New Initiatives

Essays and Etcetera

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Break out your typin' fingers.
                    Break out your typin’ fingers.

First off, we here at CIMSEC have declared the month of March to be Membership March.  As such, the aim of Membership March shall be to motivate members who have not previously posted in our NextWar blog to put fingers to keyboard and type something up.  We hope to bring you, our readers and members, new, unique, and insightful perspectives on the maritime issues of the day – and we want to make sure none of our members are too bashful to share their valued says.

If you’re seeing this and fall into this category – now’s a good moment to consider whether you have the time to write a few sentences or paragraphs on that one good idea or thought you had, or respond to that interesting thought someone else had, or heck, even just throw up a link to an interesting site or resource.  Members – we’ll be in touch.

Second, our friends over at the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) are running two essay contests that should be right up our readers’ alley(s):

1. The Finmeccanica North America 2013 Global Defense Burden Essay Contest, with top prize of $5000 and a 1-year USNI membership, on the subject of sharing the Global Defense Burden:

The contest will advance a high-level discussion about the future of technology and operational burden sharing.  Capable allies of the United States, and our NATO partners in particular, are independently developing highly sophisticated new capabilities.   How will the crucial partnerships involved set the stage for meaningful progress?  This essay contest will examine the impact of sharing these technologies among allied naval forces as a bi-directional process.  Contest submissions may also consider implications for joint forces.  Papers will consider the opportunities, advantages and challenges.  Contestants will be urged to consider historical examples and relate them to future scenarios.

2. The Mine Warfare Association 2013 Naval Mine Warfare Essay Contest, with top prize of $1000 and a 1-year USNI membership, on the subject of mine warfare:

To encourage an ongoing discussion concerning the strategic impact of mining, mine countermeasures operations, unmanned vehicle utilization in mine warfare, new technologies that could improve mining or mine countermeasures, and improved concepts of operations.

Seamanship and Leadership

VADM Ryan’s Reflections on Leadership

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VADM Ryan at Nimitz Library at the Naval Academy.
VADM Ryan at Nimitz Library at the Naval Academy.

You could hear a pin drop in the room. Retired Vice Admiral John Ryan, U.S. Navy, had the group of 35 midshipmen captivated as he recalled a remarkable young woman he’d met. She had been born without arms and legs, but she took her mother’s advice to focus on what one can do instead of what one can’t. This woman managed to become an engineer for NASA. The moral of Admiral Ryan’s story was to always examine other people’s lives and consider how they can shape the way we lead ours.

This was just one of the many lessons I took from the former Naval Academy Superintendent and current president of the non-profit Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). He spent the day visiting the Boston University School of Management and made time to address NROTC midshipmen.

What is striking about Admiral Ryan is his approach. His background commands great respect – in addition to his naval service, he oversaw 80,000 faculty and staff as Chancellor of the State University of New York – yet the soft-spoken former P-3 pilot also presents authenticity and humility. Perhaps that’s what makes his wisdom stick.

Be Like Ed
                          Be Like Ed

“You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” Ryan said in describing the “learning agility” that distinguishes great leaders. He and his organization, CCL, have found that continually embracing challenge and having a “growth mindset” are essential to leadership success. Great leaders are able to learn from experiences and apply them to new ones. They also need to make their subordinates feel comfortable in “stretch assignments” and willing to take chances. This takes sincere mentorship and a culture that forgives occasional failure.

The other theme Admiral Ryan stressed was self-awareness. He jokingly recalled the late New York City Mayor Ed Koch who would famously ask citizens “How’m I doing?” Leaders need to open themselves up to feedback, be willing to hear the bad in addition to the good, and make time to reflect.

When was the last time you heard a naval leader encourage officers taking time to reflect and learn from their everyday leadership experiences? Yet as Admiral Ryan explained, this is essential to growth and self-awareness.

The U.S. Navy, by necessity, emphasizes technical and tactical proficiency, but through my MBA classes and now Admiral Ryan’s insights, the importance of “softer skills” is becoming increasingly clear. Vice Admiral John Ryan may no longer wear the uniform, but the Navy and our officers could learn a great deal from his lessons, as I myself was fortunate to do today.

LT Chris Peters is a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy and an instructor at Boston University. 

The opinions and views expressed in this post are his alone and are presented in his personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Department of Defense or the U.S. Navy. 

Current Operations

End to the Sabah Stand-off?

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The bodies of Malaysian police commandos killed in the firefight on Friday are loaded into a truck.
The bodies of Malaysian police commandos killed in the firefight on Friday are loaded into a truck.

I’ve got an update on the Situation in Borneo up over at USNI News. The stand-off has claimed its first lives, with approx. 14 dead, and latest reports say the remaining members of the so-called Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu have either surrendered or taken to the sea. Check out the full story here.

A dramatic three-week standoff on the island of Borneo claimed its first lives Friday, as Malaysian security forces exchanged gunfire—and possibly mortars—with the so-called Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu. Early reports indicate that 10 to 12 sultanate forces, two Malaysian police commandos, and the owner of a house taken by the sultan’s followers were killed in the battle, with further injuries on both sides. Meanwhile, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said that 10 of the sultan’s followers were in Malaysian custody but had no word on casualties. Both sides blamed the other for firing first—as the Filipinos of the sultanate sought food to replenish their dwindling stores, Malaysian security forces tightened their security cordon—or both.

 

It is unclear whether the standoff has ended. Reports do not account for another 100 or more followers, believed to comprise the group holed up in Lahad Datu, Sabah Province, but the Philippines government received word that some of the Sultan’s men may have escaped toward the sea. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak ordered his commanders to “take necessary action” to force the sultan’s followers out of the northeast corner of Borneo.

Fostering the Discussion on Securing the Seas.