"I am living the dream," admits the Pacific Submarine Force's Force Master Chief (FORMC), Rick West. After graduating from high school in Rising Fawn, Georgia, West had dreams of adventure and a strong desire to see the world. Having never seen the ocean, he decided to join the Navy, and ultimately the Submarine Force. "I enjoy the people, camaraderie, and the missions that submarines do," West continued, admitting that after serving more than 20 years in the Navy aboard four fast attack submarines and one SSBN, he has no regrets. Now as the Force Master Chief, West is able to reach out to submariners on a wide scale and share his knowledge and experience with others, many of whom have just begun to live out their own dreams in the U.S. Submarine Force. Recently, he took a few moments to share some his views with us. Q: What has changed in the Submarine Force over the last two decades? A: I've seen huge changes in the way we are taking care of our personnel. We've made great progress in the IDTC [Inter-Deployment Training Cycle], pay, housing, retention, and attrition. These are always working issues. The Sailor facilities we now have in the Navy are outstanding. I only wish we had them when I was coming up through the ranks. The fact that our Sailors have e-mail access with their families is another example of how we are always looking for ways to improve our Quality of Service. Education continues to be the number one issue for our personnel. PACE [Program Afloat College Education], off-duty education, and the Navy's E-Learning - new to fleet and families - show that we not only support our Sailors, but we are committed to their families as well. I could go on and on with the positive changes that the Navy has made. We are certainly not where we need to be, but leadership is continually working these and many other issues.
Q: Where does the Submarine Force still need improvements? A: There's still a lot to do, and we need to continually engage issues head-on. We also need our people to use the chain of command to identify areas where we need improvement. I want to know what our warriors are thinking and what ideas they have that could improve our force. [SUBLANT] Force Master Chief Don Kultti and I are working together to bring our two forces into alignment. The key to that is communication, not only between the two of us, but for everyone up and down the chain of command. We intend to have a first-ever joint SUBLANT/SUBPAC CMC conference to address issues and improvements in the force this spring. We also need to look at submarine maintenance. With only two tenders left, USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) and USS Frank Cable (AS-40) - both forward deployed and doing excellent work for us - it's important to look continually at the way our submarine homeport maintenance facilities are conducting business. This is a top concern in both SUBLANT and SUBPAC. There is also a need to refocus and get back to the basics with our people. It's important for leadership to remove the obstacles our personnel are facing. We need to know our Sailors' strengths and weaknesses, and utilize our Sailors to complement one another. That is our chief petty officers' job, as I say, chiefs' business. A chief's business is to know our people. I'm not just talking by name. I expect our chiefs to know how our Sailors are living, how their families are doing. If we do this right, we will know, for the most part, when something is wrong. Then leadership can step in before it becomes something too big.
Q: The Submarine Force is known for its outstanding retention rates. Does this remain true? A: Yes. First of all, our retention remains high, and our attrition remains significantly below the Navy average. We are kicking stern-cheeks, but we need to keep focused! I think the Submarine Force is doing well, not only because we are taking care of our Sailors, but we are also offering some pretty good re-enlistment incentives: monetary advantages with the SRBs, crew rotation plans (allowing Sailors school or leave while the boat is deployed) and excellent education incentives. We are fighting to get our Sailors where they need to be. I think it is important for every chief petty officer to fight for their guys from point A to point B. Help them get the billet that they want. The Submarine Force and BUPERS have just started a CPO planning letter. This will allow our chiefs to let their desires be known and allow BUPERS time to meet the request. We're not going to hit every mark, but if the Sailors know that we are taking care of them long term, then they will want to stay. Q: Is retention constantly being improved for the Navy at large? A: Yes. The Navy overall is doing pretty well with retention. We are continually in the fight for our warriors. We have programs such as the CCD (Center for Career Development), career counselors, detailers, and the deck-plate leadership providing excellent information to our Sailors and their families. They help them make important career choices. Sailors need to see and know about all of the programs and places that are available to them. This is an exciting time to be in the Submarine Force, we've got a lot of good things going on. Q: There has been significant coverage of an increase of certain drug usage in the general public. How does the submarine side of the Navy handle drug abuse? A: Navy Leadership is becoming more educated on drugs. Drug use is our biggest attrition piece right now. First off, for those Sailors who do drugs, we are going to catch them. We are fighting drug use through the aggressive employment of the urinalysis program. We've invested in drug dogs that we routinely put to work on our submarines, barracks, parking lots, and at the gates. We've started an aggressive education program not only to train our deck-plate leadership, but also personnel just coming into our force. We need to ensure that our Sailors know that drugs are dangerous and that nothing good comes from doing them. The drug stigma sticks with the Sailor that gets caught, and will stick forever. It's important for us to take a hard line with this. We have a policy of Zero Tolerance, which means just that. Sailors need to know the OTH [other than honorable] discharge will forfeit Navy benefits and will affect them post-Navy as well. We're also going after the drug dealers, going to the source. Raves have been around for years, but our Sailors should know that NCIS is actively policing these clubs. I want the Sailors to think long term. How are they going to tell their families [if they are arrested]? How are they going to tell their children ten years from now? Q: Why is it important for the United States Navy to have more submarines? A: First off, there is no other platform that has the capabilities that a submarine has. We are fighting a daily battle for more submarines - and we should. Just the thought of having a submarine off your coast is an intimidating factor for any rogue nation - fear of the unknown. We ask a lot of our warriors. I think if we don't start seeing more submarines in our forces it could have a long-term impact on retention, due to the underway scheduling. It is a problem we need to face now because with fewer submarines, our guys will have to still meet all the missions at hand, meaning more time underway. If you look at the big picture, the percentage of submariners and submarines based on the military budget, you will see how cost effective they are. ANY MISSION, ANY TIME! Q: What do you think about the physical fitness program? A: We just completed a working group in Millington, Tennessee about physical fitness. The working group recommended several changes that could have a huge impact on the Navy's current program. The program is under review, and we're finding that we have room for improvement. What I see in my travels is a change in attitude about fitness. Fitness needs to be a way of life. I love to see different commands participating in group PT. This builds esprit de corps and is not only healthy for the Sailor, but also for the command as a whole. MWR currently has several programs that assist our Sailors in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I just recently found out about - and participated in - a program in Hawaii called "Basic Training by Fish." It is an intense, full-body workout, one hour a day, provided at Pearl Harbor's gym. This is the type of program we need to get on-board and support, it is a hard workout, and it pushes you to improve. I would like to see this program expanded throughout the fleet. Q: Describe a typical submariner? A: One word: warrior! It's hard to describe a typical submariner. Our warriors come from many different walks of life. I have complete trust in the abilities of our "bubbleheads." They continually amaze me with their resilience, work ethic, and day-to-day abilities. I have the utmost respect for the job they do and the way they conduct themselves when doing it. JO2 Rhea is a journalist assigned to COMSUBPAC Public Affairs. |
||||||
FORMC(SS)
Rick West
