Military folks need to learn how to deal better with civilians working for the Defense Department, specifically those who are within the same command and are being supervised by military personnel. This is easier said than done.
Civilians operate under rules and regulations that are quite different from those of their uniformed peers. Civilians are routinely put under military personnel who are not equal to them in rank. A typical scenario could have a GS-Il or -12 being made to work for a Navy lieutenant (junior grade) or lieutenant. This poses a bit of a problem. The GS-Il or-12 has many more years of federal service (usually) than a junior officer and makes a great deal more money. It is a potentially volatile situation, but civilians are expected to accept it.
The Navy did a poor job educating officers on how to lead (or supervise) civilians when I was in the service in the 1990s. Not everything that works with military folks works with civilians. Even if a military person is just working with (and not supervising) civilians, he or she should be aware of the differences so potential animosity can be avoided.
I witnessed a number of military folks, including myself, fall victim to the civilian system because of ignorance. I was just a lowly lieuleiiaiit when it happened to me. I saw captains, commanders, and lieutenant commanders get taken out because of this ignorance. It is sad to see a prior enlisted lieutenant commander leave the Navy with his tail between his legs just because he was unfamiliar with the nuances of the civilian system.
The solution to these problems is simple: make sure military personnel who are tasked to supervise or work with civilians get the four-day training course the human resources office holds for all new supervisors and managers. Military members and civilians will be in the same room for this course, and it will arm them properly.
Military personnel coming out of that course, however, will realize that what is happening at their commands probably is not in concert with what was taught. Then they will have to pick and choose their battles. Are lunch times, for instance, going beyond what is "authorized"? If you want to start World War III, then go for it and make it an issue. There are more important things to worry about. What you do not want to have happen is your department starting to follow the rules while the rest of the command just does their own thing.
Education should not be one sided. Civilian personnel who are tasked to supervise or work with military personnel also should be given mandatory training on just what the rules are for those in the military. I do not believe there is a course in the human resources training regimen designed to familiarize civilians with the military system. Such a course ought to be incorporated into the existing supervisory course, or there should be a separate course.
When I was at the U.S. Naval Academy, we had many leadership courses. There was not even a minute, however, devoted to working with civilians (If there was one, I slept through it.) All officer commissioning programs should devote a portion of their leadership training to supervising and working with civilians.
Civilians and military personnel are working toward the same goal. Civilians have put up with a lot of crap over the years. They are constants at commands, whereas military personnel are transients. Military personnel are used to changes; civilians are not, because they do not have to move to a new command every couple years. Change is more palatable if civilians know that military folks have made an effort to get to know what civilian life is likeand of course change is taken better if those in uniform know civilians understand military rules. It is just a matter of both sides taking the time to understand each other.
Military personnel understand each other, even if we are from different branches, because we share the same roots. There is a common bond that enables service members to work together despite organizational differences. Civilians need to be brought into the fold, and it is our job to make it happen.
Mr. Allen graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989. He was commissioned into the Supply Corps, where he served in a variety of assignments until his departure from active duty in 1998. Since then he has been engaged as an investor in the stock market.