On Warfighting: The Warrior Spirit

[Renegade One]

Arguably could have been appended to the ongoing thread about "CSG CO Gets Relieved", but I thought the article perhaps deserved its own thread:

http://blog.usni.org/2012/10/22/gue...ium=email&mc_cid=68cc02c5fd&mc_eid=971bf99efd

Mods seem to take issue at those who post a link to a "Read 'Em" without offering an opinion, so here's mine:

I don't doubt that today's Naval leaders are short in the Leadership, Discipline, or Technical Competence categories. It's in the "Creativity and Innovation" categories that perhaps wartime leaders leaders excel...but we don't know that until they're tested...and do those things. As I've opined before...we've been lucky...we don't (and won't) know who can "shoot from the hip" or call multiple audibles in the pocket until they have to.

 

[phrogdriver]

I think that "creativity and innovation" are getting systematically beaten out of our leaders. I don't know whether it's better or worse than previous generations. It just seems that there are so many directives governing every aspect of running a unit that no one can even attempt to try something outside the box.

 

[Renegade One]

I think that "creativity and innovation" are getting systematically beaten out of our leaders. I don't know whether it's better or worse than previous generations. It just seems that there are so many directives governing every aspect of running a unit that no one can even attempt to try something outside the box.

I don't know either...admittedly, much has changed since any of it affected me. But my impression, from AW and Navy Times and other sources, is that most of the "heavy handed direction" seems to within the swimlanes we might label as "Admin Qweep". Really...who gives a shit? Probably a bit of fleet-wide "standardization" so that all units are doing it the same...PRT, drug screening, breathalyzer, "liberty cards and rules", mandatory compliance training, pick your poison...so what? Just do it. Then go fly (or steam, or whatever...).

I still think that, within the "stuff that matters", e.g., tactical innovation, development, improvement, mission growth and enhancement...you still have a fairly unconstrained white board. And I doubt that "innovation in the mission space" is really being beaten out of anyone. We still have the "Navy advantage over the Air Force"...we can do anything we're not prohibited from doing, yes?

I just wonder how many are enthusiastically engaged in that arena. If a squadron is happy to just keep the required training matrix full, well, yeah, that could get pretty dispiriting. And yes...there are plenty or reasons (excuses?) for doing just that...not enough flight hours, not enough availability, not enough ranges, whatever. But there is so much that can be done while still "coloring inside the lines", all it takes is a vision, some management of limited training assets, flight hours, NCEA, yadda yadda yadda. There's a long "vignette" about the 1989-90 "fleet squadron efforts" to explore and develop air-to-ground capability for the F-14 community...but I won't bore you with it.

Over to your generation to figure out what next needs doing tactically within your community...then going and doing it. Standard caveat: "Don't fuck it up."

 

[Gatordev]

I don't know either...admittedly, much has changed since any of it affected me. But my impression, from AW and Navy Times and other sources, is that most of the "heavy handed direction" seems to within the swimlanes we might label as "Admin Qweep". Really...who gives a shit? Probably a bit of fleet-wide "standardization" so that all units are doing it the same...PRT, drug screening, breathalyzer, "liberty cards and rules", mandatory compliance training, pick your poison...so what? Just do it. Then go fly (or steam, or whatever...).

Any one of those things (or several of those things) by themselves is not a big deal. But when you start adding up the known annual requirements (which, by the way, aren't all out yet...even though we know what they are) along with the monthly new tasker requirement, you start getting to the point where you spend more time in a room with your people than letting them actually go out and work on the planes so you CAN fly. I am not an XO or CO, and don't pretend to be one, but I am on the front office distros and lately (in the last 8-12 months), it seems like there's a lot more "new requirement, we need it done by the end of the month" tasking from up higher (I don't just mean the Wing, I mean much higher) that both adds more admin burden as well as seems to have the potential for a better planned roll out.

You could argue that this is where the creativity comes in, and I agree. But I think some of the creativity is trying to figure out what you're going to blow off just to keep your head above water with the Op requirements rather than actually trying to do all the "really important" admin stuff ("important" in a sarcastic manner, not the actual real stuff like pay, people, etc). My last couple of tours, I've been in units where the CO has let the admin req. get done in the most efficient manner, not necessarily the completely by the book manner. But they were in a position where they could do that with little repercussion. From what I see, standard REGNAV fleet squadrons/COs may not be as comfortable doing that. At least that's my perception, and I think that's what Phrog was getting at (in part).

 

[KBayDog]

It just seems that there are so many directives governing every aspect of running a unit that no one can even attempt to try something outside the box.

*cough* T&R manual *cough*

Add to that fact that "creativity and innovation" requires a thing we in the biz call Risk. Risk, by its nature, implies that things can go wrong. R1's standard caveat of "Don't fuck it up" has morphed into "If anything we don't like happens on your watch...and we will Monday Morning QB you to death on every decision you make (or fail to make)...your're fired."

We are in an age of TRA heavily-formalized ORM, where the directives phrogdriver has mentioned have created a sort of 'walking on eggshells' culture where if anything goes wrong, it's dubbed a Failure of Leadership (read: your Career goes bye-bye). And, since we have also heavily formalized our Golden Career Paths, nobody who is put in a position to face Risk wants to lose the Career s/he has spent years checking all of the right boxes to advance.

 

[707guy]

"If anything we don't like happens on your watch...and we will Monday Morning QB you to death on every decision you make (or fail to make)...your're fired."

From what I've read here and some other sources this seems to be the issue that is keeping innovation from growing.

 

[Renegade One]

Any one of those things (or several of those things) by themselves is not a big deal. But when you start adding up the known annual requirements (which, by the way, aren't all out yet...even though we know what they are) along with the monthly new tasker requirement, you start getting to the point where you spend more time in a room with your people than letting them actually go out and work on the planes so you CAN fly. I am not an XO or CO, and don't pretend to be one, but I am on the front office distros and lately (in the last 8-12 months), it seems like there's a lot more "new requirement, we need it done by the end of the month" tasking from up higher (I don't just mean the Wing, I mean much higher) that both adds more admin burden as well as seems to have the potential for a better planned roll out.

You could argue that this is where the creativity comes in, and I agree. But I think some of the creativity is trying to figure out what you're going to blow off just to keep your head above water with the Op requirements rather than actually trying to do all the "really important" admin stuff ("important" in a sarcastic manner, not the actual real stuff like pay, people, etc). My last couple of tours, I've been in units where the CO has let the admin req. get done in the most efficient manner, not necessarily the completely by the book manner. But they were in a position where they could do that with little repercussion. From what I see, standard REGNAV fleet squadrons/COs may not be as comfortable doing that. At least that's my perception, and I think that's what Phrog was getting at (in part).

Okay. I roger up that some folks do it better than others. I was talking about tactical/operational innovation, tho...not "creatively" managing the admin effluvium.

... "creativity and innovation" requires a thing we in the biz call Risk. Risk, by its nature, implies that things can go wrong. R1's standard caveat of "Don't fuck it up" has morphed into "If anything we don't like happens on your watch...and we will Monday Morning QB you to death on every decision you make (or fail to make)...your're fired."

We are in an age of TRA heavily-formalized ORM, where the directives phrogdriver has mentioned have created a sort of 'walking on eggshells' culture where if anything goes wrong, it's dubbed a Failure of Leadership (read: your Career goes bye-bye).

There will always be risk associated with this business. ORM is good...but the key word is "management", not "elimination".

 

[KBayDog]

There will always be risk associated with this business. ORM is good...but the key word is "management", not "elimination".

Exactly.

Can you please articulate this to your peers/friends who are still in uniform, and still in a position to right the ship?

 

[Harrier Dude]

The Phrog mafia in this thread is 100% spot on. I agree with their analysis completely.

Does that tell you how fucked up our leadership development has become?

If we could get an NFO to agree with it too then we'd have another Gospel.

 

[Brett327]

The Phrog mafia in this thread is 100% spot on. I agree with their analysis completely.

Does that tell you how fucked up our leadership development has become?

If we could get an NFO to agree with it too then we'd have another Gospel.

Amen.

 

[Jim123]

I feel the rapture coming on!

 

[Renegade One]

Exactly.

Can you please articulate this to your peers/friends who are still in uniform, and still in a position to right the ship?

The Phrog mafia in this thread is 100% spot on. I agree with their analysis completely.

Does that tell you how fucked up our leadership development has become?

If we could get an NFO to agree with it too then we'd have another Gospel.

Amen.

There you go, Harrier Dude...NFO Brett agrees...there's your Gospel. Go spread the word.

As for the top two comments...sorry, I ain't buying into the whole "our leadership sky is falling" thing.

Over time, on AW, I've tried to open my eyes and be more receptive/understanding on many issues faced by those of you today...entrance requirements mostly, but I'm not insensitive to the growth of some non-tactical (admin) burdens within the Navy-at-Large, and within individual units. I do read and pay attention. But Christ on a crutch...I've looked at the cargo loading and weight & balance data, and no one's ship is in danger of capsize. Trust me...if and when you really do meet "heavy seas"...the Admin Supercargo will be the first to be jettisoned overboard. Absent those truly heavy seas...make port and deliver.

Look at your own "most popular" forum threads in some detail: "My uniforms are fucked up, my flight suits suck, why can't I wear the boots I want, why does the E-9 at the exchange chip on me, why does the Admiral get a "last jet trap", where have "Happy Hours" gone, whazzup with AWGs?, "The Great Flight Jacket Thread", "Brown Shoes....AKA...", "Patch Questions", "Holy Omega Watch Thread", "Deployment Plaques" ...aw, fuck me...you get the idea. NONE of those is "unimportant", and most are of passing interest to most...me too. But none is significant.

But not once have I seen a genuine "Our Aircraft/Tactics Suck" thread. From that I take great comfort. Bitching about "leadership" is a too-easy catch-all canard for whatever itches you. You guys and gals of today are the "best qualified" [to enter], the "best trained", the "best equipped", and I will say this to your faces...THE BEST LED Naval Aviation force that has ever existed. I know you don't believe the last part. You will only believe that when it's your turn. It will be "your turn" for MANY of you sooner than you think. In the meantime, figure out what and how to do things better in those things within your control or influence.

 

[KBayDog]

But not once have I seen a genuine "Our Aircraft/Tactics Suck" thread.

This is an open internet forum. We are not going to discuss if/how/why our aircraft/tactics do/do not suck. Anyone who starts a "genuine" thread like that is going to see it locked, deleted, and find themselves banned.

Spike, whether you like it or not, this is not the same Navy (or Marine Corps) you left a few years back. There have been changes within the organization and culture of the Naval service that may seem "insignificant" to an outsider, especially for one who is not too far removed from the cockpit himself. However, for those of us on the inside, the changes present significant challenges, and the amount of "institutional inertia" (to borrow a well-used phase) that exists means these challenges are not going to be overcome in any of our career lifetimes.

I won't re-hash the issues we've discussed over and over (and over), but the most telling sign that there are very real problems within the modern Navy is this: KBay, Harrier Dude, and Brett all actually agreed on something.

 

[Renegade One]

the most telling sign that there are very real problems within the modern Navy is this: KBay, Harrier Dude, and Brett all actually agreed on something.

You've got me there...now I AM going to worry. Maybe there's something to this Mayan Calendar thing after all...

 

[KBayDog]

You've got me there...now I AM going to worry.

Jim123 nailed it:

I feel the rapture coming on!

"I repeat: This is not a drill. This is the Apocalypse. Please exit the hospital in an orderly fashion."