Looking for the Exclamation Point

When I departed the sailing life in 2019, I did not feel complete. Life felt like a question mark: was there more to be accomplished on the oceans? Yes, I would say; there was within my organization much unfinished business, that eventually pulled me back to sea recently as a First Assistant Engineer. I knew that one of the major challenges onboard would be in regenerating the workforce that dissipated during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Filipino expatriates, with US Citizenship, had made up a significant portion of the Military Sealift Command’s West Coast Fleet, and a stable core of experience for individual vessels. COVID-19 quarantine restrictions made this travel from ship to San Diego, and San Diego to the Philippines, nearly impossible. They faced the choice: Live to work, or work to live. Naturally, many chose to retire, or pursue entrepreneurship opportunities. To meet military logistics requirements, naval supply and other support ships of the Military Sealift Command are christened in a stateside shipyard, then sent to spend the next decades travelling between ports and shipyards in the Far East. It would be the crewmembers flying out to join the ship for four-month tours. This is the model employed by commercial navigation companies, and of the contractors that operate some Military Sealift Command vessels. Under this model, highly skilled and adaptable mariners mesh upon arrival with daily duties and maintenance management plans. To ensure continuity of operations and preservation of institutional knowledge, the Captain and Chief Engineer usually complete multiple tours onboard the vessel. Group performance is based on a model of “Form, Storm, Norm, Perform”. When working with travelling teams of experts, the goal is to have the “form and storm” out of the way so that the team can get together onboard to get the job done. Creating shared, or at least compatible attitudes, is the intent of Maritime Administration organizational guidance that covers nautical instruction at the State Maritime Academies, and the International Maritime Organization’s Minimum Competencies at each rate. Among company and organizational leadership, there is no interest in removing drug testing as a job requirement in the offshore and deep-sea environments. In a previous era, the attraction of a “sea daddy” lifestyle, a carousel of drugs and nightclubs in foreign ports, caused personnel issues that had be dealt with a firm hand. Naturally, these “sea daddies” often showed little interest in developing their professional skills. While drug testing remains, we have by necessity returned to the era where anyone can come off the street and get an entry-level job on the ship. Having been hired on-the-spot, many newcomers have their perception of the Military Sealift Command formed by cruise ship advertisements. So, how do you instill professional attitudes required to succeed in the workplace; in addition to the on-the-job training required to make them skilled tradesmen? As I have written before, maritime academies and Navy skilled ratings schools had satisfied these needs for decades, absolving the Military Sealift Command of a major civil service concept: that someone could be increase their knowledge, skills, and abilities within their employment. While major restructurings of asset management within the Military Sealift Command have occurred as the organization assumed greater operational responsibilities, personnel management has not changed in forty years, despite generational differences: it is still considered a human resources function run by specialists in that field, in contrast to big-picture workforce development inspired by the experience of senior officers of the line. This is where I see the exclamation point, where I felt that unfinished business could be addressed. Two areas where younger, college-educated officers had pushed for were paternity leave: millennial men like to be around for childbirth, and obtaining resignations from AWOL employees who had taken jobs elsewhere. Narrow-visioned application of prevailing Marine Wage Practices had created some unintended effects: without locality pay, entry-level hires in San Diego, CA would earn less than state minimum wage; as such, all new hires are made in lower-cost Norfolk, VA. There were no time-in-grade pay increases (or “steps”), until a retention incentive was applied recently. There is a culture among mariners of avoiding, rather than engaging, decisionmakers on these issues. It was thought to be the purview of labor officials and workmens’ attorneys. Rightly or wrongly, I call this the “enlisted attitude”, where people want to do their job and get their pay, without input from higher-ups. Understanding is the impetus of change, and it must be fostered from within. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to All!

Why I Recommend College Degrees for Mariners: the COVID-19 Pivot

From March 2020, and continuing for the next two years, mariners around the world have found their time ashore to be severely curtailed due to COVID-19 prevention policies. That these restrictions on lower-risk shipboard arrivals continue (small crews, sufficient quarantine time between ports at sea), even as higher-risk air tourism has opened up (despite large aircraft and no quarantine time) is a topic for another post. I was working in the Military Sealift Command headquarters during this time, and have only made aware of the full extent of shipboard restrictions fairly recently. Cancellation of shore leave posed an acute problem on the East Coast, where mariners expected to be in their “home port” at least two days per week. Being a homeported mariner for the Military Sealift Command meant a civil servant’s work for a civil servant’s pay. What constituted restriction of movement varied by Navy command. In accordance with Health Protection Condition (HPCON) Level C, active-duty servicemembers were limited to on-base shopping and personal appointments, but could also provide care for their children and sleep at home. Which combatant ships maintained a “Gangway Up” order for mission-readiness likely remains classified. Military Sealift Command’s Admiral believed that civilian mariners should be ready to “deploy” to a ship for 120 days, without requiring time ashore. Indeed, the blanket order against shore leave was loosened after 120 days. But for the civilian mariners, 30 days at sea, or restricted to the ship, was a long stretch already. The Admiral came up through Naval Aviation, and would be familiar with expeditionary contractors who support high-tech equipment onboard aircraft carriers and at remote air bases. Some contractors even flew cargo helicopters from the decks of Military Sealift Command’s vessels. Those contractors were handsomely compensated for their work; and expected to deploy no more than half the year. Civil service mariners expect a steady pace of work, to sustain the long haul of their careers. Hiring freezes at most companies slowed the inevitable “suitcase parade” of departing crewmembers. Restrictions on commercial ship mariners were even more onerous than those at the Military Sealift Command. Nevertheless, those who could took their retirements; and those mariners with side-businesses took the opportunity to make that their full-time job. Real estate was booming; at least a dozen with those skills or social capital made the leap into work as real estate agents or home rehabbers. Because in-person work is required in maritime shore-based support roles, there were enough openings to accommodate college-educated mariners who wanted to work ashore.