How does the Navy’s focus on lethality effect the Reserves?

I’m not sure I can completely answer that question.  Each Navy Reservist should be in a billet that directly supports the active duty component at some level.  Every reserve action should have some kind of active duty tie-in since the active component pays for reserve support. But how does that tie back to lethality?  If every reservist is paid to support the active component then that means we are either at the pointy end effecting lethality on an enemy or we are back-filling the active component while they are doing so.

The reason I bring this up is because over my 12 years in the reserves I’ve noticed a common theme.  That theme is hard to put a name on but I’ll use a hypothetical senario to communicate what I’m thinking.  Lets say you have a Second Class Petty Officer reservist who is also a school teacher and has their PhD.  Now, you’d think that this individual would be an excellent trainer and a leader of people, having the ability to inspire a shared vision of the entire unit, but in reality, that person does nothing and is a drain on their supervisors and acts as if they don’t know how to do anything.

If this hypothetical story is true, then how can we be lethal?  The answer is, we can’t.  In the past 7 days, I’ve had multiple people call me and ask me to submit a request for them because their Mac computer can’t access certain Navy websites.  I get it, the Navy and DOD should make it easier for all platforms to access their content; heck, DOD needs to ensure all their https certificates are up-to-date but that’s another matter.

Folks, how can we be lethal, kill an enemy and be masters of the cyberspace domain if we can’t even access NSIPS outside of the drill weekend?

If you’re reading this and this describes you, please fix yourself.

This episode is unofficially brought to you by NavyChief.com

www.npc.navy.mil

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Name Your Link“>Three Stars and a Crow

I want to start off by saying a special thank you to MikeBWright. Mike left me a nice comment on iTunes which actually spured this third episode. After having produced the first two episodes, I realized just how much work it takes to record and produce a podcast, but thanks to Mike, I decided to take it one episode at a time and go ahead with number three. Here is Mike’s comment:

“I stumbled upon this podcast and decided to check you out. I just wanted you to know that someone is listening. I was in the Navy from 1996 to 2004. I served aboard the USS Kitty Hawk. I’m not in the reserves though.”

Thanks again Mike.

– A couple of weekends ago I traveled to Virginia Beach, VA to attend the Submarine Force Reserve Component (SFRC) Enlisted Training Symposium. This training event was excellent and taught us all how to better support the Active Duty component. Thank you Capt. Scott Lynn, STSC(SS) Stiffler, OSC Weaver and all the folks from Detachment Delta in Norfolk.

– A few weeks ago, the Navy Advancement Center sent out the list of those first class petty officers who are selection board eligible. Congratulations to all those who made board, but I want everyone to know, this is just another step along the way. I made board this year, again, and got several pats on the back for making Chief. I did not make Chief, I only made board, which is a big step and a crucial one but its not the end process. Head over to my personal blog where I explain the process in a little more depth.

– Have you ever wondered why there is a margin on a sheet of notebook paper? It’s so you don’t fall off the edge of the paper while you’re writing. The same holds true in life. We must build in margin so we don’t fall off the edge. I saw, figuratively, this happen a few weeks ago at drill. A young sailor failed his 3rd consecutive weigh-in which caused him to automatically fail his semi-annual physical fitness assessment (PFA). While that may not seem so bad, in the military, and specifically the Navy, it is a career-ender. After you fail your third PFA within a certain number of years, you are processed out of the Navy. This means you loose a monthly income, medical insurance and life insurance in addition to a potential retirement income. This young sailor was devastated. We must build in some margin in our lives so we don’t get so close to the edge and end up getting kicked out of the military.

If you are currently in the Navy or are joining soon, get your weight under control as best as you can. Stay 5 to 10lbs away from your max weight or a few percentage points away from your body fat maximum. Watch those calories and eat one less cheeseburger; as hard as that is to do.

If you have questions you’d like answered, please leave them in the comment section.

Thank you and have a great Navy day!