NORFOLK
First class petty officers are the Navy's front-line enlisted leaders. They work and live alongside sailors as no other supervisor does. Their challenging and mentoring of their sailors, and their leading by example, are crucial.
This was the message Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Joe R. Campa Jr. gave to a roomful of first class petty officers Wednesday as part of a two-day symposium at Norfolk Naval Station.
His statements came as he seeks to define the expectations for this rate of sailor.
"I need you to lead from the front and make a difference," he said.
Campa said the demands on sailors and their families are as high as he has ever seen in his nearly three decades in uniform. In a time of shrinking resources and expanding missions, he said, "we don't have any leaders to spare."
As the Navy's top enlisted sailor, Campa has toured the fleet and seen the huge responsibilities that first class petty officers have. Unlike commissioned officers and chief petty officers, they work and live day-to-day with their sailors.
He said the majority of first class petty officers are meeting expectations. But in the current climate, "I need them all to meet them."
Campa has broken down his expectations into six categories: leadership, expertise, professionalism, communication, loyalty and heritage.
Lose good leaders, he said, and you risk losing the sailors under them. If this happens too often, Campa said, the Navy "won't be able to rise to the challenge of world events."
After his speech, Campa stressed the goal is not for all the first class petty officers to make chief. Many won't simply because of the Navy's structure: There are more sailors than there are spots.
"But we're cheating ourselves and our sailors if we're not leveraging their abilities" in the meantime, he said.
Petty Officer 1st Class Maribel Rincon, a personnel specialist, said she is glad Campa is focusing on her rate.
"It puts pressure on us," she said. Rincon, 28, said she has had to pick up the slack at the personnel support detachment at Norfolk Naval Station because of chiefs lost to restructuring. In doing so, she tries to pass on the same leadership she received as a new sailor.
Rincon plans to make the Navy a career and said she wouldn't mind sitting in Campa's chair one day.
Matthew Jones, (757) 446-2949, matthew.jones@pilotonline.com
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My take is johnh31265 is
My take is johnh31265 is about 50% right on. About half of the Chiefs I've known have been like this. But the other half are excellent leaders. But like MCPON said of us 1st Classes, we need them ALL to lead.
Kindler, gentler navy
Well I guess the MCPON is reaping the results of 20 years of the kindler, gentler Navy. I wish him luck in trying to instill qualities that were the norm for the PO1 only a decade ago.
First Class Petty Officer versus the new Navy Chiefs!!!!
Chief Petty Officers used to be the front lines in the Old Navy. In todays Navy most Navy Chiefs come to work late, leave work early, just seem to disappear. Instead of mentoring they have thier own little click and protect each other at the cost of the lower enlisted people. They place all the blame and work on the lower enlisted. I use to worship and respect The Navy Chiefs until I learned just how unprofessional they really are. They are just glorified Officers. Enough said.....