn the undergraduate intelligence certificate. Through off-duty education before enrollment, they can qualify for acceptance in JMIC’s bachelor of science in intelligence program. Sailors holding undergraduate degrees are eligible for enrollment in JMIC’s postgraduate intelligence certificate or master of science in strategic intelligence programs. The certificate and degree programs all are directly related to the profession of cryptologic technicians and are unique to JMIC. These programs (9 months for the certificate programs and 12 months for the bachelor’s and master’s programs) are permanent-change-of-station billets, but require relatively little time out of operational billets.
Measured by its popularity, student interest, and the accomplishments of its graduates, JMIC is a success. The school’s enrollment of enlisted sailors has increased from 2 in 1995 to 17 in 2002. At least five JMIC graduates have been promoted to master chief, all of whom have gone on to senior enlisted advisor or command master chief billets. Three other sailors have been selected for commissioning.
The benefits of allowing sailors to earn degrees directly related to their duties far outweigh the drawbacks of taking them from their communities for a short period. Considering these sailors must complete four years of service after graduation, there will be a positive impact on the rating’s manpower posture. Enlisted PME is an avenue to ensure sailors focus on rating-related subjects.
Sending sailors on a permanent-change-of-station basis to civilian universities does create valid concerns related to their long-term separation from Navy culture. These concerns can be overcome by placing sailors in schools with NROTC programs, near fleet concentration areas, or within a reasonable distance from Naval Reserve centers. Sailors would be kept in the loop, standards would be maintained, and the Navy would ensure basic requirements such as physical fitness testing, random urinalysis, and periodic evaluations are not ignored during the term of the college program. In programs lasting more than one standard college year, sailors could work at their administrative commands for advancement-in-rate training, mandatory annual general military training, and annual leave during summer break.
The benefits of an enlisted professional military education program are obvious. In his guidance for 2002, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Vern Clark stated, "We are dedicated to a Revolution in Training. Task Force EXCEL is re-engineering the way we learn, to ensure all Navy Sailors benefit from a career-long continuum of learning." Enlisted PME would support this goal.
Chief Murphy received second honorable mention in the 2001 Enlisted Essay Contest. He wishes to thank Storekeeper First Class Louis Childs from Naval Reserve Center Memphis for his help with this essay.