“Our Sailors are our greatest asset.”
“We look after our people.”
“We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die.”
That last quote, what does it remind you of?
To me, it sounds like what we were telling ourselves after the deaths of our Sailors – tired, at the tail end of compounded corner cutting, assuming the risk at sea for PPT slides ashore, and doing a questionable mission … because.
We are, on balance, a navy at peace. Have we changed where we place risk yet?
What must a navy and its leaders do in peace? How do you measure a leader’s broader understanding of his responsibilities to his Navy and his Sailors?
What is most important in a navy at peace? Where do you draw a line between one priority or another?
How long do you wait to be told what is right from on high, and given your responsibilities, when do you step forward to do what is right on your own?
Are the rewards being offered to you worth or worthy of actions on your part to achieve them? Should decisions be made for rewards, or in spite of them?
Are these rewards, offered by imperfect people with imperfect information – distant – right, proper, appropriate, and germane to your unit; your Sailors; your conscious …today?
Is there a reward for callousness, or a punishment for virtue – or on the other side of that coin?
Does it matter?
When do you make the call and let men and time judge as they may when they wish – and be damned one way or another?
We have a benchmark this week to answer some of those questions.
I offer to you Captain Brett Crozier, USN, Commanding Officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).
His BLUF is some of the most precise prose by a contemporary Navy leader I have read in … a while.
BLUF: If required the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT would embark all assigned Sailors, set sail, and be ready to fight and beat any adversary that dares challenge the US or our allies. The virus would certainly have an impact, but in combat we are willing to take certain risks that are not acceptable in peacetime. However, we are not at war, and therefore cannot allow a single Sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily. Decisive action is required now in order to comply with CDC and NAVADMIN 083/20 guidance and prevent tragic outcomes.
The whole of his 4-page letter is here,
… we are not at war, and therefore cannot allow a single Sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily.
With apologies to Hillel, the rest is commentary.
Let’s continue to read;
TR is unable to comply with CDC protocols or NAVADMIN 083/20 guidance. … Due to a warship’s inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this. The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating.
Viruses do not care who you are. They don’t care what some distant person’s deployment plan is. They unquestionably don’t care what color a dot is on someone’s readiness slide is.
There is really no other path forward. Imperfect as all other plans, the Skipper of the TR is picking the best way forward and I hope our Navy supports him 100%.
We can do this, the logic is clear.
As war is not imminent, we recommend pursuing the peace time end state.
TR has two primary goals in order to achieve that end state:
a. Prevent unnecessary deaths, reduce the number of Sailors that contract and eliminate future virus spread.
b. Regain and maximize warfighting readiness and capacity as quickly as possible.
…
Decisive action is required. Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US. nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure. A portion of the crew (approximately 10%) would have to stay aboard to run the reactor plant, sanitize the ship, ensure security, and provide for contingency response to emergencies. This is a necessary risk. It will enable the carrier and air wing to get back underway as quickly as possible while ensuring the health and safety of our Sailors. Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board the TR is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those Sailors entrusted to our care.There are challenges associated with securing individualized lodging for our crew. This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do. We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset, our Sailors.
Take time to read this remarkable document. You can get the PDF here.
Take the risk Navy.
We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die.
BZ Skipper.
BZ.
