Navy Times has been digging around about the recent return to communism change in liberty rules on USS Kitty Hawk. Its not a pretty story. In a nutshell , the leadership thinks that treating Sailors like children is somehow a productive way to improve conduct ashore:
So you’ve got liberty in Japan? First, fill out this form. Then, get your chief’s OK. And if you want to drink, don’t forget your liberty buddy. And remember to phone in each day, even on your weekend off.
Those are just some of the rules for sailors stationed in Japan aboard the carrier Kitty Hawk, at least until the ship hands over its berth next summer to the George Washington before its eventual decommissioning.
Kitty Hawk sailors are living with some of the strictest liberty rules in the Navy, even when their ship is at its home port in Yokosuka with other forward-deployed Naval Forces commands.
Every Kitty Hawk sailor E-6 and below, and anyone planning to drink off base, must have an authorized liberty buddy and a detailed individual liberty plan that requires approval from his superior. Any change to that plan must be reported and approved by the first khaki in the command chain. The liberty restrictions — often tightened after a spate of off-duty and alcohol-related incidents involving sailors — don’t always end there, according to sailors and fleet spokeswomen.
An old mentor of mine had what he called “the quarters test” when it came to public pronouncements and giving awards. Namely could he stand up at quarters and give a guy an award or make an announcement with out having the 80% of the Sailors who do the right thing and want to do well for the Navy-not stand there and say under their breath ,”You have got to be shitting me!”
This does not pass that test. Or pass any other standard of common sense either.
The authors of this policy need to be beaten severely with one of these:
A friend of mine was at a party the other night and was talking to a victim person who was subject to this. His friend said that what it was doing is the exact opposite of what was intended. Its forcing people to lie and that is never a good thing. It is also snowing the CPO’s under with stupid unnecessary work.
It is never a good idea to come up with a policy that almost begs one to break it. And if you look at the so called liberty plan-its practically begging one to lie. Consider this one question:
Do you plan to be off ship between 0200 and o500? If so what will you be doing?
Well if you must know, I’ll be in Roppongi waiting for a train that does not run for at least 3 hours. Accordingly I will be trying my damndest to get this cute little Nihonjin to go with me to a love hotel so that I can be off the streets in accordance with command policy . (The truthful answer)
This is about one thing and one thing only. Covering a lot of senior officer asses if something does happen. They can say they were practicing “intrusive leadership”.
The author of that little word play should be lined up against a wall and shot. Good leadership does not have to be intrusive and good leaders know where the limits of their authority begins and ends. Trying to regulate every detail of a Sailors private life is a privilege that does not, and never did, exist. Its against the law, its against the rights of a Sailor and it is just not a good way to do business.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again. If you take the incident rate of an FDNF ship and stack it up against a comparable size ship in CONUS, the FDNF ship will come out better every time. They would never try this in San Diego or Norfolk. The ACLU would sue the Navy faster than you can say “report chit”. Everyone is afraid of a big incident like happened a couple of years ago when a Sailor murdered a 56 year old woman. A liberty plan would not have solved that problem and it won’t stop a similar one now. It also does the Japanese population a huge disservice.
Treat people like children-they will behave like children. Let ’em be adults-most will accept the challenge and relish it -not a peep will be heard. However with this policy it would appear that one’s reward for a job well done……….is more punishment.
