Posted on Apr 14, 2015
What are your thoughts on Anna Granville's (a Navy officer) reasons for resigning?
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NOTE: The photo of the Naval Officer attached to the original taskandpurpose blog post is not a photograph of the author of the taskandpurpose blog post, as is noted on the photo at taskandpurpose. This has been brought to my attention by a colleague of the officer in the photo, who is currently serving. I can't seem to get RallyPoint to remove the photo except by removing the URL to the blog, so I'm removing the URL. The photo does not add anything to this discussion, so I'm removing it.
This young Navy officer's reasons for resigning seem applicable across the Services.
1. Promotions are based more on “hitting the wickets” than exemplary performance.
2. Unsustainable strain on your personal relationships.
3. The military is a homogeneous, anti-intellectual organization.
4. Ownership of self.
On point 3, she writes: "When I was a week into my first deployment, I was preparing my slides for a watch turnover brief as the assistant chiefs of staff all filed in. A fellow junior officer, whose watch station was adjacent to mine, muttered, “Man, the Navy has a never-ending supply of middle-aged white men.” And she was absolutely right. The majority of senior military leaders are white, Christian, conservative men with engineering degrees from a service academy, masters’ degrees from a war college, who grew up middle-class or privileged and whose wives do not have a career outside the home. There is nothing wrong with any of this — indeed, this is probably the profile of most executives in America. But this also means there’s a lack of diversity of ideas, a resistance to alternative ways of thinking, and the lethality of group think."
How do those she describes here (senior officers) respond? Is Service homogeneity a problem, and does it create a "lethality of group think" and a "resistance to alternate ways of thinking"?
You can find the article at taskandpurpose; it is titled "4 Reasons I Am Resigning My Commission As A Naval Officer."
http://taskandpurpose.com
This young Navy officer's reasons for resigning seem applicable across the Services.
1. Promotions are based more on “hitting the wickets” than exemplary performance.
2. Unsustainable strain on your personal relationships.
3. The military is a homogeneous, anti-intellectual organization.
4. Ownership of self.
On point 3, she writes: "When I was a week into my first deployment, I was preparing my slides for a watch turnover brief as the assistant chiefs of staff all filed in. A fellow junior officer, whose watch station was adjacent to mine, muttered, “Man, the Navy has a never-ending supply of middle-aged white men.” And she was absolutely right. The majority of senior military leaders are white, Christian, conservative men with engineering degrees from a service academy, masters’ degrees from a war college, who grew up middle-class or privileged and whose wives do not have a career outside the home. There is nothing wrong with any of this — indeed, this is probably the profile of most executives in America. But this also means there’s a lack of diversity of ideas, a resistance to alternative ways of thinking, and the lethality of group think."
How do those she describes here (senior officers) respond? Is Service homogeneity a problem, and does it create a "lethality of group think" and a "resistance to alternate ways of thinking"?
You can find the article at taskandpurpose; it is titled "4 Reasons I Am Resigning My Commission As A Naval Officer."
http://taskandpurpose.com
Culture
Commission
Officers
Edited 9 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 53
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I diss agree with her on point 3. She acts like it's the Navy's fault that white middle aged males decide to make the Navy there life at the same time she is doing the same thing that causes that. If more women or minorities made the Navy there lives it would change the mix. There is no other way to change the mix than to have more women and minorities decide to stay. She complains about it. My question to her is how would she suggest it be changed.
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So rather then stay the course and try to change "think tank" mentality within her sphere of influence, she "opted out" and allowed the status quo to continue. Change takes time and patience.
At least she recognized that the service is not for everyone and she made a smart choice to leave and follow other options. However, it has been my experience no matter what you do, your opinions don't change and every new opportunity will have some echo of why you left the previous employer.
Hopefully she wont have a trail of employers and the same list for leaving them.
At least she recognized that the service is not for everyone and she made a smart choice to leave and follow other options. However, it has been my experience no matter what you do, your opinions don't change and every new opportunity will have some echo of why you left the previous employer.
Hopefully she wont have a trail of employers and the same list for leaving them.
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An example of letting someone's observations getting the best of them. NOT TAKING PERSONAL INITIATIVE AS A COMMISSIONED OFFICER to bring positive changes and diverse ideas makes her a detrimental liability.
Is/was she really that ignorant to the OPPORTUNITIES in the Navy [with all due respect]? Would hate to be part of her chain of command. Good riddance. LITERALLY!
Is/was she really that ignorant to the OPPORTUNITIES in the Navy [with all due respect]? Would hate to be part of her chain of command. Good riddance. LITERALLY!
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I feel the ones who are going to change the system aren't the leaders who are in office now. It is up to the young officers and enlisted members to stay true to their beliefs and the way they want to lead, make their way to the top and change the way things are done. The problem is, how many are there that are strong enough to stick around for that long.
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Suspended Profile
Thank you for you time.....and goodbye.
Nice thing about being an officer you can leave when you want (for the most part). There is obviously other things going on in the young lady's life that are more important to her than continuing service to her country. Fortunately she (we) live in a country where you can opt out service. Another great thing about our country is there is no shortage of those who want to serve....Now let's find someone who wants to be in that position.
Nice thing about being an officer you can leave when you want (for the most part). There is obviously other things going on in the young lady's life that are more important to her than continuing service to her country. Fortunately she (we) live in a country where you can opt out service. Another great thing about our country is there is no shortage of those who want to serve....Now let's find someone who wants to be in that position.
Suspended Profile
Not true Sir......although anyone can request separation at any time. Enlisted personnel have a contractual obligation every time they re-enlist. Although this obligation can be waived unless there are other issues going on with the individual (ie we want to get rid of the anyway or you are eligible for retirement) it is not. I've seen many folks want to separate early just to be told no you have to wait until your enlistment is up....of course to be fair have seen I think 2 or 3 actually get out early (but like I said we were not planning on keeping them anyway) usually in over manned AFSC(s).
MAJ (Join to see)
MSgt Ronald Stacy
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/1175a
http://dopma-ropma.rand.org/military-service-obligation.html
I'd be interested in what policy / law / etc you're referencing. My point is that officers really just can't leave when they want to, for the most part. Officers have service obligations, like enlisted have a contractual obligation.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/1175a
http://dopma-ropma.rand.org/military-service-obligation.html
I'd be interested in what policy / law / etc you're referencing. My point is that officers really just can't leave when they want to, for the most part. Officers have service obligations, like enlisted have a contractual obligation.
10 U.S. Code § 1175a - Voluntary separation pay and benefits | US Law | LII / Legal Information...
Chapter 24 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, referred to in subsec. (h)(2)(A), is classified generally to chapter 24 (§3401 et seq.) of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.
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Suspended Profile
You're digging in the weeds sir. My point is unless and officer incurred a service obligation when they entered they have none your commission is for as long as you want it......an enlisted person on the other hand incurs an 8 year obligation the second they enlist additionally an officer (again who did not incur an obligation for school or some other reason upon commission) can start the process at any time where as enlisted folks have specific time frames they "enlist" for that they must meet (and yes I know you can apply for administrative separation/early discharge etc... but that is an exception not the norm)..anyway sir ....respectfully.....horse....rock.....dead....done beating...peace, love, democracy to all.
SFC Clark Adams
I'm with the MSGT on this point. In my 25 years of service in the US Army never did I encounter or hear of an Enlisted person being allowed to resign because they were just tired of serving. A lot didn't reup or retired at the earliest time they could. I grew up as a military dependent and the though of an EM resigning wasn't heard of.
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I have read her letter a number of times now and find many of the points on which I agree. I wish she had found another way to get it across but what is done is done. That said the navy does need to look at how it promotes and evaluates its personnel. The good old boy, trying to help a guy out, etc stuff needs to become a thing of the past. Promoting an officer or enlisted service member for the wrong reasons will lead to much larger issues in our ever shrinking forces.
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My take is we hear the same shopping list all the time. However, in my experience there's always other things percolating underneath, many times a self confidence issue. For the most part it's a job/person fit issue or they want to make it one because they don't want to work on the "person".
I'm on the staff side (engineers) and sat a number of boards at Millington both on promotion and continuation. In the coffee mess where you mix with the other designator boards, general discussion reveals all deal with the same issues.
My board experience is obviously dated. Some things haven't changed though. We send a number of good officers home merely due to the shrinking numbers of billets as you move up. Officers leaving early for whatever reason only means we send fewer top performers home. In addition to a minority representative on the boards, there are subsequent special review procedures for every minority and woman who wind up below the line. We've seen every trick in the book on improper Eval/Fitrep reporting either way and collectively push through it.
In our staff corps, there are wickets too. Warfare pin, Masters Degree, Professional Registration, and Contracting Warrant. Decorations too (hate semiautomatic EOTs). A reviewing officer takes about 30 seconds to review, make an annotation, and then take 95% of the time sorting out all the performance, reviewing senior scoring behavior, etc. to get ready for a brief in the "tank" for voting. Subsequent rounds of a different reviewing officer and vote ultimately determines the full result. Reviewing for "Third Crunch" (usually the last) takes the most time because you are looking for hairs that need to be split. Seldom have I ever felt so mentally drained. Is the system perfect? Far from it. However it is far fairer to to an employee than commercial sector whims on promotion. If you shine, there are people who are required to promote you because you're likely to do a better job keeping people alive.
We spend a lot of money training up a functional service member. Various programs in the past like Stop-Loss is what some complain is throwing money at the problem. This is an easy and cheap overall fix (compared to others) that has worked for the most part. As long as it does, I don't expect substantial change.
I'm on the staff side (engineers) and sat a number of boards at Millington both on promotion and continuation. In the coffee mess where you mix with the other designator boards, general discussion reveals all deal with the same issues.
My board experience is obviously dated. Some things haven't changed though. We send a number of good officers home merely due to the shrinking numbers of billets as you move up. Officers leaving early for whatever reason only means we send fewer top performers home. In addition to a minority representative on the boards, there are subsequent special review procedures for every minority and woman who wind up below the line. We've seen every trick in the book on improper Eval/Fitrep reporting either way and collectively push through it.
In our staff corps, there are wickets too. Warfare pin, Masters Degree, Professional Registration, and Contracting Warrant. Decorations too (hate semiautomatic EOTs). A reviewing officer takes about 30 seconds to review, make an annotation, and then take 95% of the time sorting out all the performance, reviewing senior scoring behavior, etc. to get ready for a brief in the "tank" for voting. Subsequent rounds of a different reviewing officer and vote ultimately determines the full result. Reviewing for "Third Crunch" (usually the last) takes the most time because you are looking for hairs that need to be split. Seldom have I ever felt so mentally drained. Is the system perfect? Far from it. However it is far fairer to to an employee than commercial sector whims on promotion. If you shine, there are people who are required to promote you because you're likely to do a better job keeping people alive.
We spend a lot of money training up a functional service member. Various programs in the past like Stop-Loss is what some complain is throwing money at the problem. This is an easy and cheap overall fix (compared to others) that has worked for the most part. As long as it does, I don't expect substantial change.
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I agree with her completely. I'm pretty sure the ones she put on blast don't, but she's not the only one who thinks they're out of touch with the pulse.
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Well we all now we can't fix it. But if we stay and work at it we could help make it better.
But you got to want it to get better. She has given up. And that don't fly in the real world
ether.
But you got to want it to get better. She has given up. And that don't fly in the real world
ether.
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