The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG-78) departs Naval Station Rota, Spain, in late March for its eighth patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG-78) departs Naval Station Rota, Spain, in late March for its eighth patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations.
U.S. Navy (Katie Cox)

Enhance Commanding Officer Authority During the Pandemic

By Commander David Coles, U.S. Navy
May 2020
Proceedings

As America’s “away team,” the U.S. Navy is on watch around the world 24/7/365, ready to respond to adversaries seeking inroads against U.S. strategic interests. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has elevated Navy unit and individual sailor health protection as a key feature of combat readiness, while at the same time posing a major challenge to force generation. To meet these challenges during and immediately after the pandemic, the Navy should give ship commanding officers even greater authority across the man, train, equip, and operate spectrum than they currently have.

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Commander David Coles, U.S. Navy

Commander Coles is the former commanding officer of the USS Ross (DDG-71). His transfer to the U.S. Mission to NATO is on hold, like many others in the military, because of COVID-19. He remains in Rota, Spain, where he is serving as the CTF-65/ComDesRon 60 COVID-19 officer.

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