By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
May 30, 2007 – Today's brand-new Air Force officers need to live up to a higher standard, even though doing so may take them along "a difficult and lonely road," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. nder blue skies at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., Gates spoke to the 976-member graduating class during its commencement ceremony in a packed Falcon Stadium.
Gates told the class that relying on elements of personal virtue will leave the graduates above reproach as leaders.
"There is only one way to conduct yourself in this world, only one way to remain always above reproach," he said. "For a real leader, the elements of personal virtue -- self-reliance, self-control, honor, truthfulness, morality -- are absolute."
Gates noted that this class, the academy's 49th, is one of the first whose candidates began their application process after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And, despite an uncertain future, the candidates chose a military career.
"You knew the dangers of the world you were entering, but you still chose to step forward," the secretary said.
The world is more complicated now than when Gates was commissioned as an Air Force second lieutenant in 1966, he said, adding that the challenges the graduates face will test their "spirit and resolve." But, he said, it is now time for the graduates to put into practice the principles of leadership taught at the academy.
"The time for words has now passed. From this day forward, you will have to demonstrate that you can live up to the standards you were taught," Gates said.
He said the U.S. military is unique in the world in terms of how heavily it relies on the judgment and integrity of its junior officers. The secretary warned the newly commissioned officers that their path as leaders will "rarely, if ever, be easy" and called on them to do the right thing, even if it means personal sacrifice.
Failures of leadership, even in the military, are typically not because of leaders' capabilities, Gates said. Instead, they happen because leaders chose personal gain over the long-term interests of the service.
In a light moment, Gates joked about seeing "dancing cadet" Jeffrey Pelehac's Internet video. Pelehac gained dubious renown when he was a sophmore in 2005 after his roommate placed a candid video of him dancing on the Internet. "Yes, I've seen the video. Don't give up your day job," Gates quipped.
Later in his speech, Gates addressed the same technology that made Pelehac infamous, saying it could work against the graduates as leaders and make the decisions they face even more difficult.
"We live in an age where friends and enemies alike will seek out and focus on any and all mistakes made under great stress, where the irregular battlefield will present life-and-death decisions, often with no good choices," Gates said, "where the slightest error in judgment or even the perception of an error can be magnified many times over the Internet and on TV and circulated around the globe in seconds."
Gates warned the graduates that even their supporters will scrutinize their actions and that expectations are high.
"You can never be content to be merely good citizens," he said. "In everything you do, you must always make sure that you are living up to the highest personal and professional standards of duty, service and sacrifice.
"And when you are called to lead, when you are called to stand in defense of your country in faraway lands, you must hold your values and your honor close to your heart," Gates said. "You must remember that the true measure of leadership is not how you react in times of peace or times without peril.
"The true measure of leadership is how you react when the wind leaves your sails, when the tide turns against you," Gates continued. "If at those times you hold true to your standard, then you will always succeed, if only in knowing you stayed true and honorable."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
LAPPL MAKES SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE THE LAPD
The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League today issued the following statement regarding ways in which the LAPD might improve training and command and control in the wake of the incident in MacArthur Park on May 1st.
"Training is the backbone of good police work. Constant, updated training ensures that officers know not only what to do, but can implement the Department's policies, procedures and expectations for any given incident. The May 1 incident revealed the downside of the Department's cost-based decision over the past several years to abandon introductory training for new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers, and to not train all officers for large tactical situations. Moving forward, the LAPD leadership also needs to evaluate the training of command staff to respond to large demonstrations."
The LAPPL recommends that any command, control and training changes in the wake of theMacArthur Park incident should include the following:
All new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers attend "new person school" in their first deployment period assigned to Metro. Class size should be limited to 18 officers, the maximum number that can effectively be trained at one time.
All Bureau-dedicated officers assigned to the Mobile Field Force (MFF) citywide should attend a Metro-coordinated MFF training class on a quarterly basis. Thereafter, Metro training cadre should conduct random realistic readiness audits of each Bureau MFF.
A clear use-of-force policy regarding the use of batons in crowd control procedures needs to be reiterated as part of on-the-job training and disseminated to MFF officers during pre-event briefings.
All Command officers should be required to attend a full day of crowd control management classes on a yearly basis.
All LAPD officers deployed to a major crowd event should be allowed to carry on their person appropriate safety equipment, including helmet with face shield, batons and protective masks.
Anytime LAPD officers are deployed to a major incident, undercover officers should be deployed into the crowd-however, only for intelligence gathering purposes.
Anytime undercover officers are deployed into the crowd for intelligence gathering purposes, an adequate number of high-ground officers should be utilized.
Media procedures (consistent with the Crespo settlement) should be communicated to all officers assigned to an event during pre-event briefings.
In order for media to be credentialed, members of the media should be required to attend a yearly LAPD media training where they will be informed of proper procedures concerning safe areas. The continued goal of the LAPD should be to provide full and safe access to events in the city.
Officers authorized to use 37 millimeter (less lethal munitions) should receive quarterly or semi-annual training.
Metro officers should continue to test and evaluate modernized protective equipment for crowd control purposes, to ensure that the Department is using the most effective equipment at all times.
Officers assigned to reserve resources at a standby staging area during an event should not be re-assigned to non-event duties until after the event has concluded peacefully and the crowd has cleared.
Endorsing and implementing these measures will help to prevent the repetition of the kind of missteps that were made on May 1.
About the LAPPL
Formed in 1922, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,000 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
"Training is the backbone of good police work. Constant, updated training ensures that officers know not only what to do, but can implement the Department's policies, procedures and expectations for any given incident. The May 1 incident revealed the downside of the Department's cost-based decision over the past several years to abandon introductory training for new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers, and to not train all officers for large tactical situations. Moving forward, the LAPD leadership also needs to evaluate the training of command staff to respond to large demonstrations."
The LAPPL recommends that any command, control and training changes in the wake of theMacArthur Park incident should include the following:
All new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers attend "new person school" in their first deployment period assigned to Metro. Class size should be limited to 18 officers, the maximum number that can effectively be trained at one time.
All Bureau-dedicated officers assigned to the Mobile Field Force (MFF) citywide should attend a Metro-coordinated MFF training class on a quarterly basis. Thereafter, Metro training cadre should conduct random realistic readiness audits of each Bureau MFF.
A clear use-of-force policy regarding the use of batons in crowd control procedures needs to be reiterated as part of on-the-job training and disseminated to MFF officers during pre-event briefings.
All Command officers should be required to attend a full day of crowd control management classes on a yearly basis.
All LAPD officers deployed to a major crowd event should be allowed to carry on their person appropriate safety equipment, including helmet with face shield, batons and protective masks.
Anytime LAPD officers are deployed to a major incident, undercover officers should be deployed into the crowd-however, only for intelligence gathering purposes.
Anytime undercover officers are deployed into the crowd for intelligence gathering purposes, an adequate number of high-ground officers should be utilized.
Media procedures (consistent with the Crespo settlement) should be communicated to all officers assigned to an event during pre-event briefings.
In order for media to be credentialed, members of the media should be required to attend a yearly LAPD media training where they will be informed of proper procedures concerning safe areas. The continued goal of the LAPD should be to provide full and safe access to events in the city.
Officers authorized to use 37 millimeter (less lethal munitions) should receive quarterly or semi-annual training.
Metro officers should continue to test and evaluate modernized protective equipment for crowd control purposes, to ensure that the Department is using the most effective equipment at all times.
Officers assigned to reserve resources at a standby staging area during an event should not be re-assigned to non-event duties until after the event has concluded peacefully and the crowd has cleared.
Endorsing and implementing these measures will help to prevent the repetition of the kind of missteps that were made on May 1.
About the LAPPL
Formed in 1922, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,000 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Air Force General: Academy Served as 'Leadership Laboratory'
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 29, 2007 – When 17-year-old John Corley joined the U.S. Air Force Academy's Class of 1973, his father had already given him some valuable life lessons to tuck under his belt. The Vietnam War was still raging -- along with anti-war sentiment -- when Corley, now a four-star general serving as Air Force vice chief of staff, entered the academy. But he said he never once considered not following in the footsteps laid by Don Corley, his Army Air Corps pilot father.
"It's not just that my dad was an airman," Corley said. "It's that my dad was an airman and had an exquisite set of leadership qualities that were based on character."
Anyone who spent time at the Corley home was bound to hear Don Corley's life philosophy, encapsulated in a series of slogans: "Good, better, best, never let them rest;" or "A job ain't worth doing if it ain't worth doing right."
"I lived a lifetime of quips from my father," the junior Corley said. "I could sit here and recite 10,000 of those phrases from my father over and over again."
Corley said he started to understand the principles behind his father's ditties when he arrived at the Air Force Academy.
"What they speak to is character (and) character development," he said. "They speak to how you treat other people. They talk about inclusiveness and not exclusiveness. They talk about always doing the right thing at the right time."
In short, his father's sayings extolled the same tenets Corley said he learned at the Air Force Academy and on which he's built a successful 34-year Air Force career.
Corley called the academy "a leadership laboratory" where the cadre exposed him and his fellow cadets to "a set of experiences that you just don't find in other places."
"They also provided challenges," he said. "It was a test ... in terms of your development (and) ... your ability to grow and become a leader of character."
Serving in various leadership positions at the academy -- from guidon bearer to first sergeant to squadron commander -- Corley said he got the opportunity to hone his leadership style.
He said he realized that leadership basically boils down to two basic principles: "One, you have to have a vision of where you want the organization to go, because if you don't know where you want to go, any path will do," he said.
"And the next thing is, you need to build consensus and convince ... the people of an organization to go where it is you want them to go -- and arrive thinking that it was their idea," he said.
Corey said he also learned the importance of being able to make a decision and stick to it, a critical skill he said he's drawn on throughout his career.
As he developed his leadership, Corley said, he came to understand the difference between simply being in command and being a true leader. "People can be issued authority. They can be given a piece of paper that gives them authority. They can command, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are good leaders," he said.
"True leaders recognize that leadership is based on character," he said. "It's not about self. It's about selflessness. It's about service to the nation."
Corley said the Air Force Academy reinforced this lesson, which his father first instilled, and laid a foundation that's served him throughout his career. "I can't count the number of times that the lessons in character that I learned at the academy have applied throughout my life," he said.
"To be a leader, you have to have this thirst, this unquenchable sense of 'How do I make it better, personally and professionally?'" he said. "It all comes down to character, those enduring values of service and integrity and excellence."
Without character, Corley said, leadership falls apart.
"People can have an exquisite data string, a perfect methodology and arrive at a decision, but if it is not founded on the proper values and it isn't underpinned with character, it may not be a decision that any of us would ever want to live with," he said.
"And if we miss that one, it doesn't matter how many informed decisions we make."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 29, 2007 – When 17-year-old John Corley joined the U.S. Air Force Academy's Class of 1973, his father had already given him some valuable life lessons to tuck under his belt. The Vietnam War was still raging -- along with anti-war sentiment -- when Corley, now a four-star general serving as Air Force vice chief of staff, entered the academy. But he said he never once considered not following in the footsteps laid by Don Corley, his Army Air Corps pilot father.
"It's not just that my dad was an airman," Corley said. "It's that my dad was an airman and had an exquisite set of leadership qualities that were based on character."
Anyone who spent time at the Corley home was bound to hear Don Corley's life philosophy, encapsulated in a series of slogans: "Good, better, best, never let them rest;" or "A job ain't worth doing if it ain't worth doing right."
"I lived a lifetime of quips from my father," the junior Corley said. "I could sit here and recite 10,000 of those phrases from my father over and over again."
Corley said he started to understand the principles behind his father's ditties when he arrived at the Air Force Academy.
"What they speak to is character (and) character development," he said. "They speak to how you treat other people. They talk about inclusiveness and not exclusiveness. They talk about always doing the right thing at the right time."
In short, his father's sayings extolled the same tenets Corley said he learned at the Air Force Academy and on which he's built a successful 34-year Air Force career.
Corley called the academy "a leadership laboratory" where the cadre exposed him and his fellow cadets to "a set of experiences that you just don't find in other places."
"They also provided challenges," he said. "It was a test ... in terms of your development (and) ... your ability to grow and become a leader of character."
Serving in various leadership positions at the academy -- from guidon bearer to first sergeant to squadron commander -- Corley said he got the opportunity to hone his leadership style.
He said he realized that leadership basically boils down to two basic principles: "One, you have to have a vision of where you want the organization to go, because if you don't know where you want to go, any path will do," he said.
"And the next thing is, you need to build consensus and convince ... the people of an organization to go where it is you want them to go -- and arrive thinking that it was their idea," he said.
Corey said he also learned the importance of being able to make a decision and stick to it, a critical skill he said he's drawn on throughout his career.
As he developed his leadership, Corley said, he came to understand the difference between simply being in command and being a true leader. "People can be issued authority. They can be given a piece of paper that gives them authority. They can command, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are good leaders," he said.
"True leaders recognize that leadership is based on character," he said. "It's not about self. It's about selflessness. It's about service to the nation."
Corley said the Air Force Academy reinforced this lesson, which his father first instilled, and laid a foundation that's served him throughout his career. "I can't count the number of times that the lessons in character that I learned at the academy have applied throughout my life," he said.
"To be a leader, you have to have this thirst, this unquenchable sense of 'How do I make it better, personally and professionally?'" he said. "It all comes down to character, those enduring values of service and integrity and excellence."
Without character, Corley said, leadership falls apart.
"People can have an exquisite data string, a perfect methodology and arrive at a decision, but if it is not founded on the proper values and it isn't underpinned with character, it may not be a decision that any of us would ever want to live with," he said.
"And if we miss that one, it doesn't matter how many informed decisions we make."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Arizona, Arkansas and Georgia
Editor's Note: One of the police officer's books on leadership may be of interest.
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Four police officers from Arizona, Arkansas and Georgia was added to the website: Bryan Muth; Frank Gillette; Cory Harris; and, Harold Goldhagen.
Bryan Muth was a police officer for the Phoenix Police Department (Arizona). After his retirement in 2005, he began working as a private investigator in the Phoenix area. Bryan Muth is the author of Judging the Police. According to the book description, “the post Rodney King era police officer is more tenuous fearful of citizen complaint or prosecution than ever before in history. The "L" word (liability) is fast becoming the first concern of a cop not public safety. Officers are being reviewed through citizen groups, ADHOC committees, or civil juries whose members only yesterday told a police officer "I wouldn't do your job for a million bucks". Offenders as young as ten years old are trying to intimidate an officer from doing his job by demanding to talk to the officer's supervisor. Unfortunately, it is working! You are not as safe from crime as you would think or that police administrators and politicians would like you to believe.”
Bryan Muth is currently working on his second book, How Near Anarchy. A portion of the proceeds from his second book are slated to go a law enforcement legal defense fund based in Washington, DC, that defends police officers from unwarranted prosecution.
Frank V. Gillette retired from the Arizona Department of Public Safety. He is the author of two books, A Cop’s Diary and Pleasant Valley. In addition to his writing, he apparently stayed alert and involved. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety monthly newsletter, in August 1984, Frank Gillette was gathering firewood west of Young Airport when he saw a large aircraft making its final approach. Frank Gillette also noted unusual activity on nearby roads. He called a narcotics officer and reported the activity, leading to one of the largest cocaine seizures in Arizona history; over 1,370 pounds with a street value of $148 million.
Cory B. Harris has over 13 years of military and law enforcement experience. He has served with The United States Air Force, Little Rock Police Department (Arkansas), United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United States Marshal Service. He has law enforcement training and experience in field training, crime prevention, investigations, operations, apprehension, and protection. He is also a recipient of the Little Rock Police Department’s Medal of Merit. Moreover, he is the first law enforcement official from the state of Arkansas to be added to the website.
Cory B. Harris is the author of Zipper Le Series One: Outlook on Leadership And Liability Issues in the Criminal Justice System. According to the book description, Cory B. Harris’ book, “takes you behind the badge to examine tough issues in the criminal justice system. It tackles civil liability, race, and leadership issues to name a few from the outlook of the author. The author gives examples using his own experiences that are simple and easy to understand to give the reader unique insight. The book contains many case studies, and stories that are interesting yet they have a simple meaning. The book explores how different groups of people look at these issues in different ways, as well as how important it is for criminal justice officials to stay mentally fit.”
Harold Goldhagen is a retired captain from the Atlanta Police Department. He is also the author of Signal 63: Officer Needs Help. According to the book description, “As the Civil Rights Movement changed everything, Atlanta, Georgia could be any city. Cops are cops; people are people; crime is crime. Serving in the police is tough, and Officer Harold's circumstances were anything but ordinary.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 557 police officers (representing 231 police departments) and their 1174 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Four police officers from Arizona, Arkansas and Georgia was added to the website: Bryan Muth; Frank Gillette; Cory Harris; and, Harold Goldhagen.
Bryan Muth was a police officer for the Phoenix Police Department (Arizona). After his retirement in 2005, he began working as a private investigator in the Phoenix area. Bryan Muth is the author of Judging the Police. According to the book description, “the post Rodney King era police officer is more tenuous fearful of citizen complaint or prosecution than ever before in history. The "L" word (liability) is fast becoming the first concern of a cop not public safety. Officers are being reviewed through citizen groups, ADHOC committees, or civil juries whose members only yesterday told a police officer "I wouldn't do your job for a million bucks". Offenders as young as ten years old are trying to intimidate an officer from doing his job by demanding to talk to the officer's supervisor. Unfortunately, it is working! You are not as safe from crime as you would think or that police administrators and politicians would like you to believe.”
Bryan Muth is currently working on his second book, How Near Anarchy. A portion of the proceeds from his second book are slated to go a law enforcement legal defense fund based in Washington, DC, that defends police officers from unwarranted prosecution.
Frank V. Gillette retired from the Arizona Department of Public Safety. He is the author of two books, A Cop’s Diary and Pleasant Valley. In addition to his writing, he apparently stayed alert and involved. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety monthly newsletter, in August 1984, Frank Gillette was gathering firewood west of Young Airport when he saw a large aircraft making its final approach. Frank Gillette also noted unusual activity on nearby roads. He called a narcotics officer and reported the activity, leading to one of the largest cocaine seizures in Arizona history; over 1,370 pounds with a street value of $148 million.
Cory B. Harris has over 13 years of military and law enforcement experience. He has served with The United States Air Force, Little Rock Police Department (Arkansas), United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United States Marshal Service. He has law enforcement training and experience in field training, crime prevention, investigations, operations, apprehension, and protection. He is also a recipient of the Little Rock Police Department’s Medal of Merit. Moreover, he is the first law enforcement official from the state of Arkansas to be added to the website.
Cory B. Harris is the author of Zipper Le Series One: Outlook on Leadership And Liability Issues in the Criminal Justice System. According to the book description, Cory B. Harris’ book, “takes you behind the badge to examine tough issues in the criminal justice system. It tackles civil liability, race, and leadership issues to name a few from the outlook of the author. The author gives examples using his own experiences that are simple and easy to understand to give the reader unique insight. The book contains many case studies, and stories that are interesting yet they have a simple meaning. The book explores how different groups of people look at these issues in different ways, as well as how important it is for criminal justice officials to stay mentally fit.”
Harold Goldhagen is a retired captain from the Atlanta Police Department. He is also the author of Signal 63: Officer Needs Help. According to the book description, “As the Civil Rights Movement changed everything, Atlanta, Georgia could be any city. Cops are cops; people are people; crime is crime. Serving in the police is tough, and Officer Harold's circumstances were anything but ordinary.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 557 police officers (representing 231 police departments) and their 1174 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Army Reserve Chief Applies Business Lessons to Military Force
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 25, 2007 – As an operations manager for Proctor and Gamble, Army Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz strived to recruit the best new workers, get them trained for their jobs, then retain them so they didn't take their skills and experience elsewhere. That's similar to the challenge Stultz faces now, serving as the Army Reserve chief during a four-year leave of absence from his civilian job.
"I come from the business world, and there are a whole lot of similarities," Stultz told American Forces Press Service during an interview marking his one-year anniversary leading the Army Reserve.
So when Stultz assesses the Army Reserve and its requirements, he tends to think as much like a businessman as a three-star general.
When it comes down to the product, Stultz said the Army Reserve is the best it's ever been in his entire 33 years of service. "It's the most professional, best-quality, best-trained force I've seen," he said.
Visiting deployed Army Reserve soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kosovo, and just last week in Panama and Belize, Stultz said, he's struck by what they bring to their mission.
"It's just inspiring to see the quality, the dedication and the professionalism of the soldiers we've got," he said. "When you talk about the quality of the force, these are top-notch individuals that we have in our force."
Stultz knows firsthand what these soldiers have left behind to deploy; since leaving active duty to join the Army Reserve in 1979, he was deployed for Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991, for Operation Joint Endeavor in 1997 and for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom from 2002 to 2004.
"Wherever I go, I see soldiers who, over and over again, have put their civilian careers on hold," he said. "They are well educated, have got a very bright future ahead of them, but they joined our ranks in the Army Reserve so they can serve their country."
The soldier in Stultz understands that most joined the Army Reserve out of patriotism. But the businessman in him knows that to keep them in the force, the Army Reserve will need to keep giving them fulfilling training and missions, a fair benefits package and more balance in their lives.
With more than 170,000 Army Reservists mobilized since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the force is more experienced than ever before, Stultz said.
Troops feel good about what they've accomplished and proven about the Army Reserve, but simply can't keep up the current operational pace, he said. They need more time at home with their families and civilian employers between deployments, and they need predictability about when they will deploy.
"We have got to put some predictability and some dwell time back in their life, because they can't keep going at this tempo," he said. "They have got to be able to get back home, back to their civilian jobs, back to the family life that they want."
In short, Stultz said, the Army Reserve needs to give its citizen-soldiers a bit more time to be "citizens."
He expressed optimism that the new Army Force Generation model will go a long way toward that goal. The model will set a cycle for reservists to deploy, return home, then get time at home and the opportunity to prepare for another deployment.
As he considers ways to bring balance to the "soldier-citizen" equation, Stultz also spends a lot of time trying to come up with better ways to keep troops in the force and to compensate them for their service.
After all, he said, it doesn't matter how strong the force is if you don't have soldiers who want to be a part of it.
Twenty-five years at Proctor and Gamble taught Stultz a lot about what motivates employers, and he'd like to see some of the same practices that work so well in the private sector applied in the military.
New employees, like new troops, are typically more interested in hearing about up-front cash payments than long-term benefits, he said. Mid-level workers, like mid-career soldiers, commonly want to know more about other benefits, particularly health care. Those toward the end of their careers, whether in the private sector or military, begin to think a lot about retirement benefits.
"At Proctor and Gamble, when you talked to an employee you were trying to retain, you looked at where they were in their life," he said. "And the same thing really does apply when you think about retaining a soldier."
Stultz said he'd like to see compensation packages better tailored to fit a particular soldier's interest.
For example, rather than automatically offering an up-front $15,000 re-enlistment bonus, the Army Reserve might give the soldier the option of applying that money somewhere else, he said. It could go toward pre-paying health insurance premiums, put into a retirement 401 plan or even pay off a child's college tuition costs through a program negotiated with the state.
Similarly, he said he'd like to see health-care programs better tailored to troops' particular needs. He's a big fan of a "continuity of care" concept that would prevent reserve troops from having to flip back and forth between their employers' and the military's systems when they deploy and return home.
"If we are truly going to have an operational force in the reserve components, if we are truly going to say to expect to be mobilized on a repeated basis on a regular frequency, we can't keep requiring the soldier to change medical plans every five years," he said. "We just can't keep doing that."
Stultz noted that changing medical plans affects entire families. "That is too much turmoil and stress on the family," he said.
He's considered ways to prevent this, possibly by having the military work with employers to share the cost of continuing corporate health-care benefits while a soldier is mobilized. Another option might be for the military to extend Tricare benefits for reservists to reservists who don't have health insurance elsewhere or at a lower cost than they can get it from their employers.
That could be a big enticement for civilian employers, particularly those in small business, to want to hire reservists, he said.
Stultz said he's "trying to explore all avenues right now" to come up with the best recommendation for providing health care to Army reservists on an ongoing basis.
He also likes the concept of a "continuum of service" that would enable soldiers to move between the active and reserve component during their military careers. This would enable soldiers to continuing serving as their life situation changes.
As a result, he said, the military would be able to retain their skills and experience, and they'd have the flexibility to continue serving and, if they choose to, to continue working toward a military retirement. Stultz noted that it could take them 35 years to acquire 20 active-duty years, but that they'd have that opportunity if they chose to pursue it.
As he considers incentives that have proven successful in corporate America and considers how they might work in the Army Reserve, Stultz is also eyeing the military retirement plan.
The current plan provides a retirement for reserve troops with 20 years of service, but they have to reach age 60 before collecting it. Stultz said he favors the idea of lowering the age, but only if it's tied into serving beyond 20 years.
He's intrigued by the concept of allowing reservists to draw retirement six months early for every year they serve beyond 20. Based on this formula, troops who served 22 years could draw it at age 59. Those with 26 years of service could draw it at 57. Those who stay 30 years - which Stultz recommends as the cap - could draw their retirement at age 55.
"So I would get 10 more years of service out of that individual, for five years of early retirement," he said.
One year into the job, Stultz said he recognizes he's got a lot on his plate, and that the concepts he's exploring are somewhat revolutionary to the military. But he said he's convinced that the corporate sector has some important lessons to offer. Much of it, he said, boils down to attracting, training and retaining the best people possible.
After all, he said, people are the bottom line in a successful Army.
"Training and equipping isn't important if you don't have any soldiers to train and equip," he said. "To me, manning the force and sustaining that is really the first priority."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 25, 2007 – As an operations manager for Proctor and Gamble, Army Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz strived to recruit the best new workers, get them trained for their jobs, then retain them so they didn't take their skills and experience elsewhere. That's similar to the challenge Stultz faces now, serving as the Army Reserve chief during a four-year leave of absence from his civilian job.
"I come from the business world, and there are a whole lot of similarities," Stultz told American Forces Press Service during an interview marking his one-year anniversary leading the Army Reserve.
So when Stultz assesses the Army Reserve and its requirements, he tends to think as much like a businessman as a three-star general.
When it comes down to the product, Stultz said the Army Reserve is the best it's ever been in his entire 33 years of service. "It's the most professional, best-quality, best-trained force I've seen," he said.
Visiting deployed Army Reserve soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kosovo, and just last week in Panama and Belize, Stultz said, he's struck by what they bring to their mission.
"It's just inspiring to see the quality, the dedication and the professionalism of the soldiers we've got," he said. "When you talk about the quality of the force, these are top-notch individuals that we have in our force."
Stultz knows firsthand what these soldiers have left behind to deploy; since leaving active duty to join the Army Reserve in 1979, he was deployed for Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991, for Operation Joint Endeavor in 1997 and for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom from 2002 to 2004.
"Wherever I go, I see soldiers who, over and over again, have put their civilian careers on hold," he said. "They are well educated, have got a very bright future ahead of them, but they joined our ranks in the Army Reserve so they can serve their country."
The soldier in Stultz understands that most joined the Army Reserve out of patriotism. But the businessman in him knows that to keep them in the force, the Army Reserve will need to keep giving them fulfilling training and missions, a fair benefits package and more balance in their lives.
With more than 170,000 Army Reservists mobilized since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the force is more experienced than ever before, Stultz said.
Troops feel good about what they've accomplished and proven about the Army Reserve, but simply can't keep up the current operational pace, he said. They need more time at home with their families and civilian employers between deployments, and they need predictability about when they will deploy.
"We have got to put some predictability and some dwell time back in their life, because they can't keep going at this tempo," he said. "They have got to be able to get back home, back to their civilian jobs, back to the family life that they want."
In short, Stultz said, the Army Reserve needs to give its citizen-soldiers a bit more time to be "citizens."
He expressed optimism that the new Army Force Generation model will go a long way toward that goal. The model will set a cycle for reservists to deploy, return home, then get time at home and the opportunity to prepare for another deployment.
As he considers ways to bring balance to the "soldier-citizen" equation, Stultz also spends a lot of time trying to come up with better ways to keep troops in the force and to compensate them for their service.
After all, he said, it doesn't matter how strong the force is if you don't have soldiers who want to be a part of it.
Twenty-five years at Proctor and Gamble taught Stultz a lot about what motivates employers, and he'd like to see some of the same practices that work so well in the private sector applied in the military.
New employees, like new troops, are typically more interested in hearing about up-front cash payments than long-term benefits, he said. Mid-level workers, like mid-career soldiers, commonly want to know more about other benefits, particularly health care. Those toward the end of their careers, whether in the private sector or military, begin to think a lot about retirement benefits.
"At Proctor and Gamble, when you talked to an employee you were trying to retain, you looked at where they were in their life," he said. "And the same thing really does apply when you think about retaining a soldier."
Stultz said he'd like to see compensation packages better tailored to fit a particular soldier's interest.
For example, rather than automatically offering an up-front $15,000 re-enlistment bonus, the Army Reserve might give the soldier the option of applying that money somewhere else, he said. It could go toward pre-paying health insurance premiums, put into a retirement 401 plan or even pay off a child's college tuition costs through a program negotiated with the state.
Similarly, he said he'd like to see health-care programs better tailored to troops' particular needs. He's a big fan of a "continuity of care" concept that would prevent reserve troops from having to flip back and forth between their employers' and the military's systems when they deploy and return home.
"If we are truly going to have an operational force in the reserve components, if we are truly going to say to expect to be mobilized on a repeated basis on a regular frequency, we can't keep requiring the soldier to change medical plans every five years," he said. "We just can't keep doing that."
Stultz noted that changing medical plans affects entire families. "That is too much turmoil and stress on the family," he said.
He's considered ways to prevent this, possibly by having the military work with employers to share the cost of continuing corporate health-care benefits while a soldier is mobilized. Another option might be for the military to extend Tricare benefits for reservists to reservists who don't have health insurance elsewhere or at a lower cost than they can get it from their employers.
That could be a big enticement for civilian employers, particularly those in small business, to want to hire reservists, he said.
Stultz said he's "trying to explore all avenues right now" to come up with the best recommendation for providing health care to Army reservists on an ongoing basis.
He also likes the concept of a "continuum of service" that would enable soldiers to move between the active and reserve component during their military careers. This would enable soldiers to continuing serving as their life situation changes.
As a result, he said, the military would be able to retain their skills and experience, and they'd have the flexibility to continue serving and, if they choose to, to continue working toward a military retirement. Stultz noted that it could take them 35 years to acquire 20 active-duty years, but that they'd have that opportunity if they chose to pursue it.
As he considers incentives that have proven successful in corporate America and considers how they might work in the Army Reserve, Stultz is also eyeing the military retirement plan.
The current plan provides a retirement for reserve troops with 20 years of service, but they have to reach age 60 before collecting it. Stultz said he favors the idea of lowering the age, but only if it's tied into serving beyond 20 years.
He's intrigued by the concept of allowing reservists to draw retirement six months early for every year they serve beyond 20. Based on this formula, troops who served 22 years could draw it at age 59. Those with 26 years of service could draw it at 57. Those who stay 30 years - which Stultz recommends as the cap - could draw their retirement at age 55.
"So I would get 10 more years of service out of that individual, for five years of early retirement," he said.
One year into the job, Stultz said he recognizes he's got a lot on his plate, and that the concepts he's exploring are somewhat revolutionary to the military. But he said he's convinced that the corporate sector has some important lessons to offer. Much of it, he said, boils down to attracting, training and retaining the best people possible.
After all, he said, people are the bottom line in a successful Army.
"Training and equipping isn't important if you don't have any soldiers to train and equip," he said. "To me, manning the force and sustaining that is really the first priority."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Pace: Naval Academy Experience Shaped His Career
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 25, 2007 – Sitting back in his Pentagon office, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, considered three decisions he said dramatically changed his life: to marry Lynne, his wife of 36 years; to join the Marine Corps, and to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md. With the 40th anniversary of his graduation and commissioning ceremony just around the corner, Pace told American Forces Press Service he learned much of what's driven him and his military career on the shores of the Severn River.
He learned to set priorities. "At school, there was always too much to do, and in the Marine Corps, there has always been too much to do," he said. "And therefore, you really have to take the important and set it aside and do the critical."
Also critical, he said, is another lesson from Annapolis that has been reinforced throughout his military service. "The academy taught me the value of teamwork, because there were things at the academy, especially during plebe (the first) year, that you could not possibly get done by yourself," he said. "You needed your roommates to help you get through whatever you were told by the upperclassmen had to be done and in the time they told you it had to be done."
Pace said that lesson transferred readily to his experience as a Marine, especially one headed to Vietnam within months of finishing his Marine Corps Basic School at Quantico, Va. "In combat, there is nothing you do as an individual," he said. "It is all based on teamwork."
It was away from the Naval Academy -- during summer programs aboard a cruiser and a series of destroyers, and while enrolled in aviation and Marine Corps training -- that Pace said he came to appreciate the importance of enlisted leaders.
"Through those summer programs, probably through osmosis more than anything else, I got to watch ... the chiefs in the Navy and noncommissioned officers in the Marine Corps and see how essential they were to the functioning of an effective force," he said.
As he took note of their leadership styles, as well as those of his officers and fellow midshipmen at the academy, Pace said, he came to appreciate "the privilege of leadership" and started to develop his own personal style. "I learned a lot from observing good leadership and from observing bad leadership and through experimentation on my own part, trying things that worked or didn't work for me," he said.
Leadership, he realized, isn't a one-size-fits-all proposition. "I learned at the academy that you can admire somebody's leadership style and emulate it, and sometimes it will work for you and sometimes it won't," he said. "Everybody's personality is different, and you need to understand that just because it works for Captain So-and-So doesn't mean it will work for you. It is not cookie-cutter."
For example, Pace found he was very comfortable walking up to someone, putting his arm around him and simply asking how he was doing. "Well, some folks are not," he said. "And when you try doing something that works for someone else that you're not comfortable with, you know it and everybody else knows it.
"So it is fine to try to emulate the things you admire, but understand that it might not work for you," he said. "And if it doesn't, just stop doing that and do what feels comfortable for you. That way, you come across much more naturally."
As Pace approached graduation and commissioning in 1967 and began to reflect on his Annapolis experience, he said, he had one big regret. "It was apparent that I hadn't done as well as I could have and should have, academically," he said. "I had not taken full advantage of what the academy offered, and I hadn't studied as hard as I should have."
That realization turned out to be Pace's most lasting lesson at the Naval Academy and one that's perhaps had the biggest impact on his career.
"It drove me to decide that when I went into the Marine Corps and I went to the Basic School at Quantico, that I was going to work as hard as I possibly could and learn as much as I could," he said.
Pace said he credits that attitude with helping him forge a successful military career, including his appointment as the first Marine to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"That understanding of not having taken advantage of all that I should have and the decision not to let that happen again in my life has significantly impacted the success I've had," he said. "That is a fundamental part of what I learned at the academy."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 25, 2007 – Sitting back in his Pentagon office, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, considered three decisions he said dramatically changed his life: to marry Lynne, his wife of 36 years; to join the Marine Corps, and to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md. With the 40th anniversary of his graduation and commissioning ceremony just around the corner, Pace told American Forces Press Service he learned much of what's driven him and his military career on the shores of the Severn River.
He learned to set priorities. "At school, there was always too much to do, and in the Marine Corps, there has always been too much to do," he said. "And therefore, you really have to take the important and set it aside and do the critical."
Also critical, he said, is another lesson from Annapolis that has been reinforced throughout his military service. "The academy taught me the value of teamwork, because there were things at the academy, especially during plebe (the first) year, that you could not possibly get done by yourself," he said. "You needed your roommates to help you get through whatever you were told by the upperclassmen had to be done and in the time they told you it had to be done."
Pace said that lesson transferred readily to his experience as a Marine, especially one headed to Vietnam within months of finishing his Marine Corps Basic School at Quantico, Va. "In combat, there is nothing you do as an individual," he said. "It is all based on teamwork."
It was away from the Naval Academy -- during summer programs aboard a cruiser and a series of destroyers, and while enrolled in aviation and Marine Corps training -- that Pace said he came to appreciate the importance of enlisted leaders.
"Through those summer programs, probably through osmosis more than anything else, I got to watch ... the chiefs in the Navy and noncommissioned officers in the Marine Corps and see how essential they were to the functioning of an effective force," he said.
As he took note of their leadership styles, as well as those of his officers and fellow midshipmen at the academy, Pace said, he came to appreciate "the privilege of leadership" and started to develop his own personal style. "I learned a lot from observing good leadership and from observing bad leadership and through experimentation on my own part, trying things that worked or didn't work for me," he said.
Leadership, he realized, isn't a one-size-fits-all proposition. "I learned at the academy that you can admire somebody's leadership style and emulate it, and sometimes it will work for you and sometimes it won't," he said. "Everybody's personality is different, and you need to understand that just because it works for Captain So-and-So doesn't mean it will work for you. It is not cookie-cutter."
For example, Pace found he was very comfortable walking up to someone, putting his arm around him and simply asking how he was doing. "Well, some folks are not," he said. "And when you try doing something that works for someone else that you're not comfortable with, you know it and everybody else knows it.
"So it is fine to try to emulate the things you admire, but understand that it might not work for you," he said. "And if it doesn't, just stop doing that and do what feels comfortable for you. That way, you come across much more naturally."
As Pace approached graduation and commissioning in 1967 and began to reflect on his Annapolis experience, he said, he had one big regret. "It was apparent that I hadn't done as well as I could have and should have, academically," he said. "I had not taken full advantage of what the academy offered, and I hadn't studied as hard as I should have."
That realization turned out to be Pace's most lasting lesson at the Naval Academy and one that's perhaps had the biggest impact on his career.
"It drove me to decide that when I went into the Marine Corps and I went to the Basic School at Quantico, that I was going to work as hard as I possibly could and learn as much as I could," he said.
Pace said he credits that attitude with helping him forge a successful military career, including his appointment as the first Marine to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"That understanding of not having taken advantage of all that I should have and the decision not to let that happen again in my life has significantly impacted the success I've had," he said. "That is a fundamental part of what I learned at the academy."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Gates Offers Leadership Philosophy to Graduating Midshipmen
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 25, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates urged graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy accepting commissions today into the Navy and Marine Corps to apply the lessons they learned here to become strong, decisive leaders who motivate and inspire their sailors and Marines. Speaking to the Class of 2007 at its graduation and commissioning ceremony, Gates thanked the 1,028 graduating midshipmen for choosing to serve the country at a particularly challenging time in its history.
"Today, you take on the awesome responsibility of protecting and defending the constitution of the United States and the American people," he said. "Today we ask you to make the extraordinary the expected. Today, we ask you to lead free men and women by summoning each to his or her nobility."
Gates noted the midshipmen have studied a lot about leadership during their four years in Annapolis, and said he has come to realize that real leadership is a rare commodity.
He offered his personal insights into what makes a leader, citing vision, integrity, conviction, self-confidence, courage and common decency.
Leadership takes vision, Gates told the midshipmen, and the ability to see beyond immediate tasks and challenges to what's ahead. "You must see what others do not or cannot, and then be prepared to act on your vision," he said.
Real leadership also demands integrity, Gates said, acknowledging with dismay that it's a notion many tend to consider curious and old-fashioned.
"For a real leader, personal values - self-reliance, self-control, honor, truthfulness, morality - are absolute," he said. "These are the building blocks of character, of integrity, and only on that foundation can true leadership be built."
Gates called deep conviction another critical leadership quality. "True leadership is a fire in the mind" that's able to transform and transfix others, he said "It is a strength of purpose and belief in a cause that reaches out to others, touches their hearts, and makes them eager to follow."
A true leader exhibits self-confidence, the secretary said. He emphasized that he wasn't referring to "chest-thumping, strutting egotism," but rather, "a quiet self-assurance that allows a leader to give others both real responsibility and credit for success."
A self-confident leader is able to make decisions, then delegate and trust others to carry them out, he said. In doing so, Gates said, the leader "doesn't cast such a large shadow that no one else can grow."
As essential as vision, integrity, deep conviction and self-confidence are to leadership, they aren't enough to make a leader, he told the midshipmen. "A leader must have the courage to act, often against the will of the crowd," he said.
A true leader works as a team, but also must be willing to buck popular opinion and take an independent stand when it's necessary, the secretary said. "Don't kid yourself," he told the midshipmen. "That takes courage."
As the graduates move on to their Navy and Marine Corps careers, Gates reminded them to apply another quality of real leadership: common decency. A true leader treats everyone - superiors, peers and subordinates alike - with fairness, respect and dignity, he said.
Gates urged the graduates to use their authority as military officers constructively to care for their sailors and Marines and help them improve and advance themselves. This, in turn, will build respect and loyalty, he said.
"Common decency builds respect and, in a democratic society, respect is what prompts people to give their all for a leader, even at personal sacrifice," he said.
Gates thanked the graduating midshipmen for choosing to serve the country at a time their country needs them and their leadership abilities.
He noted that most were high school juniors when the United States came under terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, and all could have chosen an easier, less demanding path.
"You, however, are special, because you are among those who have chosen to deserve, to defend the dreams of others," he said. "And that sets you apart."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 25, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates urged graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy accepting commissions today into the Navy and Marine Corps to apply the lessons they learned here to become strong, decisive leaders who motivate and inspire their sailors and Marines. Speaking to the Class of 2007 at its graduation and commissioning ceremony, Gates thanked the 1,028 graduating midshipmen for choosing to serve the country at a particularly challenging time in its history.
"Today, you take on the awesome responsibility of protecting and defending the constitution of the United States and the American people," he said. "Today we ask you to make the extraordinary the expected. Today, we ask you to lead free men and women by summoning each to his or her nobility."
Gates noted the midshipmen have studied a lot about leadership during their four years in Annapolis, and said he has come to realize that real leadership is a rare commodity.
He offered his personal insights into what makes a leader, citing vision, integrity, conviction, self-confidence, courage and common decency.
Leadership takes vision, Gates told the midshipmen, and the ability to see beyond immediate tasks and challenges to what's ahead. "You must see what others do not or cannot, and then be prepared to act on your vision," he said.
Real leadership also demands integrity, Gates said, acknowledging with dismay that it's a notion many tend to consider curious and old-fashioned.
"For a real leader, personal values - self-reliance, self-control, honor, truthfulness, morality - are absolute," he said. "These are the building blocks of character, of integrity, and only on that foundation can true leadership be built."
Gates called deep conviction another critical leadership quality. "True leadership is a fire in the mind" that's able to transform and transfix others, he said "It is a strength of purpose and belief in a cause that reaches out to others, touches their hearts, and makes them eager to follow."
A true leader exhibits self-confidence, the secretary said. He emphasized that he wasn't referring to "chest-thumping, strutting egotism," but rather, "a quiet self-assurance that allows a leader to give others both real responsibility and credit for success."
A self-confident leader is able to make decisions, then delegate and trust others to carry them out, he said. In doing so, Gates said, the leader "doesn't cast such a large shadow that no one else can grow."
As essential as vision, integrity, deep conviction and self-confidence are to leadership, they aren't enough to make a leader, he told the midshipmen. "A leader must have the courage to act, often against the will of the crowd," he said.
A true leader works as a team, but also must be willing to buck popular opinion and take an independent stand when it's necessary, the secretary said. "Don't kid yourself," he told the midshipmen. "That takes courage."
As the graduates move on to their Navy and Marine Corps careers, Gates reminded them to apply another quality of real leadership: common decency. A true leader treats everyone - superiors, peers and subordinates alike - with fairness, respect and dignity, he said.
Gates urged the graduates to use their authority as military officers constructively to care for their sailors and Marines and help them improve and advance themselves. This, in turn, will build respect and loyalty, he said.
"Common decency builds respect and, in a democratic society, respect is what prompts people to give their all for a leader, even at personal sacrifice," he said.
Gates thanked the graduating midshipmen for choosing to serve the country at a time their country needs them and their leadership abilities.
He noted that most were high school juniors when the United States came under terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, and all could have chosen an easier, less demanding path.
"You, however, are special, because you are among those who have chosen to deserve, to defend the dreams of others," he said. "And that sets you apart."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Service Academies Retain Principles, Embrace Change to Train Future Leaders
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – As "ruffles and flourishes" rings through the three U.S. military academies over the next few days, several thousand new graduates will accept their commissions and join the military ranks. These young second lieutenants and ensigns all enrolled in their respective schools -- the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- recognizing they'd graduate into a wartime force.
Most were sophomores in high school when they watched televised images of the Twin Towers falling and the Pentagon burning, then the U.S. going to war in Afghanistan. Most hadn't yet been to their senior proms when the country entered Iraq. This week they'll leave their schoolhouses behind to join their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serving around the world in the war on terror.
To get a better picture of how their schools have prepared them for this calling, American Forces Press Service spoke with their academic deans and alumni who have risen to the senior military ranks.
Here's what they had to say about what has changed at their institutions and what remains fundamental, and how they're helping ensure their graduates are ready for the challenges they'll confront as military officers.
The Basics
Although they're four-year schools like thousands of others that dot the United States, the U.S. service academies stand uniquely apart. All were founded with the specific goal of educating military leaders -- people who understand not just the art and science of war, but also the fundamentals of leadership.
That's a principle the academies have held at their core as they strive to develop what Army Col. Dan Ragsdale, vice dean at West Point and a 1981 graduate, calls "critical thinkers" armed with the education and training they need to think on their feet.
"Our expectations are that these future leaders are going to have to draw on a relatively broad set of skills, backgrounds and experiences to help solve the problems that they are going to confront in ... a greatly ambiguous world in which they are going to have to operate," he said.
To develop those skills, the academies offer curricula that recently retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, a 1973 West Point graduate who went on to lead U.S. Central Command, described as "some of the most challenging in the nation today."
The coursework is steeped in science, math and engineering so graduates are prepared to enter a highly technical military, whether they'll be flying aircraft, serving on nuclear-powered submarines or calling in air strikes as they lead ground forces in combat, explained William Miller, academic dean and provost at the Naval Academy and a 1962 graduate.
"We want to ensure all our graduates have a good, solid technical foundation for serving as an officer in a very, very technically demanding environment," he said.
Equally important, officials agree, is an understanding of the world in which they'll operate. All three academies have expanded their curricula to increasingly focus on regional studies and language skills.
"The kinds of problems that our ... graduates will face are across a broad spectrum, so we have to give them a technological foundation," Ragsdale said. "But we also have to give them a social and cultural perspective around which to address and solve problems. We have to help them understand and appreciate the political aspects of any problem they are trying to address."
More Than Academics
There may be no pat formula for preparing new officers to serve in wartime, but officials agreed it requires more than mastery of academics.
"Our graduates are not going to be historians and mechanical engineers," Miller said. "They are going to be leaders and problem solvers in a very demanding environment."
There's no possible way to train students for every possible situation they'll encounter when they enter military service, the officials agreed.
"That's a given," Ragsdale said. "But because we know that, we have worked to create an environment where they can develop as the adaptable, agile, critical thinkers they need to be to lead the soldiers who will be entrusted to their care."
The academies strive to prepare cadets and midshipmen to look at problems from multiple dimensions and to juggle priorities.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that's one of the biggest lessons he took away from his Naval Academy experience.
"At school, there was always too much to do, and in the Marine Corps, there has always been too much to do," Pace said. "Therefore, you really have to take the important and set it aside to do the critical."
Pace said being bombarded with myriad demands as a midshipman reinforced the importance of teamwork, another principle he said he's carried throughout his career. "In combat, there is nothing you do as an individual," he said. "It's all based on teamwork."
Developing Leaders
While developing their cadets and midshipmen intellectually, the academies also focus on developing them as leaders.
Abizaid said the most important lesson the academies need to instill is "the ability to lead people in a positive, inspirational way."
From their first days at their respective schools, cadets and midshipmen get exposed to valuable lessons in leadership. Initially they observe upperclassmen serving in various leadership positions -- some successfully, some less so. Later, students try their own hand at leadership posts. Through this process, they begin to understand what leadership style works for them, what doesn't, and how they can improve their leadership skills.
Gen. John Corley, Air Force vice chief of staff and a 1973 graduate of the Air Force Academy, described his alma mater as a "leadership laboratory" where cadets exposed him and his fellow cadets to "a set of experiences that you just don't find in other places."
"They also provided challenges," Corley said. "It was a test ... in terms of your development (and) ... your ability to grow and become a leader of character."
"I learned a lot from observing good leadership, and from observing bad leadership, and through experimentation on my own part, trying things that worked or didn't work for me," Pace said of his time at the Naval Academy.
That's the single biggest difference between the military academies and traditional civilian colleges and universities, the deans and alumni agreed.
"Our first and foremost overarching outcome is to commission ... leaders of character who embody our ... core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do," said Brig. Gen. Dana Born, dean of faculty for the Air Force Academy and a 1983 graduate. "It stands at the very foundation of what we do."
Miller said leadership lessons learned at the academies have a long-lasting impact on how graduates confront problems.
"No matter what (military) community our graduates enter, ... they are going to be leaders, and we want to ensure they have a good ethical foundation for the decisions they are going to make," he said.
Educating for the Future
While preparing their cadets and midshipmen for the immediate requirements they'll face as graduates, academy officials say they recognize the need to keep their eyes focused on the horizon.
"We try to stay balanced and not hyper-reactive," Ragsdale said. "We recognize that we're providing a foundation upon which they can develop as successful officers."
"We can't just focus on the fact that we are currently engaged in a shooting war ... and think only about what (midshipmen) are going to need right after graduation," agreed Miller. "We need to look at what (future officers) are going to need for the longer term and recognize that we're preparing them for a career of service."
By approaching education as a "strategic investment," Miller said, the academies are helping students recognize that their education will be just beginning as they accept their commissions.
"We are trying to lay a foundation on which they can build over their career and continue to learn," he said. "That's important, because being in the armed services demands lifetime learning."
Change
The biggest misconception about the academies is that they're so embedded in tradition that they can't or won't change with the times, officials said.
"That is about as far from the truth as you can get," Ragsdale said. "On the contrary, we understand ... that our graduates have to be prepared for a changing world. So while we hold on to our firm foundations upon which the institution was built, we have embraced change to ensure we are providing the kinds of experiences our cadets need to be successful in the world they are going to face when they graduate."
Born described sweeping changes in the Air Force Academy's core curriculum so courses build on previous lessons and broaden students' exposure to new concepts and approaches. The other academies have instituted similar changes.
These changes are helping ensure students have a foundation from which to draw when they graduate into a wartime environment. "We need students to learn and be able to build upon prior learning, as opposed to just teaching and hoping that they remember it when they need it when they are in downtown Baghdad making decisions," Born said.
Intraservice Cooperation
An intensive system of sharing and cooperation is helping the academies evolve to better serve their students' and services' needs. Staffs meet in person and share e-mails regularly to keep each other informed about new initiatives they're trying and what they've learned along the way.
"We are trying to learn from each other in a leap-frog fashion rather than all of us learning linearly and stumbling over the same obstacles," Miller said.
"We have very common goals and a common set of outcomes that we would like all our graduates to achieve," Ragsdale agreed. "So we share those things that have worked, and on the flip side, those initiatives that have not been successful so they can learn from our mistakes."
Born said the academies recognize their similarities and build on each others' strengths. "We ... team together to share lessons learned and best practices. We learn from each other and are able to progress more quickly by sharing our lessons learned," she said.
So despite infamous interservice rivalry in the sports arena, Born said, there's a healthy respect and common understanding among academy students, graduates and staffs.
"When it comes to the football field, there is all kinds of talk and all kinds of competition," she said. "But when it comes right down to it, we are all working toward commissioning officers and leaders of character for our nation."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – As "ruffles and flourishes" rings through the three U.S. military academies over the next few days, several thousand new graduates will accept their commissions and join the military ranks. These young second lieutenants and ensigns all enrolled in their respective schools -- the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- recognizing they'd graduate into a wartime force.
Most were sophomores in high school when they watched televised images of the Twin Towers falling and the Pentagon burning, then the U.S. going to war in Afghanistan. Most hadn't yet been to their senior proms when the country entered Iraq. This week they'll leave their schoolhouses behind to join their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serving around the world in the war on terror.
To get a better picture of how their schools have prepared them for this calling, American Forces Press Service spoke with their academic deans and alumni who have risen to the senior military ranks.
Here's what they had to say about what has changed at their institutions and what remains fundamental, and how they're helping ensure their graduates are ready for the challenges they'll confront as military officers.
The Basics
Although they're four-year schools like thousands of others that dot the United States, the U.S. service academies stand uniquely apart. All were founded with the specific goal of educating military leaders -- people who understand not just the art and science of war, but also the fundamentals of leadership.
That's a principle the academies have held at their core as they strive to develop what Army Col. Dan Ragsdale, vice dean at West Point and a 1981 graduate, calls "critical thinkers" armed with the education and training they need to think on their feet.
"Our expectations are that these future leaders are going to have to draw on a relatively broad set of skills, backgrounds and experiences to help solve the problems that they are going to confront in ... a greatly ambiguous world in which they are going to have to operate," he said.
To develop those skills, the academies offer curricula that recently retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, a 1973 West Point graduate who went on to lead U.S. Central Command, described as "some of the most challenging in the nation today."
The coursework is steeped in science, math and engineering so graduates are prepared to enter a highly technical military, whether they'll be flying aircraft, serving on nuclear-powered submarines or calling in air strikes as they lead ground forces in combat, explained William Miller, academic dean and provost at the Naval Academy and a 1962 graduate.
"We want to ensure all our graduates have a good, solid technical foundation for serving as an officer in a very, very technically demanding environment," he said.
Equally important, officials agree, is an understanding of the world in which they'll operate. All three academies have expanded their curricula to increasingly focus on regional studies and language skills.
"The kinds of problems that our ... graduates will face are across a broad spectrum, so we have to give them a technological foundation," Ragsdale said. "But we also have to give them a social and cultural perspective around which to address and solve problems. We have to help them understand and appreciate the political aspects of any problem they are trying to address."
More Than Academics
There may be no pat formula for preparing new officers to serve in wartime, but officials agreed it requires more than mastery of academics.
"Our graduates are not going to be historians and mechanical engineers," Miller said. "They are going to be leaders and problem solvers in a very demanding environment."
There's no possible way to train students for every possible situation they'll encounter when they enter military service, the officials agreed.
"That's a given," Ragsdale said. "But because we know that, we have worked to create an environment where they can develop as the adaptable, agile, critical thinkers they need to be to lead the soldiers who will be entrusted to their care."
The academies strive to prepare cadets and midshipmen to look at problems from multiple dimensions and to juggle priorities.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that's one of the biggest lessons he took away from his Naval Academy experience.
"At school, there was always too much to do, and in the Marine Corps, there has always been too much to do," Pace said. "Therefore, you really have to take the important and set it aside to do the critical."
Pace said being bombarded with myriad demands as a midshipman reinforced the importance of teamwork, another principle he said he's carried throughout his career. "In combat, there is nothing you do as an individual," he said. "It's all based on teamwork."
Developing Leaders
While developing their cadets and midshipmen intellectually, the academies also focus on developing them as leaders.
Abizaid said the most important lesson the academies need to instill is "the ability to lead people in a positive, inspirational way."
From their first days at their respective schools, cadets and midshipmen get exposed to valuable lessons in leadership. Initially they observe upperclassmen serving in various leadership positions -- some successfully, some less so. Later, students try their own hand at leadership posts. Through this process, they begin to understand what leadership style works for them, what doesn't, and how they can improve their leadership skills.
Gen. John Corley, Air Force vice chief of staff and a 1973 graduate of the Air Force Academy, described his alma mater as a "leadership laboratory" where cadets exposed him and his fellow cadets to "a set of experiences that you just don't find in other places."
"They also provided challenges," Corley said. "It was a test ... in terms of your development (and) ... your ability to grow and become a leader of character."
"I learned a lot from observing good leadership, and from observing bad leadership, and through experimentation on my own part, trying things that worked or didn't work for me," Pace said of his time at the Naval Academy.
That's the single biggest difference between the military academies and traditional civilian colleges and universities, the deans and alumni agreed.
"Our first and foremost overarching outcome is to commission ... leaders of character who embody our ... core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do," said Brig. Gen. Dana Born, dean of faculty for the Air Force Academy and a 1983 graduate. "It stands at the very foundation of what we do."
Miller said leadership lessons learned at the academies have a long-lasting impact on how graduates confront problems.
"No matter what (military) community our graduates enter, ... they are going to be leaders, and we want to ensure they have a good ethical foundation for the decisions they are going to make," he said.
Educating for the Future
While preparing their cadets and midshipmen for the immediate requirements they'll face as graduates, academy officials say they recognize the need to keep their eyes focused on the horizon.
"We try to stay balanced and not hyper-reactive," Ragsdale said. "We recognize that we're providing a foundation upon which they can develop as successful officers."
"We can't just focus on the fact that we are currently engaged in a shooting war ... and think only about what (midshipmen) are going to need right after graduation," agreed Miller. "We need to look at what (future officers) are going to need for the longer term and recognize that we're preparing them for a career of service."
By approaching education as a "strategic investment," Miller said, the academies are helping students recognize that their education will be just beginning as they accept their commissions.
"We are trying to lay a foundation on which they can build over their career and continue to learn," he said. "That's important, because being in the armed services demands lifetime learning."
Change
The biggest misconception about the academies is that they're so embedded in tradition that they can't or won't change with the times, officials said.
"That is about as far from the truth as you can get," Ragsdale said. "On the contrary, we understand ... that our graduates have to be prepared for a changing world. So while we hold on to our firm foundations upon which the institution was built, we have embraced change to ensure we are providing the kinds of experiences our cadets need to be successful in the world they are going to face when they graduate."
Born described sweeping changes in the Air Force Academy's core curriculum so courses build on previous lessons and broaden students' exposure to new concepts and approaches. The other academies have instituted similar changes.
These changes are helping ensure students have a foundation from which to draw when they graduate into a wartime environment. "We need students to learn and be able to build upon prior learning, as opposed to just teaching and hoping that they remember it when they need it when they are in downtown Baghdad making decisions," Born said.
Intraservice Cooperation
An intensive system of sharing and cooperation is helping the academies evolve to better serve their students' and services' needs. Staffs meet in person and share e-mails regularly to keep each other informed about new initiatives they're trying and what they've learned along the way.
"We are trying to learn from each other in a leap-frog fashion rather than all of us learning linearly and stumbling over the same obstacles," Miller said.
"We have very common goals and a common set of outcomes that we would like all our graduates to achieve," Ragsdale agreed. "So we share those things that have worked, and on the flip side, those initiatives that have not been successful so they can learn from our mistakes."
Born said the academies recognize their similarities and build on each others' strengths. "We ... team together to share lessons learned and best practices. We learn from each other and are able to progress more quickly by sharing our lessons learned," she said.
So despite infamous interservice rivalry in the sports arena, Born said, there's a healthy respect and common understanding among academy students, graduates and staffs.
"When it comes to the football field, there is all kinds of talk and all kinds of competition," she said. "But when it comes right down to it, we are all working toward commissioning officers and leaders of character for our nation."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Gates, Pace: Local Leaders Critical to Success in Iraq, Afghanistan
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – Though strengthening the central governments is critical to success in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today, it's also important to build relationships with local leaders who play key roles in their communities. Gtes told Pentagon reporters he's been concerned that the U.S. and coalition efforts in both countries may be focusing too much simply on bolstering the central governments.
He said he has wondered since taking office in December if the focus has stopped short of recognizing the "cultural and historical, provincial, tribal and other entities that have played an important role in the history of both countries."
"I think the reality is that we need to continue our efforts to strengthen the central governments and the ministries in both countries," he said. "But I think reaching out and working with these other groups is also important."
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined Gates in pointing to Iraq's Anbar province an example of what this effort can accomplish.
"It was local leaders in al Anbar who made the decision that they were tired of al Qaeda (and) that they wanted to partner with coalition forces in getting rid of al Qaeda," Pace said. Working together rather than at cross-purposes, these groups have "been able to change the atmosphere in al Anbar significantly," he said.
Pace said the Anbar experience offers a lesson for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The military leadership should be paying attention to the political leadership's decisions and be ready to reinforce and help them as best they can," he said.
Gates said the benefit of this cooperation applies equally in Afghanistan, where "the importance of the village elders and others and the provincial governors is clearly important in progress."
As people tire of violence in their streets, they are more likely to collaborate with forces working to deter them, he said. "When these guys ... get impatient with the Taliban and others trying to muscle their way around their villages and begin to work more closely with (the NATO International Security Assistance Force) and with the Afghan National Army, then I think you begin to see real progress," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – Though strengthening the central governments is critical to success in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today, it's also important to build relationships with local leaders who play key roles in their communities. Gtes told Pentagon reporters he's been concerned that the U.S. and coalition efforts in both countries may be focusing too much simply on bolstering the central governments.
He said he has wondered since taking office in December if the focus has stopped short of recognizing the "cultural and historical, provincial, tribal and other entities that have played an important role in the history of both countries."
"I think the reality is that we need to continue our efforts to strengthen the central governments and the ministries in both countries," he said. "But I think reaching out and working with these other groups is also important."
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined Gates in pointing to Iraq's Anbar province an example of what this effort can accomplish.
"It was local leaders in al Anbar who made the decision that they were tired of al Qaeda (and) that they wanted to partner with coalition forces in getting rid of al Qaeda," Pace said. Working together rather than at cross-purposes, these groups have "been able to change the atmosphere in al Anbar significantly," he said.
Pace said the Anbar experience offers a lesson for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The military leadership should be paying attention to the political leadership's decisions and be ready to reinforce and help them as best they can," he said.
Gates said the benefit of this cooperation applies equally in Afghanistan, where "the importance of the village elders and others and the provincial governors is clearly important in progress."
As people tire of violence in their streets, they are more likely to collaborate with forces working to deter them, he said. "When these guys ... get impatient with the Taliban and others trying to muscle their way around their villages and begin to work more closely with (the NATO International Security Assistance Force) and with the Afghan National Army, then I think you begin to see real progress," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) FY2007
CEDAP Application Period Extended!
Application Deadline: June 29, 2007, 23:59EDT
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) is an important component of the Administration's larger, coordinated effort to strengthen the Nation's overall level of preparedness. CEDAP transfers specialized commercial equipment, equipment training, and equipment technical assistance directly to smaller jurisdictions and eligible metropolitan areas.
TThe FY 2007 CEDAP will provide equipment, equipment training, and equipment technical assistance valued at approximately $33.7 million to first responder organizations across the Nation. This competitive program is a direct assistance program, not a grant program, and FEMA will provide the equipment and technical assistance directly to the selected jurisdictions.
CEDAP's equipment offerings include:
Personal Protective Equipment
Thermal Imaging, Night Vision, and Video Surveillance
Chemical and Biological Detection
Information Technology and Risk Management Tools
Interoperable Communications Equipment/Technology
Eligible Agencies
Eligible applicants include law enforcement agencies, fire, and other emergency responders who demonstrate that the equipment will be used to improve their ability and capacity to respond to a major critical incident or work with other first responders. Awardees must not have received equipment/funding under the Urban Areas Security Initiative or the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program for which the Award Date is October 1, 2005 or later. Awardees that have received grant assistance from FEMA under FEMA's Interoperable Communications Equipment (ICE) program are not eligible for interoperable communications equipment under CEDAP. Organizations must submit applications through the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at www.rkb.mipt.org.
Agencies and departments are allowed to submit only one application per year under CEDAP. Receipt of multiple applications from different divisions or units of the same agency or department will automatically disqualify the applicant from consideration for all CEDAP applications submitted. Applicants should select items from the CEDAP Equipment Catalog that they have been unable to acquire through other DHS programs.
Apply Online
The CEDAP application is online at the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at http://www.rkb.mipt.org/.
You must register as an RKB user before you can access the application form.
For More Information
Prospective applicants should direct any questions regarding CEDAP, the application process, or the awards process to the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at 1-800-368-6498 or via e-mail at askcsid@dhs.gov.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Application Deadline: June 29, 2007, 23:59EDT
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) is an important component of the Administration's larger, coordinated effort to strengthen the Nation's overall level of preparedness. CEDAP transfers specialized commercial equipment, equipment training, and equipment technical assistance directly to smaller jurisdictions and eligible metropolitan areas.
TThe FY 2007 CEDAP will provide equipment, equipment training, and equipment technical assistance valued at approximately $33.7 million to first responder organizations across the Nation. This competitive program is a direct assistance program, not a grant program, and FEMA will provide the equipment and technical assistance directly to the selected jurisdictions.
CEDAP's equipment offerings include:
Personal Protective Equipment
Thermal Imaging, Night Vision, and Video Surveillance
Chemical and Biological Detection
Information Technology and Risk Management Tools
Interoperable Communications Equipment/Technology
Eligible Agencies
Eligible applicants include law enforcement agencies, fire, and other emergency responders who demonstrate that the equipment will be used to improve their ability and capacity to respond to a major critical incident or work with other first responders. Awardees must not have received equipment/funding under the Urban Areas Security Initiative or the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program for which the Award Date is October 1, 2005 or later. Awardees that have received grant assistance from FEMA under FEMA's Interoperable Communications Equipment (ICE) program are not eligible for interoperable communications equipment under CEDAP. Organizations must submit applications through the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at www.rkb.mipt.org.
Agencies and departments are allowed to submit only one application per year under CEDAP. Receipt of multiple applications from different divisions or units of the same agency or department will automatically disqualify the applicant from consideration for all CEDAP applications submitted. Applicants should select items from the CEDAP Equipment Catalog that they have been unable to acquire through other DHS programs.
Apply Online
The CEDAP application is online at the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at http://www.rkb.mipt.org/.
You must register as an RKB user before you can access the application form.
For More Information
Prospective applicants should direct any questions regarding CEDAP, the application process, or the awards process to the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at 1-800-368-6498 or via e-mail at askcsid@dhs.gov.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Gates Challenges Graduates to Answer Call of Public Service
By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
May 20, 2007 – In a commencement speech at his alma mater today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates challenged the graduates of the College of William and Mary to serve the greater good of the nation by voting, volunteering and participating in public service.
"When talking about American democracy, we hear a great deal about freedoms and rights, and more recently, about the entitlements of citizenship," Gates said to the more than 1,700 graduates gathered in the university's William and Mary Hall. "We hear a good deal less about the duties and responsibilities of being an American."
The secretary shared that when attending the university more than 40 years ago, he was instilled with a sense of duty and calling to serve the community and the country. It is a calling rooted in the history and traditions of the 300-year-old institution, he said.
Citing his experience as president of Texas A&M University, followed by his tenure as defense secretary, Gates said that young Americans "are as decent, generous and compassionate as we've ever seen in this country."
Despite this impression, Gates said he found it puzzling that so many young people who are public-minded within their schools and communities are uninterested, and possibly distrustful, of the nation's political processes.
"This country will only progress as a democracy if its citizens - young and old alike - take an active role in its political life as well," Gates said. He told the graduates that if they are unhappy with leaders, then they should go out and elect different ones or run for office themselves.
"But you must participate, or else the decisions that affect your life and the future of our country will be made for you -- and without you," he said, filling the hall with applause.
Gates went on to describe how the world has changed since Sept. 11, 2001, and how serving the nation has taken on a whole new meaning and required a whole new level of risk and sacrifice.
"It is precisely during these trying times that America most needs its best and brightest young people, from all walks of life, to step forward and commit to public service," he said. "Because, while the obligations of citizenship in any democracy are considerable, they are even more profound and more demanding, as citizens of a nation with America's global challenges and responsibilities -- and America's values and aspirations."
Gates praised the hundreds of thousands of young Americans in uniform who have stepped forward to put their lives on the line for their country, such as the ones he has met when traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Seeing what they do every day, and the spirit and good humor with which they do it is an inspiration," he said. "The dangers they face, and the dangers our country faces, make it all the more important that this kind of service be honored, supported and encouraged."
In a pre-commencement ceremony at the university's historic Wren building, Gates thanked Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets for choosing to serve their nation. He reaffirmed the oath of the six graduates from both William and Mary and Christopher Newport University.
"You could've chosen a different path -- something easier or safer or better compensated," he said. "But you chose to serve. You have my deepest admiration and respect -- as secretary of defense, but mostly as a fellow American."
Gates later acknowledged the cadets' commitment during the commencement ceremony, describing them are part of the voluntary military service reaching back to George Washington's Continental Army. He listed other William and Mary alumni who have also answered the nation's call to duty.
"If America is to exercise global leadership consistent with our better angels, then the most able and most idealistic of your generation must step forward and accept the burden and the duty of public service," he said. "I promise that you will also find joy and satisfaction and fulfillment."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
American Forces Press Service
May 20, 2007 – In a commencement speech at his alma mater today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates challenged the graduates of the College of William and Mary to serve the greater good of the nation by voting, volunteering and participating in public service.
"When talking about American democracy, we hear a great deal about freedoms and rights, and more recently, about the entitlements of citizenship," Gates said to the more than 1,700 graduates gathered in the university's William and Mary Hall. "We hear a good deal less about the duties and responsibilities of being an American."
The secretary shared that when attending the university more than 40 years ago, he was instilled with a sense of duty and calling to serve the community and the country. It is a calling rooted in the history and traditions of the 300-year-old institution, he said.
Citing his experience as president of Texas A&M University, followed by his tenure as defense secretary, Gates said that young Americans "are as decent, generous and compassionate as we've ever seen in this country."
Despite this impression, Gates said he found it puzzling that so many young people who are public-minded within their schools and communities are uninterested, and possibly distrustful, of the nation's political processes.
"This country will only progress as a democracy if its citizens - young and old alike - take an active role in its political life as well," Gates said. He told the graduates that if they are unhappy with leaders, then they should go out and elect different ones or run for office themselves.
"But you must participate, or else the decisions that affect your life and the future of our country will be made for you -- and without you," he said, filling the hall with applause.
Gates went on to describe how the world has changed since Sept. 11, 2001, and how serving the nation has taken on a whole new meaning and required a whole new level of risk and sacrifice.
"It is precisely during these trying times that America most needs its best and brightest young people, from all walks of life, to step forward and commit to public service," he said. "Because, while the obligations of citizenship in any democracy are considerable, they are even more profound and more demanding, as citizens of a nation with America's global challenges and responsibilities -- and America's values and aspirations."
Gates praised the hundreds of thousands of young Americans in uniform who have stepped forward to put their lives on the line for their country, such as the ones he has met when traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Seeing what they do every day, and the spirit and good humor with which they do it is an inspiration," he said. "The dangers they face, and the dangers our country faces, make it all the more important that this kind of service be honored, supported and encouraged."
In a pre-commencement ceremony at the university's historic Wren building, Gates thanked Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets for choosing to serve their nation. He reaffirmed the oath of the six graduates from both William and Mary and Christopher Newport University.
"You could've chosen a different path -- something easier or safer or better compensated," he said. "But you chose to serve. You have my deepest admiration and respect -- as secretary of defense, but mostly as a fellow American."
Gates later acknowledged the cadets' commitment during the commencement ceremony, describing them are part of the voluntary military service reaching back to George Washington's Continental Army. He listed other William and Mary alumni who have also answered the nation's call to duty.
"If America is to exercise global leadership consistent with our better angels, then the most able and most idealistic of your generation must step forward and accept the burden and the duty of public service," he said. "I promise that you will also find joy and satisfaction and fulfillment."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Pace Says 'Surge' Progress Will Be Evident by September
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
May 18, 2007 – By September, military officials will have a pretty good feel for whether the "military part" of the president's surge strategy is working, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace said here today. Pace spoke to about 1,000 students and alumni at the 55th annual management conference of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Following his address on leadership, Pace answered questions from the audience.
On the surge, Pace explained that four of the five brigades of about 3,000 to 3,500 troops each that the U.S. military is "plussing up" are currently in Iraq. The fifth is in Kuwait and will be in Iraq by the beginning of June.
"From June until September," he said, "we'll have the opportunity to watch the increased U.S. presence on the ground, and the increased Iraqi unit presence on the ground, and the effect that it has on security, primarily in Baghdad."
The increase in troops is only one part of a three-pronged approach to ending the war in Iraq, he noted.
"Increased troop strength in and of itself is not going to be sufficient," he stressed. "You must have an increase in governance and an increase in economics."
Success in the war on terrorism, Pace said, is not like the success of World War II. The end state will be much more like the current state of a U.S. city, such as Chicago.
"Is there violence here? Yes," he said. "Is there a police force that keeps that violence below a level at which the government can function and the citizenry can go about their daily business? This is what you're looking at with the war on terror. ...
"You'll never stop all terrorist acts," he said. The goal is to have "the security is solid enough so that the government can provide leadership and so the business world can provide jobs so people can prosper."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
American Forces Press Service
May 18, 2007 – By September, military officials will have a pretty good feel for whether the "military part" of the president's surge strategy is working, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace said here today. Pace spoke to about 1,000 students and alumni at the 55th annual management conference of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Following his address on leadership, Pace answered questions from the audience.
On the surge, Pace explained that four of the five brigades of about 3,000 to 3,500 troops each that the U.S. military is "plussing up" are currently in Iraq. The fifth is in Kuwait and will be in Iraq by the beginning of June.
"From June until September," he said, "we'll have the opportunity to watch the increased U.S. presence on the ground, and the increased Iraqi unit presence on the ground, and the effect that it has on security, primarily in Baghdad."
The increase in troops is only one part of a three-pronged approach to ending the war in Iraq, he noted.
"Increased troop strength in and of itself is not going to be sufficient," he stressed. "You must have an increase in governance and an increase in economics."
Success in the war on terrorism, Pace said, is not like the success of World War II. The end state will be much more like the current state of a U.S. city, such as Chicago.
"Is there violence here? Yes," he said. "Is there a police force that keeps that violence below a level at which the government can function and the citizenry can go about their daily business? This is what you're looking at with the war on terror. ...
"You'll never stop all terrorist acts," he said. The goal is to have "the security is solid enough so that the government can provide leadership and so the business world can provide jobs so people can prosper."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
Chairman Still Motivated, Inspired by Troops
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
May 18, 2007 – What keeps a military man like Marine Gen. Peter Pace, motivated? For the Vietnam veteran with nearly 40 years service who now serves as the military's highest-ranking officer, the answer to such a question is simple: talking to the troops. "Serving the nation's men and women in uniform is not a burden; it's an honor, and I'm proud to have the opportunity to do it," Pace told about 1,000 students and alumni here today attending the 55th annual management conference of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
Following his speech on leadership, Pace answered questions from the audience. He talked about how he keeps his balance, his mentors, ways the public can support the troops and how he makes himself available to the American people.
Since being commissioned in June 1967 after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Pace has served at every level of military command. In September 2005, he became the first Marine to be appointed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this position, he serves as the principal military advisor to the president, the defense secretary and the National Security Council.
Asked how he balances the daily pressures of his duties in Washington, Pace said he turns to two pictures under the glass on his desk.
One is of Marine Lance Cpl. Guido Farinaro, who died in Vietnam in July 1968 while following the orders of 2nd Lt. Peter Pace. The other is Pfc. Keith Matthew Maupin, declared missing after an April 9, 2004, convoy attack near Baghdad, who up until last week, was the only unaccounted-for soldier in Iraq. Three other soldiers have been missing since a May 12 ambush.
"I keep my balance by remembering my responsibilities," he said. "We work with some incredible young men and women. If I ever start feeling down for any reason, all I've got to do is get up from behind my desk, walk out into the corridor, stop the first person walking by and just talk to him, and that boosts me incredibly."
Asked who his mentors have been, Pace replied that there have been many, so he would only name a few. The first he chose to mention were the young men like Farinaro who served under him in combat and died.
"It is their sacrifice for this country that has kept me on active duty," he said. "When I question how I serve or whether I should serve, the memory of what I owe them is very strong in what I decide to do next."
Pace said a Marine captain named Chuck Meadows taught him to make decisions. He also noted that he'd worked for former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dennis Reimer when Reimer was a two-star general in Korea.
"He invested his leadership time in helping me understand my potential," Pace said. "Every chance he has had a chance to say something nice about me, to be supportive of me, to point people in my direction, he has done."
Pace said he tries to give back in return the help and guidance he's been given by Meadows, Reimer and others to the young people coming up in the military today.
When a woman asked how people could best support the troops, Pace replied, "You just did."
"Whenever I travel to see the troops," he explained, "they ask, 'Are the American people still with us?' Not, 'What do the people think about the war we're in?' But, 'Do they still value our service as military men and women?'
"And it's questions like (yours) and other comments of support that I've gotten here so far today, that allows me to tell them, 'Absolutely.'"
There are many ways to show support for the troops, he added. When people thank troops they see at the airports, it resonates. When people send packages, when school children send notes and letters, that word gets out.
For specific ways to show support, he told the audience to go to www.AmericaSupportsYou.com, a Defense Department Web site that lists home-front groups that help support the troops. In Chicago, for example, he said, people can help the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, which gives the children of fallen servicemembers scholarships.
"Thank you for asking that question," Pace told the woman. "Retention and recruiting in the armed forces right now is solid, but it is fragile." He said the troops believe in the mission they've got, and "they believe the American people appreciate their service even if they don't agree on the specifics of the conflict."
When one member of the audience asked Pace if he wouldn't be better off back in Washington dealing with the war than here talking with business leaders, the slightly stunned audience broke out in chatter. But the chairman wasn't taken aback.
"I've already learned a couple of things today that, had I not come here, I would not know," he replied.
Prior to giving his speech, he noted that he'd met first with a small group of military veterans now associated with the school and then with a group of student leaders. In both of those forums, he said, he had question-and-answer periods that helped him better understand some issues.
"Each of us have to divide our time in ways that we feel are beneficial," Pace said. "I need to determine how best to spend my time, to include how much of my time I should make myself available to the citizens of the United States to be able to ask me their questions in forums like this outside of Washington, D.C.
"For me, this is time well spent, because I am learning and I'm also making myself available to the American people, as I believe our senior leadership should do," he concluded.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
American Forces Press Service
May 18, 2007 – What keeps a military man like Marine Gen. Peter Pace, motivated? For the Vietnam veteran with nearly 40 years service who now serves as the military's highest-ranking officer, the answer to such a question is simple: talking to the troops. "Serving the nation's men and women in uniform is not a burden; it's an honor, and I'm proud to have the opportunity to do it," Pace told about 1,000 students and alumni here today attending the 55th annual management conference of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
Following his speech on leadership, Pace answered questions from the audience. He talked about how he keeps his balance, his mentors, ways the public can support the troops and how he makes himself available to the American people.
Since being commissioned in June 1967 after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Pace has served at every level of military command. In September 2005, he became the first Marine to be appointed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this position, he serves as the principal military advisor to the president, the defense secretary and the National Security Council.
Asked how he balances the daily pressures of his duties in Washington, Pace said he turns to two pictures under the glass on his desk.
One is of Marine Lance Cpl. Guido Farinaro, who died in Vietnam in July 1968 while following the orders of 2nd Lt. Peter Pace. The other is Pfc. Keith Matthew Maupin, declared missing after an April 9, 2004, convoy attack near Baghdad, who up until last week, was the only unaccounted-for soldier in Iraq. Three other soldiers have been missing since a May 12 ambush.
"I keep my balance by remembering my responsibilities," he said. "We work with some incredible young men and women. If I ever start feeling down for any reason, all I've got to do is get up from behind my desk, walk out into the corridor, stop the first person walking by and just talk to him, and that boosts me incredibly."
Asked who his mentors have been, Pace replied that there have been many, so he would only name a few. The first he chose to mention were the young men like Farinaro who served under him in combat and died.
"It is their sacrifice for this country that has kept me on active duty," he said. "When I question how I serve or whether I should serve, the memory of what I owe them is very strong in what I decide to do next."
Pace said a Marine captain named Chuck Meadows taught him to make decisions. He also noted that he'd worked for former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dennis Reimer when Reimer was a two-star general in Korea.
"He invested his leadership time in helping me understand my potential," Pace said. "Every chance he has had a chance to say something nice about me, to be supportive of me, to point people in my direction, he has done."
Pace said he tries to give back in return the help and guidance he's been given by Meadows, Reimer and others to the young people coming up in the military today.
When a woman asked how people could best support the troops, Pace replied, "You just did."
"Whenever I travel to see the troops," he explained, "they ask, 'Are the American people still with us?' Not, 'What do the people think about the war we're in?' But, 'Do they still value our service as military men and women?'
"And it's questions like (yours) and other comments of support that I've gotten here so far today, that allows me to tell them, 'Absolutely.'"
There are many ways to show support for the troops, he added. When people thank troops they see at the airports, it resonates. When people send packages, when school children send notes and letters, that word gets out.
For specific ways to show support, he told the audience to go to www.AmericaSupportsYou.com, a Defense Department Web site that lists home-front groups that help support the troops. In Chicago, for example, he said, people can help the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, which gives the children of fallen servicemembers scholarships.
"Thank you for asking that question," Pace told the woman. "Retention and recruiting in the armed forces right now is solid, but it is fragile." He said the troops believe in the mission they've got, and "they believe the American people appreciate their service even if they don't agree on the specifics of the conflict."
When one member of the audience asked Pace if he wouldn't be better off back in Washington dealing with the war than here talking with business leaders, the slightly stunned audience broke out in chatter. But the chairman wasn't taken aback.
"I've already learned a couple of things today that, had I not come here, I would not know," he replied.
Prior to giving his speech, he noted that he'd met first with a small group of military veterans now associated with the school and then with a group of student leaders. In both of those forums, he said, he had question-and-answer periods that helped him better understand some issues.
"Each of us have to divide our time in ways that we feel are beneficial," Pace said. "I need to determine how best to spend my time, to include how much of my time I should make myself available to the citizens of the United States to be able to ask me their questions in forums like this outside of Washington, D.C.
"For me, this is time well spent, because I am learning and I'm also making myself available to the American people, as I believe our senior leadership should do," he concluded.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
Gates Commissions ROTC Cadets at White House
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
May 17, 2007 – The nation's leaders gathered today to recognize a group of young people taking the first step toward leading America's soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates commissioned 55 ROTC cadets and midshipmen today at the White House in a ceremony attended by President Bush and other political and military leaders.
The new officers represent all 50 states, four territories and the District of Columbia. This is the first time a joint ROTC commissioning ceremony has been held, and the first time a defense secretary has administered the oath of commissioning. Previously, the law required a commissioned military officer to administer the oath, but a change in the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act allows the president, vice president or secretary of defense to administer the oath of commission or enlistment.
Family members of the ROTC participants gathered in the East Room as Gates led them in their oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic."
"We gather at a solemn moment for this country," Bush said before the officers took their oath. "Many of you were still in high school when terrorists brought death and destruction to our streets on September the 11th, 2001. You were high school students. And yet, some of you understood that the cause of freedom would soon depend on your generation's willingness to step forward to defend it. And when it came time to be counted, each of you volunteered, knowing full well the risks involved during a time of war. As your commander in chief, I salute your decision to serve, and I congratulate you on a fine achievement."
The ROTC program is rooted deep in American history as a way to prepare men and women of leadership and ability to lead the armed forces, Bush noted. The program teaches young people about honor, courage and the expectations of military officers, he said. The scholarship funds for ROTC are provided willingly by the American people, Bush said, "and in return they ask one thing: when their sons and daughters are put in harm's way, they will be led by officers of character and integrity."
Bush thanked the young officers for the sacrifices they made to earn their commissions, noting that some of the students went to schools that didn't have ROTC programs. These students had to endure long commutes and received little recognition for their training and achievements, he said.
"Your university may not honor your military service, but the United States of America does," Bush said. "And in this, the people's house, we will always make a place for those who wear the uniform of our country."
Bush told the officers that soon they may have the lives of young troops in their hands and reminded them to keep their heads held high and be proud of their service.
"Bring honor to the uniform. Set high standards for yourself. Do not ask of those under your command anything that you would not ask of yourselves," Bush told the officers. "If you do all these things, your career will take care of itself, your service will be a source of pride, and you will help build a safer and more hopeful world for your fellow citizens."
After the officers took their oath, Gates pinned their new military rank on each one. The new officers, 16 of them women, hail from all ethnic backgrounds and areas of the country. There were also officers representing Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Panama and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The commissioning was part of continued activities in May recognizing National Military Appreciation Month.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
American Forces Press Service
May 17, 2007 – The nation's leaders gathered today to recognize a group of young people taking the first step toward leading America's soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates commissioned 55 ROTC cadets and midshipmen today at the White House in a ceremony attended by President Bush and other political and military leaders.
The new officers represent all 50 states, four territories and the District of Columbia. This is the first time a joint ROTC commissioning ceremony has been held, and the first time a defense secretary has administered the oath of commissioning. Previously, the law required a commissioned military officer to administer the oath, but a change in the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act allows the president, vice president or secretary of defense to administer the oath of commission or enlistment.
Family members of the ROTC participants gathered in the East Room as Gates led them in their oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic."
"We gather at a solemn moment for this country," Bush said before the officers took their oath. "Many of you were still in high school when terrorists brought death and destruction to our streets on September the 11th, 2001. You were high school students. And yet, some of you understood that the cause of freedom would soon depend on your generation's willingness to step forward to defend it. And when it came time to be counted, each of you volunteered, knowing full well the risks involved during a time of war. As your commander in chief, I salute your decision to serve, and I congratulate you on a fine achievement."
The ROTC program is rooted deep in American history as a way to prepare men and women of leadership and ability to lead the armed forces, Bush noted. The program teaches young people about honor, courage and the expectations of military officers, he said. The scholarship funds for ROTC are provided willingly by the American people, Bush said, "and in return they ask one thing: when their sons and daughters are put in harm's way, they will be led by officers of character and integrity."
Bush thanked the young officers for the sacrifices they made to earn their commissions, noting that some of the students went to schools that didn't have ROTC programs. These students had to endure long commutes and received little recognition for their training and achievements, he said.
"Your university may not honor your military service, but the United States of America does," Bush said. "And in this, the people's house, we will always make a place for those who wear the uniform of our country."
Bush told the officers that soon they may have the lives of young troops in their hands and reminded them to keep their heads held high and be proud of their service.
"Bring honor to the uniform. Set high standards for yourself. Do not ask of those under your command anything that you would not ask of yourselves," Bush told the officers. "If you do all these things, your career will take care of itself, your service will be a source of pride, and you will help build a safer and more hopeful world for your fellow citizens."
After the officers took their oath, Gates pinned their new military rank on each one. The new officers, 16 of them women, hail from all ethnic backgrounds and areas of the country. There were also officers representing Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Panama and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The commissioning was part of continued activities in May recognizing National Military Appreciation Month.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
Navy Names Two New Guided Missile Destroyers
Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter has announced the names for the U.S. Navy's two newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers to honor two American heroes famous for their naval service.
DDG hull number 110 will be named the USS William P. Lawrence to honor Vice Adm. William P. Lawrence, who served nearly six years as a prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam and later as superintendent of the Naval Academy.
Lawrence was born Jan. 13, 1930, in Nashville, Tenn. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1951. At the Naval Academy, he played three varsity sports and was president and brigade commander, in which capacity he helped establish the Brigade Honor concept. He graduated from the Naval Air Test Center as an honor graduate and in 1958 was the first naval aviator to fly twice the speed of sound.
During the Vietnam War, as commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 143, Lawrence earned the Silver Star for a strike against a heavily defended target in North Vietnam. He completed his mission, but was captured after his aircraft went down and he remained a POW until March 1973. He earned the Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership to fellow POWs. Along with fellow prisoner and naval aviator, Vice Adm. James Stockdale, Lawrence became noted for resistance to his captors. Stockdale remarked that Lawrence, "repeatedly paid the price for being perceived by the enemy as a source of their troubles through his high crime of leadership. He could not be intimidated and never gave up the ship.
In August 1978, he became superintendent of the Naval Academy and subsequently served as commander Third Fleet and chief of naval personnel. Following promotion to rear admiral in 1974, he served as: commander, Light Attack Wing, U. S. Pacific Fleet; director Aviation Programs Division on the staff of the chief of naval operations; assistant deputy chief of naval operations (air warfare); superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy; commander, U. S. Third Fleet in the Pacific; and chief of naval personnel, retiring in 1986.
DDG hull number 111 will be named the USS Spruance to honor Adm. Raymond A. Spruance, whose calm and decisive leadership in command of Task Force 16 at the Battle of Midway contributed to the pivotal American victory.
Spruance was born in Baltimore, on July 3, 1886. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1906.. His career was extensive, including command of five destroyers and the battleship Mississippi.
In the first months of World War II in the Pacific,. Spruance commanded a cruiser division. He led Task Force 16, with two aircraft carriers, during the Battle of Midway. Spruance's disposition of forces and management of available aircraft proved to be brilliant. His decisions during that action were important to its outcome, which changed the course of the war with Japan.
After the Battle of Midway, he became chief of staff to the commander in chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas and later was deputy commander in chief. In mid-1943, he was given command of the Central Pacific Force, which became the Fifth Fleet in April 1944. While holding that command in 1943-45, with the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) as his usual flagship, Spruance directed the campaigns that captured the Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and defeated the Japanese fleet in the June 1944 Battle of Philippine Sea.
Spruance held command of the Pacific Fleet in late 1945 and early 1946. He then served as president of the Naval War College until retiring from the Navy in July 1948. In 1952-55, he was ambassador to the Philippines. Spruance died at Pebble Beach, Calif., on Dec. 13, 1969.
The USS William P. Lawrence and the USS Spruance will provide dynamic multi-mission platforms to lead the Navy into the future. Using a gas turbine propulsion system the ship can operate independently or as part of carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups. Combat systems center around the Aegis combat system and the SPY-lD, multi-function phased array radar. The combination of Aegis, the Vertical Launching System, an advanced anti-submarine warfare system, advanced anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk, the Arleigh Burke-class continues the revolution at sea.
For more information on Arleigh Burke class destroyers, visit
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
DDG hull number 110 will be named the USS William P. Lawrence to honor Vice Adm. William P. Lawrence, who served nearly six years as a prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam and later as superintendent of the Naval Academy.
Lawrence was born Jan. 13, 1930, in Nashville, Tenn. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1951. At the Naval Academy, he played three varsity sports and was president and brigade commander, in which capacity he helped establish the Brigade Honor concept. He graduated from the Naval Air Test Center as an honor graduate and in 1958 was the first naval aviator to fly twice the speed of sound.
During the Vietnam War, as commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 143, Lawrence earned the Silver Star for a strike against a heavily defended target in North Vietnam. He completed his mission, but was captured after his aircraft went down and he remained a POW until March 1973. He earned the Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership to fellow POWs. Along with fellow prisoner and naval aviator, Vice Adm. James Stockdale, Lawrence became noted for resistance to his captors. Stockdale remarked that Lawrence, "repeatedly paid the price for being perceived by the enemy as a source of their troubles through his high crime of leadership. He could not be intimidated and never gave up the ship.
In August 1978, he became superintendent of the Naval Academy and subsequently served as commander Third Fleet and chief of naval personnel. Following promotion to rear admiral in 1974, he served as: commander, Light Attack Wing, U. S. Pacific Fleet; director Aviation Programs Division on the staff of the chief of naval operations; assistant deputy chief of naval operations (air warfare); superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy; commander, U. S. Third Fleet in the Pacific; and chief of naval personnel, retiring in 1986.
DDG hull number 111 will be named the USS Spruance to honor Adm. Raymond A. Spruance, whose calm and decisive leadership in command of Task Force 16 at the Battle of Midway contributed to the pivotal American victory.
Spruance was born in Baltimore, on July 3, 1886. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1906.. His career was extensive, including command of five destroyers and the battleship Mississippi.
In the first months of World War II in the Pacific,. Spruance commanded a cruiser division. He led Task Force 16, with two aircraft carriers, during the Battle of Midway. Spruance's disposition of forces and management of available aircraft proved to be brilliant. His decisions during that action were important to its outcome, which changed the course of the war with Japan.
After the Battle of Midway, he became chief of staff to the commander in chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas and later was deputy commander in chief. In mid-1943, he was given command of the Central Pacific Force, which became the Fifth Fleet in April 1944. While holding that command in 1943-45, with the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) as his usual flagship, Spruance directed the campaigns that captured the Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and defeated the Japanese fleet in the June 1944 Battle of Philippine Sea.
Spruance held command of the Pacific Fleet in late 1945 and early 1946. He then served as president of the Naval War College until retiring from the Navy in July 1948. In 1952-55, he was ambassador to the Philippines. Spruance died at Pebble Beach, Calif., on Dec. 13, 1969.
The USS William P. Lawrence and the USS Spruance will provide dynamic multi-mission platforms to lead the Navy into the future. Using a gas turbine propulsion system the ship can operate independently or as part of carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups. Combat systems center around the Aegis combat system and the SPY-lD, multi-function phased array radar. The combination of Aegis, the Vertical Launching System, an advanced anti-submarine warfare system, advanced anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk, the Arleigh Burke-class continues the revolution at sea.
For more information on Arleigh Burke class destroyers, visit
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
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