The incoming chief of naval operations Adm. Jon Greenert's tenure as chief of naval operation is up and Adm. John Richardson is taking the reigns as the Navy's top officer, and he has his work cut out for him.
Many sailors are discouraged that their ratings have been shut-out of re-enlistment bonuses for years. Others said the computers and websites sailors need to do their jobs are slow, not user-friendly, and require too many passwords. Some complained that uniform items as common as the Navy working uniform and the boots that go with it are uncomfortable.
The fleet is struggling to shorten deployments and make them predictable. enact a new deployment plan that promises to get ships manned, trained and equipped faster and cut deployment lengths. The service is facing an enormous bill for replacing its fleet of ballistic missile subs that leaders worry will strip other communities of its own modernization money. And the ballooning cost or pay and compensation for service members is forcing leadership to consider changes to the system that has troops worried about having their income slashed in favor of paying for new weapons.
These were among the foremost issues that Navy Times readers would like Adm. John Richardson to address as he takes over mid-September and grapples with challenges that also range from shortening deployments to building the next fleet of ballistic missile subs and addressing retention shortfalls. With these and many other challenges facing Richardson, Navy Times asked our readers what suggestions they have for the Navy's new top dog, and what changes they'd like to see enacted over the next few years.
The suggestions were all over the map, from practical uniform fixes to long-shots like double pay for sailors because they are always on watch (yeah, right). Questions about these suggestions were referred to personnel officials, who said they were working on items like more comfortable boots and improving Navy IT systems.
"We appreciate and welcome feedback from your readers, which helps inform our work and make better policy decisions that support our Sailors and their families," said Chief of Naval Personnel spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Christensen. "Many of these issues aren't new, and are ones that senior Navy leadership, including Vice Adm. [Bill] Moran have heard from the Fleet. During his transition period, Adm. Richardson is being briefed on a variety of issues including those that are concerns of Sailors like these."
The seven most pressing changes sailors want now: seven suggestions we got from sailors:
Several sailors called for uniform changes including two sailors chimed in looking for new boots.
"We need better boots," said Robert Eastman. "Anyone tried running in them nasty heavy clunky things? Let us pick our own boots like we did in the utilities. I stay in the office so I don't have to walk anywhere because the boots suck so bad."
Sailors have repeatedly griped about the steel-toed 9-inch boots worn with the blue-and-gray Navy working uniform, as well as old-fashioned boondockers typically worn with coveralls. These footwear are designed to protect your feet from falling tools and red-hot decks, but sailors say they're just plain uncomfortable.
Justin Inman said it's high time the Navy's boots got with the times.
"It's about time we got some boots that are comfortable," he wrote on the Navy Times' Facebook page. "It's the 21st century and our boots are hands down the worst out of all the services."
The Army allows soldiers to select their own boots from bootmakers like Danner and Belleville.
Sailors generally have two options for boots worn with the Navy working uniform: the issued boondockers, which need to be shined, and the rough-out boots only authorized on shore duty that need regular cleaning. Sailors on the flight deck also have boots that can be worn.
Christensen said the current boot choices were designed for functionality and safety, but that the Navy is looking at ways to improve them. how to improve on them.
"We are looking at the design of our boots to see if there are possible design improvements that can be made to improve performance and comfort," he said.
2. Ditch the NWU
Blue cammies remain a love-it or leave-it item. Once designed to be the fleet's mainstay uniform, worn ashore and at sea, some sailors called it uncomfortable and a break from tradition. There's also the problem that, due to a susceptibility of melting in a fire, the Navy working uniform is no longer worn at sea. underway. NWU also took some flak from sailors, who called it uncomfortable and a break from Navy tradition.
Sailors and officers should be issued one uniform that can be worn at work and underway, one officer urged.
"We need to get rid of the NWUs and the utility coveralls (and the fire-retardant variant). We need one uniform that can be worn shipboard and ashore," wrote Lt. Graig Withrow, a surface warfare officer recently returned from a tour in Bahrain. "I recommend a uniform more akin to the Coast Guard's [Operational Dress]utility uniform. Something more lightweight, simple, and functional."
Withrow also advocated creating clear visual differences the uniforms worn by chief and officers, compared to those worn by E-1 to E-6.between chiefs and officers and the E-1 to E-6 uniforms, Withrow wrote.
Ditching the NWU has been much on the mind of leadership recently. The outgoing CNO, Adm. Jon Greenert, has been pitching that very same Coast Guard-style uniform as a potential upgrade to or inspiration from the NWU, and the Navy is currently exploring options to develop something that would look more like a flight suit, according to leaders who spoke to Navy Times earlier this spring.
Greenert said In a recent interview with Navy Times, Greenert said that forthcoming issuing of the improved version of flame-resistant variant coveralls arewas a step towards getting a uniform more along the lines of the Coast Guard model. The service recently moved to limit the NWU seabag requirement to three sets, Christensen noted. In the mean time, Christensen noted that the FRVs have triggered the Navy to pare back on the requirement for the NWUs.
"We continuously look at requirements for Sailors' uniforms and sea bag requirements," he said. "The wear of flame resistant coveralls on ships has reduced the need for NWU type I to three sets from four."
3. More re-up bonuses
Nukes and SEALs typically hit the jackpot when they re-enlist. Meanwhile gunner's mates, masters-at-arms and many other ratings don't see get zilch. As the economy improves, that's gotta change, sailors say. other ratings, like gunner's mate or Sailors also want to see more bonuses for more people.
One sailor said it's ridiculous that two sailors of the same rank, who work closely together, can make radically different paychecks because one got a big signing bonus and the other didn't.
"An [aviation structural mechanic second class] gets $10k for four more years but an [aviation machinist's mate second class] doesn't get [anything]???," wrote Fish. "Get … real."
Patrick Acosta agreed: "Selective reenlistment bonus for every rate and every zone," he wrote.
The Navy isn't promising anyone anything, but officials have said they'd like to spread the re-up dough across more ratings. on this one, saying that the point of SRBs is to try and keep critical skills in critical manning areas.
"SRB award levels are adjusted as reenlistment requirements for specific ratings and skill sets are met," Christensen said. "We continuously monitor the force's manning, and our community mangers make SRB recommendations to leadership, in order to maintain healthy manning levels across the Fleet."
Sailors want Richardson to lift the decades-long ban on beards.
Photo Credit: Alan Lessig/Staff
It's been more than 30 years since the Navy ordered cleanly shorn faces all around. But with everyone from hipsters in Brooklyn to Goldman Sachs Chairman Lloyd Blankfein sporting beards, sailors says it's time to dump the ban on beards. are saying it's time for the three decade ban to be lifted.
"We're past the point in our society where long hair and beards are considered unprofessional," wrote David Torrey on the Navy Times Facebook page.
Another sailor wrote in to say that it would be a good idea to at least let sailors grow beards on shore duty for morale purposes.
If the Navy were to allow beards, it would be the only U.S. military service to do so. That's not without precedent. In the early 1970s, legendary CNO Adm. Elmo Zumwalt opened the floodgates for sailor beards, a decision that was walked back by subsequent service chiefsCNOs. By the end of 1984, then-CNO Adm. James Watkins put the kibosh on beards once and for all. (No-shave chits are typically OK'd for sailors whose faces break out after shazing, and they're also a morale boost on deployments.) Some ships still temporarily allow no-shave chits
Don't expect to start growing that beard anytime soon, a change on this policy any time soon, though.
"We are not looking at changing this policy right now," Christensen said.
5. Promote better leadership
Sailors frequently complain that too many are getting promoted for their volunteer work, rather than their about equity in who gets promoted and that too much emphasis is placed on volunteerism and not on technical expertise.
Tino Huizar wrote that the Navy should promote leaders who value their people and not just performance evaluations.
"Train a different type of leadership," he wrote. "Everyone is about their stupid eval, themselves and not others. When I first came in, people cared for each other. It wasn't a game, or a race to put on anchors.
"I got ridiculed for saying I'm not chasing anchors, it was somehow translated that I will make it a priority when it's important to me. I'll own that, because what's important to me is the wellbeing of my fellow workers and their accomplishments. Everyone is so worried about evals and anchors that they forget to stop and think about the E-3 Joe Smuckatelly."
Charles Deering agreed with Huizar, saying that it seems to him the Navy is promoting people because of collateral duties instead of in-rate expertise.
"I keep seeing good Sailors get booted for [high year tenure], while the most worthless guy in the shop is fast-tracked to Chief because he is good at the 'Navy carwash bake sale MWR birthday picnic' circus but can't even do the basics of his job," Deering wrote.
And while its promoting more experts, Huizar called for the Navy should do more to shed dead weight in the chief's mess, Huizar wrote.
"Speed up the senior enlisted review board," he wrote, referring to a semi-regular review of the performance records of senior enlisted that generally separates those with performance or disciplinary issues. "We have too many crusty chiefs just collecting a pay check and taking up space for others to advance. If you're not excelling as a chief, you gotta go."
This complaint has been heard at CNP and its one that Vice Adm. Bill Moran is working on by trying to give commanding officers more say over who gets promoted at commands. In July, CNP rolled out the Meritorious Advancement Program that effectively doubled the number of promotions a CO could dish out in any given year.
Christensen said that empowering COs was the way to get more equity in the promotions system.
"We want to empower commanders by providing tools to recognize and reward most promising Sailors," he said. "Empowering command triads to advance their best people will allow the advancement of those high performing Sailors that should be given opportunity to move upward."
6. Don't punish mistakes
A common complaint among the officer corps is that the Navy is perpetuating a zero-defect culture, one where a single serious mistake ends your career.
The negative effects of the so-called zero-defect culture in the Navy was one of the main contentions of a paper published in 2014 by Cmdr. Guy Snodgrass, an aviator currently stationed in Japan, who said it was a main factor in a coming retention crisis facing the aviation community specifically, and the Navy generally.
To Withrow, the surface warfare officer, this is a break from Navy tradition, where heroes such as the Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz — who as a junior officer ran a destroyer escort aground — have been given second chances and gone on to greatness.
"Let Captain's command their ships/squadrons, and understand that sometimes things go wrong," Withrow said. "Captain's are so afraid of being fired over anything now that they are now afraid to make decisions, take decisive action, and embody that traditional spirit that I think most of the public would associate with a Navy Captain."
There's a lot of debate, however, about whether the Navy is a zero-defects culture. It's a another complaint CNP hearsgets a lot, but Christensen pushed back on the notion that this culture had taken hold. the Navy had a zero-defect culture.
"While standards are high, we have not adopted a zero-defect mentality," he said. "Everyone makes mistakes. We do, however, expect the best of our leadership. While we want officers to be able to learn from errors we want to ensure they understand the need to meet the highest standards."
7. Improve IT systems
Sailors depend on computer access for everything from maintenance to training and all sides agree that the IT system and computers used to access it are outdated and burdensome. They stink. Several sailors pointed to the burdensome and outdated IT system, with a website for orders, a website for general military training, a website for pay – all of which, sailors seem to agree, suck.
"Consolidate the dozen websites personnel have to keep up and maintain every 30 days," said reservist Joshua Biddinger, one of the sailors who urged changes now.
Torrey agreed, saying the websites should be intuitive and simple to use.
"Consolidate [Navy Knowledge Online, BUPERS Online, Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System and Career Management System Interactive Detailing] and all these other online resources into [a] website so simple our grandparents can use it (and have actual grandparents test it)," Torrey said.
It's also time to update Navy Marine Corps Intranet as well, Torrey added.
Fixing the Navy's aging and rapidly outdated IT infrastructure is a priority for Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Bill Moran, who has long bemoaned the lack of good data to make personnel decisions, as well as the outdated nature of many of the Navy's key websites. But he's also called for updating the systems mentioned by sailors responding to our callout.
"NKO stinks," Vice Adm. Bill Moran said in an April speech. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It's too slow. It's burdensome. … We need to move completely off that system, but we need to capture it in a different way."
But CNP is all over this one and, Christensen said, sailors should start seeing some relief from the convoluted and clunkyburdensome IT infrastructure next year as the service rolls out the My Navy Portal program.
"The goal of My Navy Portal is to provide a single portal for Sailors to manage their Navy careers; it's being developed for Sailors by Sailors," he said. "My Navy Portal is scheduled to be ready for initial use early next year, and will be adding capability every few months, turning off other systems and websites along the way. Full MNP capability is scheduled to occur in fiscal year 2019."
David B. Larter was the naval warfare reporter for Defense News.
