R 231700Z APR 94Besides the snide bolding of my hobby horse and ignoring the twitch TQL gave to my left eye when I read it - and as always leavened with the horrible abomination that was his treatment of ADM Stan Arthur, this is a very sad read in many ways knowing how it all ended. It is good to look back where you were, and look where you are - and see the track line.
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N00//
UNCLAS
NAVOP 008/94
MSGID/GENADMIN/N00//
SUBJ/MESSAGE TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR NAVY ON ASSUMPTION OF DUTIES AS CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS//
RMKS/1. THIS MSG IS FOR ALL HANDS. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF EVERY COMMANDER, COMMANDING OFFICER AND OFFICER IN CHARGE WOULD ENSURE THAT EACH PERSON HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE IT.
2. TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR NAVY, THIS IS A DIFFICULT MESSAGE TO WRITE, IT IS MY THIRD TRY. IT IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH TO SAY AND SO MUCH OF IT IS HARD TO PUT IN WRITING BUT IS, INSTEAD, BETTER SAID IN PERSON. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE YOU ALL IMMEDIATELY SO I'VE DECIDED TO WRITE WHAT AMOUNTS TO A LETTER IN MESSAGE FORM. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO READ THIS AS IF IT IS A PERSONAL LETTER BECAUSE THAT IS JUST WHAT IT IS MEANT TO BE. EACH OF YOU WILL READ IT DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR CAREER AND IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND. FOR EXAMPLE, A VERY JUNIOR SAILOR IN HIS OR HER FIRST YEAR WILL PROBABLY READ THIS IN TERMS OF PERSONAL PERFORMANCE AND INDIVIDUAL CONCERNS. A MASTER CHIEF OR SENIOR OFFICER WILL PROBABLY READ IT WITH LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN MIND. THAT IS JUST WHAT I WANT, READ THIS AS IF IT IS AIMED DIRECTLY AT YOU.....IT IS.
THERE ARE SOME WHO WOULD EXPECT ME TO START OUT BY TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS WRONG BUT I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT. WE HAVE A LOT THAT IS RIGHT WITH OUR NAVY. WE HAVE A LOT TO BE PROUD ABOUT. WE HAVE GREAT SHIPS, TOP QUALITY AIRCRAFT AND BETTER ONES ON THE WAY. WE HAVE PEOPLE DEPLOYED ALL OVER THE WORLD AND I CAN TELL YOU FROM MY LAST JOB THAT THEY ARE DOING A SUPER JOB. WE HAVE MEN AND WOMEN, AND FAMILIES TOO, WHO ARE SO DEDICATED THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO SACRIFICE FOR THEIR NAVY AND NATION AND ALL THE GOOD THINGS WE STAND FOR. WE HAVE GREAT LEADERS AT ALL LEVELS OF THE CHAIN OF COMMAND, OFFICERS AND ENLISTED LEADERS WHO REALLY DO CARE ABOUT THEIR PEOPLE AND PROVE IT EACH AND EVERY DAY. I COULD GO ON AND ON BUT I'LL CUT IT SHORT BY SAYING AGAIN....WE HAVE A GREAT NAVY, I AM PROUD TO BE A PART OF IT, YOU SHOULD BE PROUD TOO.
CAN OUR NAVY BE EVEN BETTER? YOU BET IT CAN. IT IS WITHIN OUR POWER, BY WORKING TOGETHER, TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN EVERY ASPECT OF WHAT WE DO. I AM CONVINCED THAT IF WE GET CONTENT WITH WHERE WE ARE WE DON'T STAY THERE, WE MOVE BACKWARDS. IN EVERYTHING WE DO, IN EVERY FACET OF NAVY LIFE, PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL, WE NEED TO STRIVE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT NEXT.
THERE ARE SOME KEY THINGS WE CAN ALL DO TO CREATE THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT I'M TALKING ABOUT. THE FIRST ONE, PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, IS TO REALLY TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. NOW EVERYBODY ALWAYS SAYS THAT HE OR SHE CARES ABOUT OTHERS BUT I MEAN MUCH MORE THAN THAT. LET ME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES.
I CAME IN THE NAVY AS AN E-1. I NEEDED A GREAT DEAL OF LEADERSHIP. I GOT IT. A SUPER RECRUIT COMPANY COMMANDER, A FIRST RATE LEADING PETTY OFFICER AT MY FIRST COMMAND, IT CONTINUED RIGHT UP THE LINE TO THIS DAY. I HAVE WORKED FOR GREAT PEOPLE WHO DID NOT WAIT FOR ME TO GET MOTIVATED, THEY CARED ABOUT ME AND SHOWED IT. I OWE WHAT SUCCESS I HAVE HAD TO THEM. IF WE TOOK THE SAME LEADERSHIP APPROACH WITH EVERYONE, REALLY TRIED TO HELP EACH AND EVERY PERSON TO BE ALL THAT THEY CAN BE, WE WOULD GET BETTER AND BETTER AS A NAVY BECAUSE OUR PEOPLE WOULD BE IMPROVING AND PEOPLE, AFTER ALL, ARE REALLY WHAT OUR NAVY IS ALL ABOUT.
WE DO A GREAT DEAL OF TALKING ABOUT, TEACHING ABOUT, WRITING ABOUT EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. THAT IS IMPORTANT AND WE ARE GOING TO GO RIGHT ON TALKING, TEACHING AND WRITING. BUT STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT FOR A MINUTE, IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF OUR NAVY....AND I'LL BET MOST OF YOU AGREE WITH ME ON THAT POINT, AND YOU AGREE THAT OUR NAVY WILL BE BETTER IF EVERY PERSON PERFORMS TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY....AND I'LL BET MOST OF YOU AGREE WITH ME ON THAT POINT TOO, THEN IT MAKES SENSE FOR ALL OF US, SENIORS AND JUNIORS ALIKE, TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SEE THAT EVERYONE ELSE IS ABLE TO REACH THEIR PERSONAL BEST. IF YOU AGREE WITH ME SO FAR THEN I HOPE YOU'LL AGREE WITH THIS:
- EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IS MORE THAN NOT DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ANOTHER PERSON BECAUSE OF RACE, RELIGION OR GENDER. IT IS MORE THAN AVOIDING TREATING A PERSON DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT EXACTLY LIKE YOU. IT IS MORE THAN SIMPLY NOT HARASSING SOMEONE OR NOT BREAKING RULES, REGULATIONS OR LAWS. LET'S BE CLEAR: ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE JUST THE MINIMUMS WE ALL ARE EXPECTED TO COMPLY WITH AND IF WE DON'T THE RESULT WILL BE A PREDICTABLE ONE.
- MY DEFINITION OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY GOES FURTHER. BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT, AS A TEAM, WE ARE BETTER WHEN WE ALL PERFORM AT OUR BEST WE WANT TO HELP EVERYONE DO JUST THAT....BE AT THEIR BEST. THAT MEANS EQUAL ACCESS TO TRAINING, TO CHALLENGING WORK, TO ALL THE THINGS THAT LEAD TO SUCCESS. RACE, RELIGION AND GENDER SIMPLY DO NOT ENTER INTO THE DISCUSSION. THE KEY HERE IS THAT WE WANT EVERYONE, REPEAT, EVERYONE TO BE JUST AS GOOD AS THEY CAN BE AND WE WILL NOT LET ANYTHING GET IN THE WAY OF THAT GOAL. IF WE ALL SIGN UP TO THAT DEFINITION OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OUR NAVY WILL CONTINUE TO GET BETTER AND BETTER AS OUR PEOPLE GROW AND SUCCEED. THIS WILL BE THE STANDARD WHILE I AM CNO.
NOW, YOU AND I KNOW THAT IT ISN'T A PERFECT WORLD. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MAKE MISTAKES. SOMETIMES THE MISTAKES WILL BE JUST THAT, SMALL ERRORS THAT THE PERSON DIDN'T REALLY MEAN. SOMETIMES THEY WILL BE REALLY BIG ONES REACHING UP TO THE LEVEL OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. WE WILL SEE THESE EXTREMES AND EVERYTHING IN THE MIDDLE. I WISH THAT WAS NOT TRUE BUT IT IS. WE HAVE A BIG NAVY AND THERE WILL BE SOME WHO DON'T GET THE WORD EVEN AS THE VAST MAJORITY OF US ARE JUST TRYING TO GET IT RIGHT. HOW WE DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES IS IMPORTANT. WE MUST BE FAIR, APPROPRIATELY FAST AND ALWAYS JUST IN OUR HANDLING OF THESE CASES. WE MUST ALSO BE SENSITIVE. CASES THAT INVOLVE PERSONAL MATTERS ARE OFTEN VERY DIFFICULT FOR BOTH ACCUSER AND ACCUSED. THOSE IN AUTHORITY MUST HAVE THE LEADERSHIP CAPABILITY TO STAND BACK A LITTLE AND SEE THE ISSUES CLEARLY SO THAT BOTH ACCUSER AND ACCUSED ARE PROTECTED DURING THE PROCESS. PROVIDED THE PROCESS OF DEALING WITH THE ISSUE IS CORRECT, PROVIDED THE PEOPLE INVOLVED ARE TREATED FAIRLY AND WITH SENSITIVITY, AND PROVIDED THE OUTCOME IS THE CORRECT ONE BASED ON THE FACTS, THEN WE HAVE DONE IT RIGHT. IF ALL THESE ELEMENTS ARE NOT THERE WHEN WE HAVE FINISHED THEN WE HAVE NOT DONE IT RIGHT AND WE HAVE NOT TRULY TAKEN CARE OF ALL OUR PEOPLE. I EXPECT US TO TAKE CARE OF ALL OUR PEOPLE, ALL THE TIME.
LET ME SHIFT SUBJECTS FOR A MOMENT. OUR NAVY IS GETTING SMALLER. IT IS ALSO GETTING BETTER. AS WE RETIRE OLDER SHIPS AND FOCUS ON NEWER ONES, NEWER AIRCRAFT, NEWER CAPABILITIES, WE ARE GOING TO SEE OUR MISSION EFFECTIVENESS GROW. I AM CONVINCED THAT WE ARE DOING THIS THE SMART WAY. I HAVE TALKED WITH SECNAV AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT, AS WE GET SMALLER, HE AND I ARE TOGETHER ON THE ISSUE OF DEPLOYMENT LENGTH AND FREQUENCY. WE HAVE A GREAT NAVY BUT, AS IT GETS SMALLER, IT SIMPLY CANNOT GET IN AN OPERATING MODE WHERE DEPLOYMENTS ARE TOO LONG. I AM COMMITTED TO OUR PRESENT OPTEMPO/PERSTEMPO GOALS AND WILL MAINTAIN THEM.
GOOD EQUIPMENT, PROPER TRAINING, ENOUGH PRACTICE, COUPLED WITH NEEDED MAINTENANCE AND SPARE PARTS ARE WHAT READINESS IS MADE OF. THIS, LIKE MOST EVERYTHING ELSE, IS A PEOPLE ISSUE TOO. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ALL OF THESE THINGS YOU RUN THE RISK OF TRYING TO DO TASKS AND MISSIONS YOU ARE NOT REALLY PREPARED TO DO. THAT IS WHEN ACCIDENTS HAPPEN AND PEOPLE GET HURT. THAT IS WHEN WE FAIL TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS. I WILL WORK HARD ON MY END AND I EXPECT YOU TO WORK HARD ON YOUR LEVEL TO SEE THAT WE GET YOU WHAT YOU NEED AND THAT YOU MAKE THE MOST OF IT.
WE ARE GOING TO GET NEW SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT. WE HAVE TO IF OUR NAVY IS TO STAY READY IN THE FUTURE. I DON'T WANT THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE GOING TO BE AROUND LONG AFTER I HAVE RETIRED TO BE DRIVING SHIPS AND FLYING AIRPLANES THAT ARE LESS CAPABLE THAN THOSE YOU MIGHT HAVE TO GO AGAINST. I HAVE LOOKED AT OUR PROCUREMENT PROGRAMS DURING MY TURNOVER TIME WITH ADMIRAL KELSO AND THEY ARE ON TRACK. WE NEED THEM.
OUR FOCUS ON BEING PART OF A TEAM WITH THE MARINE CORPS AND ON JOINT WARFARE TRAINING AND OPERATIONS WILL CONTINUE AND WILL GROW DURING MY TIME AS CNO. IT IS THE WAY THINGS WILL BE DONE IN THE FUTURE, IN FACT IT IS THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE TODAY. THERE ARE VERY FEW OPERATIONS TODAY THAT ARE SINGLE SERVICE SO WE WILL CONTINUE PROGRESS WE HAVE MADE IN JOINT WARFIGHTING AND LOOK FOR WAYS TO MAKE EVEN MORE.
AS WE GET SMALLER THERE IS A REAL NEED FOR GOOD IDEAS. THE SMARTEST PEOPLE ABOUT ANY SUBJECT ARE USUALLY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE WORK. THAT IS TRUE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT JOINT WARFIGHTING, DETERMINING HOW TO EMPLOY A WEAPON, RUNNING AN OFFICE OR CLEANING A SPACE. THE MORE INVOLVED EACH OF US IS IN WHAT WE DO, THE MORE EACH PERSON IS EMPOWERED TO MAKE REASONED INPUTS, THE MORE WE LISTEN, THE BETTER OUR NAVY WILL BE. I WILL SUPPORT TQL JUST AS I HAVE IN PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENTS. OUR USE OF TQL MUST IMPROVE SO THAT WE GET THE MOST FROM THIS BETTER WAY OF DOING THINGS.
THIS MESSAGE IS ALREADY TOO LONG IF I EXPECT YOU TO REALLY READ IT. IT WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE HOWEVER IF I DID NOT MENTION QUALITY OF LIFE. I EXPECT TO SPEND A GREAT DEAL OF TIME ON QOL ISSUES AND I EXPECT OTHER LEADERS TO CONTINUE TO DO THE SAME. QOL WILL BE THE SUBJECT OF MUCH DISCUSSION AND OTHER MESSAGES SO I WON'T GO INTO DETAIL HERE EXCEPT TO SAY THAT MY DEFINITION OF QOL MAY BE JUST A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN SOME OTHERS. QOL IS REALLY A MUCH LARGER ISSUE THAN JUST MWR, OR HOUSING, OR EXCHANGES, ETC. IT IS A TOTAL ENVIRONMENT IN THE WORKPLACE AND EVERYWHERE ELSE THAT WE, THE NAVY, IMPACT THAT MUST BE RIGHT IF QOL IS TO BE ADEQUATE.
FINALLY, I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SOME WHO READ THIS WILL SAY, I AM A VERY GOOD LEADER...WHY IS HE TELLING ME ALL THIS STUFF I ALREADY KNOW ABOUT AND ALREADY DO? IN TRUTH, I HOPE EVERYONE WHO READS THIS FEELS THAT WAY. I ALSO HOPE IT IS TRUE BECAUSE IF IT IS WE ARE ALMOST PERFECT. IF IT ISN'T TRUE TODAY, I REALLY HOPE IT WILL BE TOMORROW. TAKE CARE. I AM PROUD TO BE YOUR CNO. ALL THE BEST, ADMIRAL MIKE BOORDA.
Hat tip Mike.
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