Command Has Not Been Eroded
By Lieutenant Commander Catherine A. B. Reppert, U.S.
Navy
In the November 2018 Proceedings , CAPT Kevin Eyer, U.S. Navy (Retired) wrote of an erosion of trust in commanding officers in the Surface Navy. As the current commanding officer (CO) of the USS Ardent (MCM-12), I could not disagree more with his characterization.
Admittedly, the stakes are increasing in the Surface Force, but the CO is more rather than less important in this challenging environment in the wake of high-profile accidents and the revival of great power competition.
For starters, Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Vice Admiral Rich Brown, clearly believes in the primacy of COs and in our judgement. From his first communication via “Personal For†message to his commanders through this fall’s Commanders’ Training Symposium, his consistent message is one of empowerment and reducing administrative burdens while setting thresholds for minimum requirements in the force. [1]
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2018-11/command-has-not-been-eroded?utm_campaign=be101c87b4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_11_20_12_27&utm_medium=email&utm_source=RC%20Defense%20Morning%20Recon&utm_term=0_694f73a8dc-be101c87b4-81835773
