Q and A with
CNO ADM Clark
Since 07-17-05
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Waspscpo@aol.com [mailto:Waspscpo@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2005 6:21 AM
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Subject: Q&A with CNO ADM Clark
July 18, 2005
Navy Times
Q&A with Adm. Clark
The outgoing chief of naval operations spoke with Navy Times editors and
reporters July 5 about his tenure as the Navy’s “senior sailor.” These excerpts
have been edited for length and clarity.
Q. You often speak of “winning the battle for people.” Is that just a numbers
game?
A. No, it’s all kinds of things, including the environment. The retention stat
is the best overall indicator, but it’s more than that, too. It’s the tone. When
people ask me what I like best about what’s going on, I say, I love the tone of
it. I love being in an organization where you have something called Perform to
Serve, which frankly, what does perform to serve really mean?
I think it means compete to stay. Over 57,000 people have gone through that
process. Forty-some thousand have been approved in rating and another 4,000 or
5,000 have been diverted to other areas where we had to reshape. You win the
battle for people every day. You never say you won it, because it’s not a battle
won.
Q. Will the initiatives you championed remain in place under the new CNO, Adm.
Mullen?
A. It’s a perfect question and I believe that first of all, Mike Mullen helped
us. You know, we’re on the same team building a lot of this. But Mike’s No. 1
task is to take what he gets and make it better, and I expect him to. That means
he’s going to be sharpening the edge on pieces that we need to be doing better.
You’re absolutely right, I would never think of speaking for the way he is going
to shape the specifics of this, but I know the way Mike Mullen is. I know his
foundation and I know what his principles and beliefs are about. He’s a sailor
and he loves sailors. But he’s also a war fighter and he knows that his
responsibility is to produce a Navy that’s capable. Mike Mullen is going to
change some things. We embrace change as an opportunity to improve our
institution. That theme and that principle, I expect to continue to be forefront
of our thinking.
Q. You have broken service. Are you sure you’re really going out this time?
A. Yes, and not very many people know that I have broken service. In fact, I was
talking to the mids at Annapolis here a couple years ago and I got into the
details of it. I said “Look, what this means is … don’t spend all your time
trying to preprogram every move in your career; don’t do it. It’s not the way to
do it.” In fact, my record — you go look at my record and you see, you know, the
thing called the preference card? My service jacket’s not full of preference
cards. I fundamentally never thought about the career. I went through, you know,
the detailer was called and we’d have a discussion and Connie and I spent our
time going through open doors. That’s what we’re going to do from here on out,
too. But I would say this to sailors: Focus on the mission. By the way, you
know, I’m a mission guy. What is the mission? The mission is to serve and in the
process, serve well.
Q. Do you still think it’s necessary for enlisted sailors to have college
degrees?
A. I don’t believe that the sheepskin is near as important as the learning. But
here’s where I am in the long term on this. We are not going to be successful if
we do not provide growth and development opportunities for people in competing
in the 21st-century market place .If they’re going to go through the growth and
development experience, why not have the side benefit that comes with it in the
form of committing the institution behind the idea of them having the sheepskin
that goes with it? Why not? Because in the end then, it will be better
remuneration for them either in their career or not in the career, you know,
afterwards. But that the people will be the better for the experience. I
intended all along to push toward a commitment to a standard, not the standard
for the standard’s sake, but the idea that in order for us to be the kind of
Navy that this nation was going to need to be in the 21st century, we had to
have high-tech people that went along with this high-tech Navy that they’re
going to fill, and that they ought to have the benefits that are going to go
from the learning that goes with it. I still feel very, very strongly that this
is the right thing to do.
Q. Is everyone in the Navy a sailor?
A. Yeah, as far as I’m concerned. I’m the senior sailor and proud of it, for a
few more days.
Q. So then what’s the difference between a sailor and a sea warrior?
A. I’m not sure that it’s worth trying to carve out a difference, but sea
warrior, you know what it is. It’s a nomenclature that I put on as part of Sea
Power 21 to focus on our commitment to the growth and development of our people,
a new level of commitment that was the signal to the whole Navy that this is a
key part of who we’re going to be. I love “sailor.” I made Sea Warrior because
terminology is important. I think sailors are sea warriors. We’re seeking to
build sailors who are sea warriors. I tell sailors all over the country,
remember this: The Continental Congress didn’t create the Navy 229 years ago so
we could cut a fine silhouette on the horizon. They created a Navy so that we
could go do the nation’s bidding, that we could represent this nation, committed
to the principles and values this nation was built on. That means that we
believe in some things so strongly, we’re willing to go fight over it, and
that’s those principles and values.
If
you’re going to be ready to go fight for them, you better be a warrior.