Team, at the end of this month, we will formally disestablish Second Fleet and officially commence operations as a merged and restructured USFF. Though physical consolidation and relocation efforts will continue well into 2012, I want to take a moment to acknowledge and recognize the extraordinary amount of work and due diligence that has underpinned the merge process to date. Commencing with the initial Red Team assessment in February and continuing throughout RDML Craig's assignment as my direct representative on all matters related to the consolidation, you have ably supported the effort to design and place in effect an organization that can span the tactical, operational and strategic - our unique battlespace.
Most impressively, you - both USFF and C2F - have done so while simultaneously meeting our primary mission of delivering combat-ready Fleet units to the Combatant Commanders.
The importance of "getting it right" cannot be overstated, as was demonstrated during Hurricane Irene. VADM Holloway and his superb team of professionals were proactive and fully engaged throughout all phases of the Fleet sortie, ensuring we protected the Fleet and then rapidly reconstituted in an orderly sequence, in order to continue our mission. The agility and speed of decision displayed by VADM Holloway and his staff must be fully embedded in the culture, processes and mindset of the consolidated organization so that we can deliver a commensurate level of service to the Fleet during future contingency events.
I firmly believe that we have a solid, well-thought plan that must now be fully and vigorously executed in the weeks ahead. As VADM Buss and his team continue to deep-dive into the various roles and responsibilities of N01 and CTF-20, I want to reiterate that your feedback and objective assessment is critically important to a successful merger. Without doubt there are still areas for improvement, and we have seams/gaps that must be addressed - this is why VADM Buss is conducting his own deep dives. If you see something that is not quite right, you need to say something, professionally and through the right channels. The Fleet depends on us to do this.
Again my thanks to each of you for the collective effort in this endeavor. This report to you, my team, will be the last of my routine bi-weekly consolidation updates; future updates will be provided as needed.
All the best, JCHjr
07 September 2011
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4 comments:
I'm a little curious Admiral. How many flag, SES billets did this consolidation cut? Any at all? None?
Sliced off a few LCDR and LT billets did you?
You really should post your score card just as JFCOM disestablishment did with the removal of responsibilities etc. Oh, but they can't either because then it would be game over--you cut no flag or SES billets at all.
Why does anybody listen to you?
Admiral,
It's now almost two weeks since USFF and C2F officially merged as one team. You stated in your e-mail of 30 SEP: "Our collective focus must be to ensure that this transition is transparent to those who are the focus of our efforts - the Sailors, Chiefs, and Officers who man our ships, submarines, squadrons, cyber and expeditionary units - and that our efforts each and every day fully support the Fleet operations they undertake at my direction."
If you asked me if this merger is truly complete and meets the intent of your stated focus, I'd have to report in the negative. Ask your senior staff tomorrow morning, "If we had to execute the Haiti earthquake response again, do we know what directorate(s), by office code, would be drafting and releasing what orders/messages?" I think you'll be surprised by the response.
Regarding the previous comment, is something really being done about this?
There's confusion at the lower echelons as to what the the chain of command is post-merger and what reporting requirements if any are in effect.
Anonymous and Phil, thanks for your candid feedback. I’ve passed your comments to VADM Buss and RADM Driscoll so they can follow-up on your observations as they believe appropriate. I do want to point out that there has been a lot of guidance issued in the months leading up to this merger, so if there is any confusion regarding reporting requirements, I’m confident the answer is out there; however, as I mentioned at the All Hands Quarters this morning, I need you to be as specific as possible when identifying issues -- the more details we have, the better we can dig into these problems and fix them.
I also believe that your comments validate the importance of the exercises we conduct every year (Solid Curtain / Citadel Shield, COOP, and hurricane sorties) in order to discover and resolve these types of issues. Thanks again for your feedback and please keep it coming.
All the best, JCHjr
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