NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE

ISSUE 2

What NSW is doing to build the resiliency

of our warfighters and their families

COMMANDER > Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli
FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER > Commander Gregory Geisen
DEP. PAO/EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS > Lieutenant Nathan Potter
DEP. PAO/INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS > Ms. Patricia O’Connor
S TA F F
EDITOR > MCCS (SW/AW) Scott Williams
Ethos is an authorized official production of the Naval Special Warfare Command Public Affairs Office, 2000 Trident Way, San Diego, Calif. 92155-5599.
Send electronic submissions and correspondence to editor@navsoc.socom.mil or call (619) 522-2825.
Cover art: Photo illustration by MC2 Arcenio Gonzalez. Back cover: Photo by MC1 James Clark
Special thanks to Miss Demeter’s 3rd grade class, Central Elementary School, Escondido, Calif.
WHEN OUR OPERATORS
and mission-critical support
personnel redeploy, they
undoubtedly bring home a range
of emotions: pride, relief, perhaps
even anger or anxiety. The active duty
leadership does not have an intuitive
understanding of the potential long-term
impact of sustained combat operations. The
military has not been exposed to this since the
Vietnam era, and consequently, we have not
developed the leadership instinct to read between
the lines. The bottom line is we know enough to
know we don’t know enough. We are committed to
getting this right for all NSW personnel, both active
and reserve, to include their families.
In regard to families, they deserve every
advantage we can give them. They hold down the
home front and deal with any situation that arises
when their family member is forward deployed in the
combat zone. Our families are strong and take on
their personal issues as a challenge to work through
independently. But it’s not always enough.
The Navy has long recognized the challenges
facing Sailors and their families caused by long
deployments such as financial stress and marital
estrangement. That’s why we have institutions, such
as the local Fleet and Family Support Center, that
deal with the recurring general issues that transcend
all branches of the military. However, the unique
nature of conducting special operations may create
stresses not always addressed with these broader
service institutions.
While NSW has found ways to provide support
for combat stress, only recently have the families
come into sharper focus as an important factor
in the readiness of the force. Simply put, if
things ain’t right at home, they won’t be right
PRODUCTION MANAGER > MC1 (SW/AW) Andre Mitchell
ART DIRECTOR > Ms. Mandy McCammon in the operational environment either. This
LAYOUT/DESIGN > MC2 (PJ) Michelle Kapica community, OUR community, rides on our
STAFF > MC2 (SW/AW) Arcenio Gonzalez, MC2 (SW) Shauntae Hinkle,
families. We owe them a back-up plan,
MC2 (SW/AW) Erika Jones, MC2 (SW/AW) Dominique Lasco,
MC2 Christopher Menzie something that isn’t already in their
kit bag, some real assistance to
address evolving issues.
With that in mind,
Naval Special Warfare Command
is implementing a new program to help create
balance and a sense of partnership and support for the
active duty members and families. It’s a brand new initiative
that will take a scientific approach to comprehensively identify,
assess, educate and mitigate the stresses that throw things out of
whack. It’s called the NSW family resilience program.
We don’t want a program so we can say we have a program. We
want to develop functional capabilities that serve a tangible purpose.
We need active lines of communication – direct interaction – so we can
apply the support measures to the community in a way that provides real
value. We need direct involvement across all lines and ranks to say what
is good, bad, right, wrong, or not useful or practical. That means going to
the appropriate meetings routinely and establishing the relationships for
effective communication on the right subjects. Inside this issue of Ethos you
will discover what this program is all about and how it can make a
difference.
Another big topic on the minds of leadership these days is
diversity. People may have preconceived notions about what
that term means, but here at NSW we are concerned with how we
can improve our diversity to improve our operational capability.
We want the best people we can find, and we’ve got to try harder
to find them. We need to reach out and broaden our effort to
inspire the right individual with the right characteristics or
traits, to bolster our efforts forward. It all comes down to
combat effectiveness. So we’ve launched a new initiative
called the NSW Diversity Enterprise. We’ve asked some
experts in the field to advise us as we move forward in
this important human resources area. We will introduce
this program in this edition of Ethos, and you can expect
to see more details coming in the future.
The people of Naval Special Warfare have always
had the moral courage to think unconventionally to
solve problems on the battlefield for success.
Now we need to apply that flexible “can
do” thought process to issues
indirectly related to the front lines
while maintaining our expert
operational and tactical proficiency
forward. Let’s lean forward on
this and move out as we do with
any challenge presented to the
community – by keeping an eye
on these emerging priorities for
the future.
ETHOS 1
 aval Special Warfare,
in collaboration with
the Bureau of Medicine
and Surgery (BUMED)
confusion
has initiated an
unprecedented program in an effort to
improve combat care and resiliency of
service members and their families.
anger
The goal is to proactively help NSW
deployers and their families throughout
their deployment cycles and their careers
become more resilient and deal with stress
in an effective way.
Spearheaded by former NSW
commander, Rear Adm. Joseph Kernan,
flashbacks
the first official meeting for NSW and its
component commanders was held May
1, to discuss the four initiatives within the
program.
“In our community, our people are our
assets,” said Kernan during his opening
remarks. “I don’t know of a community that
puts more value in their people. What we
are committed to is the health and welfare
of our members and their families. We have
brought together what is I hope the finest
team we could.”
These major initiatives resuted from
a culmination of research and ideas from
anxiety
NSW doctors and psychologists and
meetings with BUMED, assessing where the
Since 9/11, our community has been at war. Our SEALs, our SWCCs, our techs, our families. Sailors, fathers, community wanted to focus its efforts and
mothers, sons, daughters, men and women are experiencing a level of continuous stress that has been both where the greatest needs were. In October
2007, Kernan met with Vice Adm. Adam
unforseen and diffficult to bear. Last year, NSW in conjunction with BUMED developed a multi-faceted Robinson, Surgeon General for the Navy,
fear
inititive that will allow us to not only deal with the stresses of war for our warfighters, but aim our sights at and discussed the continuing amplified
research and prevention for every one of our warriors and their families. It is an unprecedented effort to not operational tempo and behavioral issues
only treat stress, but to build our resiliency against the community was facing and NSW’s
needs. As it happened, Navy medicine
it and where we can, prevent it altogether. was granted funds from Congress in June
2007 to support psychological health and
violence
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) programs.
BUMED decided it would work with NSW to
find programs that would meet the needs of
nightmares
its warfighters and their families.
BUMED allocated $8.3 million to the
program and began looking for companies
that would be able to help NSW meet its
stress
goals.
Force Medical Officer, Capt. Jay
Sourbeer, compiled a group of subject
matter experts within the community to
determine needs and goals.
“We spent four days in a room together
hashing out what exactly our goals were,”
2 ETHOS
guilt
Sourbeer said. “Between the doctors,
psychiatrists and operators, we laid out
an initial plan for the admiral on where we
wanted to focus our efforts in combating
combat stress not only with our Sailors, but
with their families as well.”
The result was a plan that included
surveys and studies that would allow the
command to assess the needs of the Sailors
and their families, resiliency and stress
management programs that would be open
to every family member, Sailor, reservist or
IA who needed it, and research and studies
on the causes and effects of TBI.
The first initiative, the NSW Family
Needs Assessment, began in April. In order
worry
to reach the families and assess what
areas they felt they could use assistance,
Sourbeer, and his staff worked with the
Center for Military Relationshps and
Families and the University of California,
Los Angeles to create a survey and conduct
a series of discussion groups for service
members and their families that focused on
deployment schedules, stress and overall
health. Kernan emphasized to all his
component commanders the importance
of the survey in a letter and message,
encouraging maximum participation.
Once completed, the Center for Military
Relationships and Families conducted
the survey and provided a report to the
command.
“This work is so important in order
to truly find out what are the needs of
our community,” explained Cmdr. Lanny
Boswell, an NSW medical officer who has
been working with the program since its
inception. “Families are dealing with so
many different issues. This survey will bring
them to light and then we can develop a
way to address them.”
The Center for Military Relations and
Families will work with UCLA in compiling the
results and using them to develop programs
that will assist the NSW community.
The second initiative, Project FOCUS,
which stands for Families OverComing
Under Stress, is a program spearheaded
by UCLA Center for Community Health and
is focused on resiliency training for military
families with children.
The staff for the West Coast Project
Focus team will be housed on base in the
chaplain’s office and will help families cope
with the challenges of multiple deployments
stress and physically or psychologically
injured service members. The East Coast
Project FOCUS team will have its office on
Fort Story.
“One of the main benefits of FOCUS
is that is it customized to each person’s
needs,” explained Wally Graves, the family
support coordinator for NSWG-1. “Through
focus groups, interviews and outreach
briefings, we can find people in need and
manually customize training that will help
their specific needs.”
The training consists of using
developmentally-appropriate education,
family resiliency skills such as goal setting,
problem solving and emotional regulation,
enhanced social support and addressing
adversity.
“We feel a strong and resilient family is
just as critical to the mental and emotional
health of our Sailors,” Graves said.
NSWG-1 held a town hall meeting on
June 18 to discuss the program with its
families and encouraged everyone to take
advantage of the services.
The third initiative is the Resiliency
Enterprise, spearheaded by the Center for
Military Relationships and Families, aimed
at preventing and treating combat stress.
“Since 9/11, each Group within NSW
has forward-deployed at least seven times,”
Boswell said. “We have no idea what the
long-term effects of that are going to be. We
do know the longer period of time a person
is exposed to stress, — be that stress from
bills, relationships or combat, — the higher
their risk for problems.”
“In the past, medicine has looked at
treating combat stress and things like
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome in a very
reactive way,” explained Sourbeer. “Our
goal is to be proactive and build resiliency
in the Sailors and their families before there
is a problem.”
ETHOS 3
 The initiative will use various methods,
such as surveys to look at individual Sailors
and determine what specific areas of their
lives are stressful.
Initially, the program will run only at
Naval Special Warfare Group One in
Coronado, and will serve as the baseline
for an NSW-wide program next year.
The final initiative is aimed at learning
more about TBI and how to prevent and treat
it. TBI has become a serious concern for all
services since the start of the war in Iraq
because of the mass volume of explosions
the service members are exposed to on a
daily basis.
“We are taking guys that are normally
very resilient and the proximity to explosions
can alter their brain chemicals,” explained
Boswell. “We need to take a look at what
that is doing to them.”
“It’s difficult for us to determine the
causes and effects of traumatic brain
injuries because we have no baseline
established. This is new territory for
everyone,” explained Sourbeer. “Our initial
goals are to create ways to test the operators
before, during and after a deployment and
develop a baseline for each individual
person. We can learn to track symptoms,
possible causes and treatments. We want
to take our theories about TBI from subject
matter experts and back them with some
real scientific data.”
“We will remain committed to the health
and wellness of our Sailors and families.”
- Mandy McCammon
4 ETHOS
IFE CAN BE HARD to adjust to Freedom Scholarship Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps members of
after returning from war, but try adjusting after the U.S. Armed Forces who have been severely injured in the line of duty to readjust
losing your eyesight. That’s what happened to civilian life.
to Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class The program helped the Job family relocate to Scottsdale, Ariz., where they will
Ryan Job in August 2006. Job had dreams live rent-free for the next four years. It also provided Job with a special computer
of becoming a commercial pilot, but that allowing him to attend online courses to finish his bachelor’s degree.
lmost 7,000 heavily-armored Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP)
dream died when he was shot in the face by “I’m not thinking about war anymore,” said Job. “I’m thinking about getting
vehicles have been rushed to Iraq in the last year. “They’ve taken hits, many,
a sniper’s bullet. adjusted in Scottsdale and getting a job.”
many hits that would have killed soldiers and Marines in up-armored humvees,”
Job found out the damage to his optical Sentinels of Freedom Foundation is just one of many organizations
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a recent interview.
nerves was too severe to regain his committed to helping our servicemembers. These programs range from the
But an increase in the survival rate after serious explosions has spiked the number
vision. Thank You Foundation that donates tickets for sporting events, to the Homes
of traumatic brain injuries that are occurring as well. The TBI initiative here at NSW will
“I started thinking what I was going for Our Troops Foundation, that builds homes or modifies existing ones for
take a serious look into the much misunderstood world of traumatic brain injury.
to miss out on,” he said. “I will never handicapped access.
“The most common cause of TBI in the military today is blast injury, which is poorly
see my kids. I will never see my wife’s There are also programs that assist veterans with legal aid to ensure they
understood both in terms of mechanism of injury and long-term effect,” explained Cmdr.
face again. I’ll never drive. It’s about the are getting the help from the government to which they are entitled.
Robert Obrecht, clinical neuropsychologist and psychologist for Naval Special Warfare
lowest low you can go. It wasn’t a huge Family members are not forgotten. No Greater Sacrifice raises money
Group One. “Our goals are to; understand what is specifically causing the brain injury
surprise, but it’s still devastating to hear. to help fund education for the children of fallen soldiers. It raises money on
and its long-term effects; develop ways to detect blast-related concussions through
It’s forever.” behalf of charities that are already assisting military families such as the
proper screening; and study the long-term effects of blast injuries.”
Job received treatment from three Navy SEAL Warrior Fund, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation,
When TBI is moderate to severe, the patients show obvious gross neurological
different Veterans Affairs medical and the Naval Special Warfare Foundation.
and neuropsychological impairment that requires them to be transferred to a medical
facilities before he recovered enough It’s impossible to list all of the non-profit organizations that provide
treatment facility,” said Obrecht. “But when it is mild, the patient’s symptoms are less
to return to his home in San Diego. assistance to servicemembers and their families. The key is to identify
obvious, leaving great uncertainty about a service member’s readiness to return to
But the welcome wasn’t as warm as a need and ask for help, just as the Job family did.
combat or training.”
he’d hoped. He found very limited For more information on these and other programs contact your
The first part of the current plan at NSW is to conduct baseline and follow-up
opportunities for employment. Fleet and Family Support Center, www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil or
screening assessments at CONUS SEAL team facilities and to train the embedded
All of that changed when Job your local Veteran Affairs representative.
corpsmen on the equipment to conduct in-theater testing.
learned about the Sentinels of - MC2 Erika N. Jones
“Ultimately, NSW commanders will receive objective neurocognative information to
assist them in the return-to-combat or return-to-training decision-making on behalf of
service members who sustain mild TBI,” Obrecht explained.
Another goal is to develop ways to detect blast-related injuries. If a service member
is on patrol and is exposed to a blast injury, he may not show any outward sign of injury
such as bruises or burns, but has still sustained a “real” injury, causing confusion and “It’s so
fatigue.
“Screening for and understanding mild TBI is a safety issue,” stressed Obrecht. “We crushing,
need to assess the service member’s neurocognitive functioning before we send him
out on a patrol with impaired reaction time and concentration.” you don’t
The final goal is to study long-term effects of blast injuries.
“We want to prevent sending service members home with impaired mental function
and mental problems that may contribute to difficulties with their families,” Obrecht said.
even know
“We also don’t want service members being misdiagnosed and getting treatment as a
psychiatric patients instead of getting treatment for their TBI.”
what you’re
“NSW commanders need objective clinical information regarding the effects of TBI
to make the best decisions for their service members and our goal is to give it to them.”
thinking.”
- Ryan Job, former Navy SEAL
ETHOS 5

MILITARY FAMILIES ARE STAYING CONNECTED with the United
Through Reading (UTR) program. The program gives deployed
servicemembers a chance to send a message or a recorded
reading to their children at home.
The UTR program is a non-profit organization founded in
1989 by Betty J. Mohlenbrock. Its sole mission is to build strong
relationships between children and their parents by reading aloud.
The program has benefited more than 143,000 families since the
military adopted UTR in 1990.
Naval Special Warfare implemented the UTR program in March
after military spouse and parent, Joette Seniff, contacted NSWG1
Family Support Coordinator Wally Graves. Within a few weeks,
deployed servicemembers were being videotaped as they read
stories to their children. The videos were mailed home and played
to their children during the deployment.
“I thought he was really talking to me and it felt like he was
right in the room with us,” said eight-year-old Blanchard Seniff.
Blanchard was happy to see his dad on television and wanted to
see it over and over again, he said. “When he started reading to us,
he showed pictures and said, ‘Hi boys, it’s reading time!’”
MC2 Michelle Kapica
U.S. Navy photo by PHAN Joshua T. Rodriguez
CORONADO, Calif. -- Elijah Siren follows along with his mother as his father,
Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Terrence Siren, reads a pre-recorded
bedtime story. Siren is assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group Three.
6 ETHOS
The NSW family grows every year as does the number and
frequency of deployments and Graves believes keeping family ties
strong is vital to the success of a Sailor and the Sailor’s family.
“It’s important to keep family connections strong while our
servicemembers are away,” said
Graves. “This program reduces
separation anxiety and keeps
young children familiar
with deployed parents
through audio and visual
aids,” he said.
“It does amazing
things for their growth,”
said McDevitt, the UTR’s
national program manager
for military. “Most importantly it
gives the little ones a positive role model.
Keeping families connected through reading is UTR’s main focus.”
It’s not uncommon for children to run up and kiss the television
when they see their deployed parent, explained McDevitt. Reading
along with parents helps children to develop a good rapport with
reading and significantly improves their vocabulary.
The program doesn’t just benefit children, but the whole
family.
“Our boys were so excited to receive our video in the mail,”
said Suzie Thompson, a military spouse whose family received a
DVD from her husband. “The boys smiled like the Cheshire Cat at
the first sight of their daddy. When Dan started to read, the boys
just sat and listened. The next day, we made a trip to our library to
find the books so we could read along. I was in heaven watching
my husband read to our boys. I had missed that interaction since
he had left for this deployment. It felt so good to see and hear him
again. It was a much-needed reassurance.”
According to Thompson, the program is a definite success.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the UTR Military Program
is a very important program. Even though my husband was on the
other side of the world from his family, he remained a constant
figure in our home. Thanks to our video, we constantly shared a
connection through reading.”
- MC3 Antonio Ramos, NSWG1
HONORING FALLEN HEROES
MUSEUM ANNOUNCES MEMORIAL
HONORING US NAVY SEALS
ince the first UDTs made their appearance on the battlefield The memorial team is also asking current and former team members
in 1944, and developing into what are now the Navy SEALs, to submit information about any of the fallen SEALs. A kiosk will be
they have been fighting at the forefront of every major constructed to display stories and photos of the honored men.
conflict. Since then, more than 200 SEALs have given “What we are looking for are stories, swim buddy names,
their life in the line of duty. Men like Chief Carpenter’s Mate Ralph honoree nicknames, how to contact any of the families or friends,
Blowers, from Endicott, N.Y., who was killed in WWII, to the recent pictures and whatever else anyone can provide,” said Jan Albertie,
fallen heroes like SEALs Nathan Hardy and Michael Koch, best member of the UDT-SEAL memorial team. “Any information will be
friends who died together in Iraq on Feb. 8, greatly welcomed.”
Building a memorial to honor
have lived in the memories of the family, friends Submissions must be received no later
than Dec. 31.
our NSW teammates who
and teammates. Soon, they will have a formal
monument that will stand as a testament to The museum was recognized by the United
The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum made the ultimate sacrifice is US Navy SEALs. Representative Tim Mahoney
their sacrifice for all the world to see. States Congress as the official museum of the
long overdue.
Association Board of Directors recently (Fla.-16) recently presented the museum with
unveiled its plans to construct a memorial to - Capt Michael Howard the official legislation, which was signed into
SEALs and their predecessors who have died Retired Navy SEAL law by President Bush Nov. 13, 2007. The
in the line of duty. The memorial, slated to be museum was dedicated in 1985 and since
completed in 2009, will feature the name, date of death and BUD/S that time, a continuous stream of history and artifacts has returned
class of each person etched into granite walls. The memorial home to Ft. Pierce.
walls will be centered around a monument, commissioned by the The Navy UDT-SEAL Museum is the only museum dedicated to
National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. preserving the history of the Navy SEALs and their predecessors,
“Currently, there is no monument or memorial in existence including the Underwater Demolition Teams, Naval Combat
dedicated exclusively to the Navy SEALs and their predecessors,” Demolition Units, Office of Strategic Services Maritime Units, and
remarked project leader David Godshall, former Navy SEAL and Amphibious Scouts and Raiders. Located in Fort Pierce, Fla. – the
vice president of the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum’s board of directors. birthplace of the Navy Frogman – the museum promotes public
“Building a memorial to honor our NSW teammates who made the education by providing the opportunity to explore the history of the
ultimate sacrifice is long overdue,” said Capt. Michael Howard, Navy SEALs in an atmosphere of respect and honor.
retired SEAL and executive director of the National Navy UDT- For more information, including updates and how to participate
SEAL Museum. in this event, visit www.NavySEALmemorial.net or contact Rolf
The official unveiling is scheduled for Memorial Day 2009. The Snyder at (913) 642-5134 or by e-mail at Rolf.Snyder@gmail.
ceremony will be open to the public, and next of kin and teammates com. Anyone interested in submitting information for the kiosk
are highly encouraged to attend. The names of the 220 memorial should contact Jan Albertie at (408) 654-7900 or e-mail jalbertie@
honorees are listed on the official Navy SEAL Memorial Web- site. businessdesign.com.
- UDT SEAL Museum
ETHOS 7
Former NSW commander are no operational similarities between the
4th Fleet of old and the new one he is now
than threatening signs” for the region.
On May 15, Adm. Stavridis met with Latin American military
takes the helm of historic commanding.
“The mission this time is more of
chiefs to reassure them of peaceful intent.
“The 4th Fleet’s entire purpose is cooperation, friendship,
engaging with other countries and creating response to natural disaster, missions of peace, and counter-
cooperative security agreements and has narcotics work, as is traditional,” he told reporters afterward.
nothing to do with submarine hunting,” “Our intent is not to colonize the area, as some leaders would
Kernan said in reference to 4th Fleet’s believe,” Kernan explains. “Our full intent is to promote the tenants of
original role. democracy, which we firmly believe in. We want to help the security
The fleet was created in 1943 to protect environment, and help them to take care of their own countries. All
vital Allied shipping routes, blockade Axis along the way, those things will encourage relationships and trade
routes, and sink German U-boats in World as we learn from each other.”
War II. After the war, the fleet’s use became According to the Navy Office of Information, “40 percent of
obsolete, and it was absorbed into 2nd U.S. trade and 50 percent of oil imports are within this hemisphere,
Fleet in 1950. including more than 33 percent of U.S. energy imports. Also, half
Economies, boosted by the prices of commodity exports, such as oil, “People need to understand that in of Latin exports go to the United States.” Considering that most of
soy and copper. Also, military spending in countries like Brazil, which has each of the regions of the world, a fleet the world’s population lives on or near the coastline, and that so
seen an increase of 53 percent in its military budget this year. Oh, and the U.S. Navy’s focus was assigned so that people could engage much of U.S. commerce sails across the water, the Navy is a great
on the region. with the navies of other countries,” said resource in our country’s ability to build relationships and make
On April 22, the USS George Washington (CVN 73) visited Rio De Janeiro for UNITAS, Kernan. “Southern Command is the only sure the waterways are safe for transportation.
a cooperative exercise between the U.S., Argentina, and Brazil. A week later, the USS Boxer area without a fleet. To raise a fleet makes “As our security and prosperity are inextricably linked with those
(LHD 4) departed San Diego to reinforce bonds and provide relief operations to Latin American our engagements with other countries of others, U.S. Maritime Forces will be deployed to protect and sustain
nations – Guatemala, El Salvador, and Peru. Also during the month of April, the Chief of Naval more effective.” the peaceful global system comprised of interdependent networks
Operations, (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead, announced a plan to re-establish the U.S. 4th Fleet, According to Adm. Stavridis, the extra of trade, finance, information, law, people and governance,” states
nearly 60 years after its dissolution. layer of support added onto U.S. Southern the Maritime Strategy.
“Reconstituting the 4th Fleet recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the Command “would allow a much better The new fleet has no ships permanently under its command.
southern part of the western hemisphere, and sends a strong signal to all civilian and military and more concerted response to Instead, ships that cross into 4th Fleet’s area will fall under its
maritime services in Central and Latin America,” Roughead said during his announcement. problem sets that range from hurricanes responsibility. Kernan imagines only the potential for a flagship in
”Aligning the 4th Fleet with our other numbered fleets and providing the capabilities and to medical diplomacy to counter- the future, but doesn’t see it as a current necessity.
personnel are a logical execution of our maritime strategy.” narcotics, counter-terrorism kinds of In the future, Kernan plans to stay in close touch with Naval
The strategy he refers to, “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower,” focuses operations. Speed is very important in Special Warfare forces working in the U.S. Southern Command
on “building confidence and trust among nations through collective security efforts based on all those scenarios.” range of operations. He similarly wants to coordinate with every
common threats and mutual interests.” “It sends the right signal, even to U.S. agency that works in the 4th Fleet area, whether it is the Coast
It’s a bold move aimed at sustaining a positive relationship with the Southern hemisphere people that you know aren’t necessarily Guard, State Department, or humanitarian groups.
as it grows; one that Roughead has chosen a two-star admiral and Navy SEAL — Rear Adm. our greatest supporters,” notes Rear In Kernan’s words, “The sum of all those parts will have a great
Joseph Kernan — to lead. Adm. James Stevenson, commander effect on what we’re trying to do in the region.”
of U.S. Naval Forces Southern -MC2 Christopher Menzie
“The mission this time is more of engaging with other countries and creating Command.
cooperative security agreements and has nothing to do with submarine hunting.” So far, that signal is being met with caution and
skepticism by some in the 4th Fleet’s area of operations.
You heard it right. The Navy has chosen a Navy SEAL to Navy getting close to these countries and even going ashore as In response to the fleet’s creation, Cuban dictator Fidel
spearhead a mission for peace. opposed to staying far out at sea and only operating with countries Castro wrote “The aircraft carriers and nuclear bombs
Kernan relinquished his position as commander, Naval Special on an ‘at sea’ exercise.” that threaten our countries are used to sow
Warfare Command to Rear Adm. Garry Bonelli on June 20 and took Although Kernan has served most of his Navy career as a terror and death, but not to combat terrorism
command of 4th Fleet, based out of Mayport, Fla., on July 12. SEAL, he is familiar with the surface Navy, having served as an and illegal activities.” Bolivia’s president, Evo
“I am thrilled with the choice of a Navy SEAL for this important engineering officer aboard the USS Horne (CG 30) earlier in his Morales, called it the “4th Fleet of Intervention”
and expeditionary job,” commented Adm. James Stavridis, career. He is the first SEAL ever to command a U.S. Navy fleet. during an interview. Even in Mexico, one
commander of U.S. Southern Command. “He is the right officer Kernan’s new job is an echelon-two command, where he journalist from “La Journada” argued that the
for the challenging tasks in the region, and he has a strong sense must focus on 15.6 million square miles of water surrounding the establishment of 4th Fleet signaled “more
of theater security cooperation and interaction with our partner Caribbean, Central and South American countries. Administratively,
nations.” he reports directly to the CNO. Operationally, he is under Adm.
“In our (NSW) community, we’re all about engagement,” said Stavridis. Kernan notes that there
Kernan. “Engagement for us is all about going into a country, USS Belknap (DD 251)
learning about a culture, and learning about local politics, and of operating within the former
course, their security environment. I will be an advocate of the 4th Fleet AOR. Date unknown. Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, commander, 4th Fleet

8 ETHOS ETHOS 9

U.S. Army Pfc. Shayne Sanderson, of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, looks through his M-24 Sniper Weapons System while providing security
in Tall Afar, Iraq, May 24, 2006.
his is a short article
on a very complex
subject I will seek to
provide a brief primer
on the fundamental principles
of ethics on the battlefield, then
briefly discuss some of the difficulties of these principles in today’s
conflict. Finally, I will note how SOF in particular should be even
more concerned with these principles than other conventional, or
general purpose forces.
The discussion of military ethics on the battlefield begins
with the fundamental principle of non-combatant immunity. Non-
combatant immunity requires the warrior to make all reasonable
efforts to protect non-combatants from the violence and destruction
of war. Non-combatant immunity has two supporting principles:
discrimination and proportionality. In doling out death and destruction
in warfare, the principle of discrimination requires the warrior to
distinguish between combatants and non-combatants in battle,
and to target only combatants. Discrimination and non-combatant
immunity include the prohibition against ever intentionally killing
or harming non-combatants. When military necessity makes harm
to non-combatants unavoidable, due to proximity to ‘legitimate’
military targets, such as enemy combatants, infrastructure,
support activities, etc., the warrior must consider the principle of
proportionality. When harm to non-combatants is unavoidable, it
10 ETHOS
or part of an organization
engaged in combat (however
loosely organized). Innocent
bystanders, civilians, and
others not in any way engaged
in combat are obvious non-
combatants. When referring
to someone who we can’t
intentionally kill or harm, the
term non-combatant would also
apply to anyone who is under
our power and control, such as
prisoners, detainees, disarmed
or incapacitated terrorists who
we have captured, — Saddam
Hussein or Osama bin Laden
(if/when we catch him) — in our
custody, as well as people who might be enemy combatants but we
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey
can’t be sure. It is the moral duty of the warrior to not intentionally
kill or harm these people, whether we like them or not.
How then, does the warrior distinguish a combatant from a
non-combatant, or someone who is NOT a legitimate target, when
terrorists live among and disguise themselves as civilians, and
someone who appears to us to be a non-combatant today, may
well be a terrorist tonight? What are reasonable efforts to protect
these non-combatants? How much risk do we expect our warriors
assume to protect the lives and property of people who may hate
us, and who may be ready to take up arms against us whenever
they can, but who are technically non-combatants? And when and
must never be intentional, and it should be proportional to the value under what circumstances may military necessity over-ride non-
of the military target. In other words it may be proportional to cause combatant immunity?
unintended, but likely, harm to a non-combatant near a terrorist
as we target that terrorist, but it does not meet the stipulations of
proportionality to destroy a village or neighborhood to kill a terrorist
hiding there.
Those, in a nutshell, are the fundamentals of professional military
ethics in war. The hard part clearly lies in applying these principles
in practice. Currently our enemies seek to use our efforts to protect
non-combatants as a tool against us. They know that we seek to not
harm non-combatants, so they seek to look like non-combatants.
They know that we will avoid non-proportional responses to their
actions, so they will hide in crowds and in populated areas. When
our enemies act and look like non-combatants, we have to ask, just These are not simple questions, and they have no easy answers.
who is a non-combatant? It is important however, that we do ask these questions and struggle
Probably the greatest practical and ethical challenge in irregular with the associated issues before we are suddenly confronted with
warfare is discriminating between combatants, who are legitimate a decision that has to be made right now to shoot or not shoot,
targets, and non-combatants who are not. This is not easy for the kill or not kill. JAGs help soldiers and commanders with the legal
warrior on the ground (or at sea or in the air), for the Judge Advocate ramifications and nuances of applying non-combatant immunity,
General (JAG), or even for the academic theorist. This is complicated discrimination, and proportionality to specific circumstances. JAGs
by the reality that there are many and differing definitions of non- also provide guidance to help warriors determine what actions can
combatant, some with legal implications that may not have ethical legitimately be taken, to include violence, arrest, or detention when
import for the warrior in combat. In short, and for the purposes of confronted with a non-combatant who the warrior considers a likely
what a warrior needs to know about who he can intentionally kill or threat, but who may not be demonstrating hostile intent right now.
harm, a non-combatant is anyone who is not engaged in combat But morality and legality are not the same, and the JAG is not the
warrior on the street or in battle
who must make the decisions
on the spot. The warrior must
understand the principles upon
which the JAG tries to make his
interpretations. The JAG and
the rules of engagement he
prepares can never anticipate
all or even most of the
circumstances the warrior will
face in combat.
It is fundamental to our
moral maturity as warriors to
understand that our moral, legal,
and professional obligation
requires us to do the best we
can to protect non-combatants,
and this means that we must be ready to assume risk to do so.
Warriors who seek to hold on to their humanity while engaged
in the violence of war constantly struggle to balance the duty to
protect non-combatants, against the dictates of mission and the
obligation to protect their own troops. In the heat of battle, and with
the best of intentions, it is easy to make mistakes. Every warrior
of conscience, who has made decisions in which non-combatants
have suffered, been injured or killed, has afterwards asked himself
whether he really did all that he could to prevent unnecessary death
and injury to non-combatants. This is healthy and necessary. And
next time, he will (he must) again, do the best he can.
The obligation to protect non-combatants is particularly
incumbent on SOF, because SOF are America’s most effective
combatants when it comes to applying violence in a discriminating
and proportionate manner and the ability to
work effectively and morally in the difficult gray
areas. America spends millions of dollars to
train the SOF warrior to fulfill his mission for
maximum effect, with as little killing as possible.
Our nation chooses to send its best trained
and most discriminating warriors to fight in the
most ambiguous and difficult environments. It
is part of the warrior/diplomat identity of SOF.
When in doubt, anyone can overload; SOF
are expected to get the job done with the least
amount of violence, discretely, and intelligently applied.
Every member of the US military is required to fight effectively,
and minimize harm to non-combatants. The SOF warrior/
diplomat is expected additionally to have the training, experience,
understanding and wisdom to appropriately deal with those who fall
in between — people who may or may not be innocent, but whom
he is required to protect. Precision, experience, intelligence, moral
maturity — these are what America expects of our SOF warriors. If
it were easy, anyone could do it.
Bob Schoultz retired from the Navy in 2005 after 30 years in Naval Special Warfare.
He is currently the director of the Master of Science in Global Leadership Program at the
University of San Diego.
ETHOS 11
 Builder’s Mate 3rd Class Adam
Turbeville checks the plumb of
a truss while working on the
construction of a fellowship hall at
Camp Ramadi, Iraq, Dec. 20, 2007.

HE MEN WHO FILL THE RANKS OF THESE PLATOONS have proven themselves time
and again, both on and off the battlefield, to be singularly driven, highly professional and
dedicated to mission accomplishment.
Naval Special Warfare’s reputation of excellence and professionalism is directly tied to
the past and present performance of its individual operators at the platoon level. However,
though the two terms “SEAL” and “NSW” are often used synonymously, there is quite a bit
more to Naval Special Warfare than the SEAL teams.
If SEALs can be considered the action arm of Naval Special Warfare, then combat-
support Sailors comprise the supporting “bones” of that arm. A large part of the success of
any SEAL mission is due to the vast amount of support services that are brought to bear on
behalf of NSW operations. From targeting to ordnance, from medical assistance to supply,
SEALs rely heavily on the services provided by NSW support personnel.
An NSW squadron will typically deploy with roughly 300 personnel, of which only 120,
MC2 Chad Runge

or 40 percent, are SEAL operators. The bulk of deploying personnel are combat support
personnel, whose primary mission is to ensure that each SEAL operator is ready from

12 ETHOS ETHOS 13
 Unit Level Training (ULT) and Squadron Integration
Training (SIT) and will work to build a rapport with their
respective troop by traveling with them on select training
trips. On deployment these support personnel will move
with the troop and will continue to fill their primary
positions as well as taking on additional responsibilities
that are unique to in-theater duty.
GMs, for example, are the subject matter experts
on the NSW weapons inventory; everything from heavy
machine guns down to the SIG Sauer pistol. If a SEAL
has a serious weapon malfunction or a weapon failure
that is beyond his capacity to repair, he knows he can
count on the Troop GM to take care of the problem.
“Coming from a ship, I had a lot to learn about how
NSW does business,” said GM1 Bernard Kindred,
SEAL Team Seven ordnance department leading petty
officer, “but I would recommend this tour of duty for any
experienced GM who is looking for a challenging and
rewarding work environment.”
Additionally, GMs prep and coordinate all troop
ammunition requests, procure and report ordnance
inventories, and draw the appropriate munitions and
ordnance for the next troop exercise or operation. The
GM’s will provide as much support as they can so that
SEAL platoon ordnance reps can spend more of their
time shooting, moving and communicating.
The HMs assigned to each troop are primarily
responsible for all aspects of medical and dental
readiness — immunizations, preventative medicine,
health record verifications — as well as standing by for
any sickcall needs. Each HM is a qualified independent
MC2 Justin Meredith
duty corpsman, which allows the SEAL corpsmen to
focus their training on combat casualty care/trauma
medicine and sports-related injuries. During Professional
Development (PRODEV) and SIT, as well as when they
are overseas, troop HMs will cover high-risk evolutions
so that platoon corpsmen can train with
their respective platoons — a huge
head-to-toe to accomplish the mission and benefit for platoon integrity.
return to base safe — and be prepared to Due to the asymmetric nature of
do it again and again. Though their work counter-insurgency operations, troop
is typically not as high-risk or attention intelligence specialists find themselves
grabbing as a special reconnaissance or busier than ever providing targeting
direct action mission, combat support sailors often find that they work just as many opportunities for the operators.
hours, if not more, as their SEAL brethren. An IS will spend vast amounts of
So exactly who are these hardworking NSW personnel? Many of them fall under time researching and crosschecking
Naval Special Warfare Logistics Support Command. hundreds of pieces of information with the
If LOGSU cannot fill all of the billets at a SEAL team, they will often pull from an intent of providing an actionable target/
Operational Support Team (OST), Naval Special Warfare’s reserve component. mission to the SEALs from an otherwise
For example, each SEAL troop (new term for task unit) will typically be assigned a jumbled assortment of data. Though ISs
gunners mate (GM), hospital corpsman (HM), intelligence specialist (IS), information do not advise on tactical considerations
systems technician (IT), master-at-arms (MA), operations specialist (OS), storekeeper during mission planning, their analysis of
(SK), and yeoman (YN). These personnel are usually attached to the troop throughout the situation and knowledge of the target
14 ETHOS
area is frequently used as a starting point
for tactical decisions.
In conjunction with the troop ISs,
Cross Function Teams (CFTs) provide
an invaluable host of resources that the
Troops can readily draw upon. Due to
the unique hands-on capability that CFTs
provide, target processing time — from
the gathering of information to the reality
of SEALs “going outside the wire” — is
much quicker than traditional methods.
In addition to their traditional role of
providing force protection and physical
security needs, troop Masters-at-
Arms find themselves extremely busy
processing and transferring detainees.
“A lot of what we do now in Iraq is
police work,” said MAC Jimmy Miekosz,
command master-at-arms for SEAL Team
Seven. Once detainees are brought in from
a mission, the troop MA begins the long
process of gathering witness statements,
collecting, organizing and marking items
to be used for evidence, and completing
the vast amount of paperwork that is
necessary for detainee processing. The
MAs transport the detainees to the local
receiving facility and coordinate any
further correspondence between the
holding facility and the troop.
The overarching goal of the MA’s role
is to ensure that the hard work performed
by the SEAL operators is put to good use by a
proper conviction.
Communications, the lifeblood of
NSW operations, is covered by the Troop
Information Systems Technicians and the
highly-specialized personnel of the Mobile
Communications Team. SEALs know that
they can always turn to the MCT for technical
expertise on advanced communications
equipment for both in-field and Tactical
Operations Center use.
A command primarily composed of ITs
and ETs, MCT personnel are the experts when
it comes to any electronic communications
platform or information technology problem.
Their working knowledge of NSW’s
communications systems comes from the
large amount of training that they receive.
Their initial training pipeline is 12 to 18
months long — but it doesn’t stop there.
MCT personnel are constantly training, either
conducting refreshers or learning about new
technologies as they become available.
ITC Candy Shire, the MCT training
department head said, “Due to the vast
amounts of training that MCT personnel
receive we have to screen prospective people
wanting to come to this command. NSW can’t
afford to lose these highly-qualified people
once they have been through the training
pipeline.”
During ULT, MCT personnel will often be
requested to support comms-intensive blocks
of training such as special reconnaissance.
However, they usually will not attach
themselves to the squadron until SIT.
Once on deployment, MCT can be
expected to set up the various NSW TOCs,
to include computer networks, radio base
stations, communication lines, unclassified and classified phone lines, and just about
anything else that requires wires and a power source. When necessary, MCT personnel
will depart with the SEALs on convoys or other operations to provide in-the-field tactical
communications expertise.
The actual logistics of moving personnel and materiel across the battlespace is
coordinated and delivered by the Combat Service Support Detachment. CSSD is a
highly mobile and flexible component of NSW that provides SEALs a home away from
home wherever they may go. Composed primarily of Seabees, CSSD can be counted
on for the delivery of necessary supplies, camp build-up and maintenance, and the
construction of just about anything that SEALs need to get business done.
According to Construction Electrician 1st Class James Hicks, the LOGSU CSSD
LPO, “The quality of life that NSW personnel can expect while in-theater is a direct
result of the efforts of CSSD. Without us, things could get pretty miserable; you definitely
don’t want a generator to go down on you without CSSD support.”
ETHOS 15
 Aside from overseeing the day-
to-day operations of the various NSW
camps in-theater, CSSD personnel are
regularly tasked with building innovative
structures in direct support of counter-
insurgency operations. From shelters for
the protection of the humvees against
harsh elements, to checkpoint stations
along major coalition forces transportation
routes, CSSD is there to get the job done
even in the face of increased operational
risk.
LOGSU air and diving departments
provide the needed support to ensure
that SEALs have the option of jumping
or diving as a method of insertion or
infiltration.
While at home, the air shop,
consisting of roughly 10 aircrew survival
equipmentmen (PR), is responsible for
packing and maintaining 240 land and
water static-line parachutes and 240
reserve static-line parachutes, in addition
to nearly 300 free-fall rigs.
Though not typically engaged
in CENTCOM operations, the air
department maintains a rotating tour of
duty to Guam in support of air operations
for Naval Special Warfare Unit One.
The level of support they provide to the
teams during ULT and SIT is extensive.
The department will run SEAL Team air
weeks, support duck drops, water jumps,
final training exercises, and will provide
HRST/CAST Masters in support of helo
or tower operations, all in addition to
providing jump re-qualifications every
two months.
The “dive locker” also supports
the SEAL teams by maintaining and
repairing equipment needed to operate
in less than ideal conditions — more than
200 Draeger closed-circuit rigs and 120
open-circuit rigs, in addition to all of the
accessory diving equipment.
Supporting six combat swimmer
blocks of instruction every year in
addition to other support requests from
the SEAL teams, the LOGSU diving
department always stands by ready to
send a NSW Squadron out the door with
any theater-specific dive gear requests.
The department is composed of all Navy
16 ETHOS
divers (NDs) who have a wide range of
experience. The department works hard
to provide regular diving requalification
training for the SEALs as well as standing
a rotating dive chamber watch that can
respond to any West Coast diving-related
medical emergency.
Although SEAL operators are given
training on how to tactically maneuver their
humvees in a combat environment, as
well as how to care for and maintain them,
there are some repairs that go above and
beyond their qualifications. The solution
to the ground mobility piece in-theater is
the LOGSU transportation department. The constuction mechanics and equipment
operators who make up this department ensure that the humvees are ready to go at a
moments notice. Considering the harsh extremes of the operating environment as well
as the heavy use and abuse that comes with the nature of special operations, keeping
the humvees in good working order is no small task.
When it comes to moving around on the water, the Special Boat Teams are NSW’s
premier waterborne mobility platform. The special boat operators who comprise this
distinct aspect of Naval Special Warfare power projection are the best in the business
when it comes to small craft handling. Much like their SEAL counterparts, SWCCs
have their own training pipeline and their own PRODEV and ULT phases of training.
During ULT and SIT the boat teams will work closely with the SEALs to provide
insertion and extraction platforms, Visit, Board, Search and Seizure support, UAV
support and extensive communications support. During
deployment, theater-specific requirements will determine
whether the boat teams will deploy attached to the
squadron or head to another location in support of the
Global War on Terrorism. Regardless of the operational
configuration, the Riverine Task Unit, composed of
SWCC personnel from Special Boat Team 22 are finding
themselves busy enough supporting multiple special
operations units on the rivers and lakes of the virtually
landlocked state of Iraq.
Other boat teams, deployed to Central Command and
Pacific Command, are finding plenty of work in providing
comprehensive training to U.S. allies. By teaching the
skills necessary for the host nation to fight terrorism in
its own backyard, SWCC personnel are making a direct
impact on preventing the spread of terrorism in nations
with moderate to high levels of political or economic
instability.
Also in the NSW Squadron arsenal are the Explosive
Ordnance Disposal technicians. EOD personnel are
regularly attached to NSW squadrons in 10-man
elements.
EOD personnel conduct their own sustainment training
but sometimes work with the SEAL teams, particularly
during the arduous training blocks of land warfare, mobility,
and close quarters combat. Integrating their training with
the SEALs allows EOD personnel to learn the tactics,
techniques, and procedures of the men that they will be
working with overseas. Furthermore, it allows SEALs
and EOD to become familiar with one another, which is
especially important during deployment because EOD personnel are frequently called
upon to head to the “front of the train” in a direct-action mission. EOD capabilities
include the removal or deactivation of all types of ordnance, both conventional and There are many other ratings that
unconventional, on land and underwater. They are the technical experts when it comes support the teams. As one can clearly
to any type of unexploded ordnance problem; anything from IED and booby trap see, Naval Special Warfare is a robust,
clearance to suicide vest and car bomb deactivation. multi-faceted combat team. SEALs
EOD operators have proven themselves, time and again, to be extremely reliable constantly train hard to shoot, move and
in their work and highly knowledgeable about changing enemy tactics. communicate: they train, they deploy
and they get the mission accomplished.
At their side and behind them stand
NSW’s finest combat support personnel
who are similarly committed to mission
accomplishment and the rewarding
experience that comes from knowing
they made a difference.
- ENS Christopher Sanchez, SEAL Team 7
A special boat operator secures a crate containing a
Scan Eagle UAV to a truck ready for transporation to
a high-speed MkV boat at North Island Air Station,
Coronado, Calif., Feb. 4.
ETHOS 17
 aval Special Warfare’s diversity policy is to
“ensure mission success in an environment that
encourages and enables all Sailors and civilians
to reach their professional potential. Increased
diversity in our ranks enhances our operational
capability and flexibility, and better reflects the diverse nature of
our country.” Bottom line is, to maintain the high level of excellence
within NSW, we need to institutionalize a culture that fully leverages
and values a diverse workforce.
To maintain quality and remain operationally relevant, NSW
must “anticipate and embrace demographic changes” that are
occurring in our country. According to R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr
in the Harvard Business Review, “More than half the U.S. work
force now consists of minorities. White males will make up only
15 percent of the increase in the work force over the next ten
years.” And, within the next 40 years it is projected that there
will be no majority race in the United States. Additionally, moving
toward a more diverse work force and leadership team in the NSW
Enterprise becomes an operational imperative as we continue to
counter a global, asymmetric/indirect threat, while at the same time
increasing the size of our force.
As the fight to gain and retain good people becomes more
difficult, we need to remove barriers to diversity, demographically
and operationally. These barriers can be broken down into three
general descriptions: (1) tendency to “go back to the well” and
recruit individuals from certain locations and organizations that
have been successful in filling our ranks in the past; (2) various
ethnicities perceive NSW is not a welcoming profession; and (3)
lack of effort and dedication from our community to establish long-
term, diverse outreach, recruiting and career-mentoring programs.
What is diversity?
Diversity deals with much more than race and ethnicity; it also
involves personal traits such as work/life experience, gender,
mental/physical abilities, language/cultural astuteness, work style,
and emotional intelligence. Diversity is not a numbers game. It is
voluntary and encompasses an individual’s entire career. Also, it
includes and involves everyone, and is built on what is best for an
organization as a whole. Owing to this total inclusion concept, the
nature of diversity must be built upon three “pillars of excellence”—
our people, our quality and our growth. Like a three-legged stool
that falls down if one leg is missing, all pillars must be in place
and strong to allow NSW to remain the premiere special operations
force that it is today.
Our people must be mentored, educated and treated fairly,
enabling us to retain and promote our best and brightest. Our quality
must be retained. As we strive to improve the “diversity health” of
our force, we must maintain or increase the graduation rates in
courses such as BUD/S. Finally, to grow diversity, we must add
18 ETHOS
additional resources to focus on external outreach, recruiting and
education, and not burden or depend on what is currently in place
and working. An old business adage says that to grow your sales
you must first prevent losing your current business. This applies to
our all our key accession programs.
What’s the secret?
What studies have shown, and in particular the latest one by the
National Urban League entitled “Diversity Practices That Work: The
American Worker Speaks,” is that there are five keys to a successful
diversity program — leadership, training and reinforcement,
recruiting, external outreach and long-term commitment.
Leadership. Leadership’s involvement goes far beyond the
programmatic efforts. There is a personal commitment to diversity
that starts at the top — with leaders setting goals (not quota) and
driving the direction of the efforts over time, holding themselves
and others accountable. Management review and succession
plans must be forward-looking and diversity-sensitive. Leaders
should sponsor diversity councils and affinity groups, promoting
broad employee involvement in diversity programs
Training / Reinforcement. Effective diversity training increases
diversity awareness and provides skills that can be used to improve
combat readiness. A curriculum of diversity training and education
begins with each new recruit and continues throughout a Sailor’s
career progression.
Recruiting. Successful organizations have an established track
record for recruiting people of diverse backgrounds.
External Outreach. Organizations succeed by extending
diversity efforts and input to outside communities. Reaching back
to diverse groups at younger ages and helping them with self
improvement develops a positive image for everyone involved.
Long-term commitment. There is no simple, single answer to
achieve progress in diversity. Diversity and inclusion are long-
term strategies which require comprehensive and integrated
management. Diversity efforts must be broad, strategic, and holistic
in nature.
Diversity in NSW today
In December of 2007, an NSW Force Diversity Implementation
team was set up to prepare a “way ahead” strategy until a Force
Diversity Leadership team could be put in place and to prepare
the commander, Naval Special Warfare Command for a diversity
discussion with the CNO and Vice CNO. Also, a Diversity
Executive Advisory Board, made up of outside experts and senior
NSW leadership, has been established to advise the team on
developing successful, sustainable strategies and create ties to
diverse communities and outreach avenues. One of the officer
recruitment outreach efforts being discussed is a partnership with
the historically black colleges’ and universities’ swim programs and
USA Swimming.
The NSW Recruiting Directorate, which focuses on enlisted
recruiting, has developed various marketing strategies featuring
NSW minorities. Additionally, they have put in place direct
marketing programs — the SEAL Fitness Challenge and an in-fleet
fitness preparation program. One of the most recent SEAL Fitness
Challenges was held in Dearborn, Mich., which is an area highly
populated with Arab-Americans. The in-fleet fitness program in Little
Creek, Va., assists sailors who need help preparing themselves to
qualify to enter BUD/S and SWCC Basic.
What is NSW’s way ahead?
There are many things to take into consideration when
developing a successful and effective diversity program. Our
diversity program will be built on the “pillars of excellence.” We
must be aware of what our people need to become successful.
Programs such as mentoring and education must not only bring
value to the total force, but of value to each individual who makes
up the Naval Special Warfare community. In our growth initiatives,
we must not only grow our numbers but our talent too. We need
to implement outreach and recruitment programs that bring results
that are operationally applicable and can be measurable.
Finally, quality — the cornerstone that makes our community
great — must never be sacrificed or mitigated. Therefore, to
understand if standards are being maintained, we need to identify
correct metrics that are meaningful to the community. Additionally,
when computing results we must insure good “data integrity” —
collection to archiving — and that the measuring process is quick,
accurate and repeatable.
- Capt. Richard Sisk (SEAL), Force Diversity Officer
The NSW three-year plan that has been
briefed to and approved by the CNO is as follows:
q Stand up a Force Diversity Start-up team to
work on the NSW three-year plan.
q Convene NSW Enterprise Diversity Executive
Advisory Board.
q CNSWC address component commanders.
q Convene NSW Diversity Working Group
summit.
q CNSWC present NSW diversity benchmarks
and plan to CNO.
q Hire a force-wide, full-time diversity officer.
q Submit a resource plan and associated budget
to include Recruiting Directorate and echelon III
requirements.
q Release commander’s message to the force.
q Implement pilot officer “outreach” program.
q Move forward with a plan for force operational
diversity.
q Institute a diversity officer “slate.”
q NSW Force Diversity Leadership team
achieves full manning.
q Update diversity objectives for operational
force.
q Develop performance assessment to monitor
diversity initiatives.
q Implement force-wide diversity training.
q Move forward with mature / persistent “out-
reach” program.
q Implement a mid-career mentorship program.
q Measure success of program by evaluating set
goals.
q Align SEAL / SWCC career path to include
individual recruiting positions / efforts.
q Assess “pillars of excellence” effectiveness.
q Define and demonstrate multiple levels of
NSW diversity impact.
ETHOS 19
 Let’s give a quick overview of how
the system works and how reviews and
payouts are conducted.
At the beginning of every year, an employee
and supervisor come up with job objectives that
are expected to be fulfilled by the end of the year.
The objectives must be aligned with the overarching
mission of the command and be measurable. At
the end of the year, employees must write a self-
assessment outlining how they feel they accomplished
their objectives and their supervisor must complete an
assessment on them. The reviews are compiled and
each assessment is reviewed by the command’s pay
pool panel.

NSW sees success after What’s a pay pool panel, you say? Well, it’s different
for every command, but here at NSW, the panel was

first NSPS ratings cycle selected so that a senior member of each department
was present to judge and advocate for its members.
Since there are also single civilian employees scattered
throughout WARCOM, a staff member was chosen to
AS A COMMUNITY OF WORKERS, Naval Special Warfare (NSW)
represent them. Once the members, compiled of both
is represented by active-duty personnel, working alongside their reserve
military and senior civilian personnel, were chosen,
counterparts, and being supported by civilian employees and contractors.
they chose a pay pool manager. Since a large portion
NSW’s employees vary in sex, age, race, responsibility, and service, yet we
of the pay pool dealt with money, Davis, who serves
are all focused on one common goal — mission success.
as the comptroller, was chosen as NSW’s pay pool
Rarely in years past did people discuss their pay system and how it
manager.
affected the commands’ mission. But in 2006, the Department of Defense
The purpose of the pay pool is to review each job
implemented a new civilian employee system, the National Security Personnel
objective and assessment and assign a value to it.
System (NSPS). This system would change the way every civilian employee at
If a person successfully meets their objectives,
NSW would be evaluated, paid and rewarded, and so the discussions began!
they would be assigned a rating of three on a scale
“The 50-year old civil service system was changed in an effort to better
of five. The poorer you perform, the lower the rating
attract, retain, compensate and manage employees,” explained Jerome
and the more you perform above your objective, the
Halbig, NSPS manager for NSW. “It is a system that values performance and
higher the rating.
contibutions to the overall mission, encourages communication and promotes
How do you surpass your objectives?
excellence in the workplace.”
“There are many employees who ask me ‘how
Under the previous system, an employee was given an annual raise
do I do something that isn’t a job objective?’” said
regardless of performance and could receive sometimes hefty bonuses
Davis. “But there are simple things you can do that
based solely on their supervisor’s recommendation. The new system
would help your section and the command.”
requires each employee to have job objectives aligned with their
One suggestion Davis gives is for every employee
command’s mission.
to create a desk guide.
NSW transitioned from the previous civil service personnel system
“Creating the guide would take a few minutes a
to NSPS in January 2007. One of the real challenges, according to R.
day and would be an invaluable tool in the case that
Wythe Davis, NSW comptroller, was dealing with the staff members’
someone had to do your job for a time,” Davis said.
fear of the unknown.
“Ideally, they could look at the desk guide they created
“In the first few months, there was quite a bit of training given
and be able to somewhat step in for you on a moment’s
to the staff and supervisors, but it was really more quantity than
notice. Things like that are helpful to your section, the
quality,” explained Davis. “The first time we ran a mock review
command, and your performance rating.”
(in June 2007), and gave feedback to the staff, was really
According to Davis, the growing pains are lessening
the first time the staff began to understand the system
and the system will work as it is designed.
and we made strides to improve it.”
“In my opinion, in my nearly 25 years of government
service, this is the best rating system we have ever had. It
allows the employees to have a voice, forces managers to
MCC Kathryn Whittenberger

NEW YORK - A MK V Special Operations Craft pauses in front of the

actually do a rating on their employee and every staff member Statue of Liberty during New York’s Fleet Week, May 24. The craft,
gets treated fairly.” operated by Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen from Special
- Mandy McCammon Boat Team 20, is a medium range insertion/extraction platform used
to support SEALs and other special operations forces.

20 ETHOS ETHOS 21