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Welcome to another issue of SEA STATE!

Many discussions about civil-military relations revolve around the need for society to become more educated about the military. What we ponder less is what military types can learn from and appreciate about their civilian counterparts. I earned my commission through the Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) unit at Boston University, a unit I’m still attached to while I complete a graduate degree. Unlike attending the Naval Academy or Officer Candidate School, ROTC permitted me to deeply enmesh in my community as a civilian student and worker. I’ve worked in restaurants for six years, and the tips I’ve earned there to cover my living expenses are as equally responsible as the Navy for my ability to afford my degree and by extension, my commission.

One of the greatest pleasures of my pre-fleet life has been having discussions with my friends and family, but especially my coworkers, about the military and world affairs. While I certainly do not have every answer or even an opinion on every topic raised, equal-footing and an informal environment provides a steady stream of back-and-forth on what “normal people” think, and question, about the armed forces. Many conversations on sexual assault and harassment in the military, America’s “forever wars,” and the F-35 have happened around the host stands and bars in restaurants I’ve worked in over the years.

I’m more fascinated by what I’ve come to understand as glaring, but overlooked, similarities in the civilian and military sectors, things I’ve been grateful to take note of.

Working in a restaurant, one adopts a particular language: “86 this,” “on the fly,” “hands please,” and most importantly, “behind.” A newcomer starts off saying “behind” to avoid collisions, but as they learn the ropes, the phrase ceases to have meaning or is no longer uttered at all. The teammates move throughout the floor, around and in support of one another. Movements and needs are anticipated without needing to communicate at-length. In this way, a restaurant operates in a way that the military strives for on the “’intelligentized’ battlefield”: decentralized but in unison, without costly misunderstandings and bureaucratic traffic.

Separately, one of the most important skills an officer can curate is the ability to say “no.” Not to defy orders, but to explain—briefly and diplomatically—that existing means will not achieve desired ends, or simply to express that something has not been completed in the time or manner it should have been. The most important skill for a restaurant worker is also the ability to say “no.” If you’ve never worked in a restaurant, you would not realize this—service workers are so skilled at saying “no” to impossible or ridiculous guest requests that they often do not realize they are being told “no.” The reflex for a service worker is to accommodate, and if they are unable, to provide an alternative. This takes less than a minute for your average server or hostess, and for a seasoned expert, only a few seconds. Junior officers are familiar with this notion—you do not bring a problem to your boss without an accompanying solution, if not multiple.

In 2018, Emma Moore and Andrew Swick wrote about how ROTC programs could be leveraged on university campuses to the betterment of the civil-military divide. ROTC was this, but also an opportunity to straddle my overlapping communities in other ways—as a restaurant worker.

Technical skills are often not easily transferable from the civilian to military sector and back, though critical thinking, agility, and tact are. There’s an advantage in experiencing the life and work of those we sign up to protect and serve, and even if you don’t fill their shoes, seeking wisdom from unlikely places. Jack London once said, “don’t loaf and invite inspiration; light out after it with a club, and if you don’t get it you will nonetheless get something that looks remarkably like it.” Where do you find yours?



Sincerely,

Madison Sargeant
SEA STATE Team Member

NEWS THIS WEEK

“SECNAV Del Toro’s Strategic Guidance to Navy, Marines Corps” (USNI): Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro has released his first strategic guidance to the Navy and Marine Corps, outlining his vision for the Department of the Navy as it exits the Global War on Terrorism. In the new guidance, Del Toro emphasizes his “Four Cs”: China, Culture, Climate Change and COVID, as the current threats facing the Navy and Marine Corps. China is specifically emphasized as the ‘pacing threat’ the Navy and Marine Corps will need to prepare for, or if necessary, defeat. The establishment of a pacing threat and acknowledgement that other authoritarian regimes are operating in the ‘grey zone’ will be used to guide the manning, training and equipping of the Fleet for the foreseeable future.

• The strategic guidance continues to emphasize the Indo-Pacific region. This is unsurprising given the recent events including, the signing of the AUKUS pact to deliver nuclear-powered submarine to Australia, the re-establishment of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) between the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India, and operations between the Ronald Reagan and Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Groups with Japanese and British ships in the region.
  
  

• Another point of emphasis is “Empowering Our People”. This includes improving efforts to eliminate sexual assault, sexual harrassment, and discrimination. “Empowering Our People'' also focuses on providing additional education and opportunities for learning, ensuring that opportunity and inclusion is present across the force, and prioritizing mental health readiness.

  
  

• While the Strategic Guidance primarily outlines manning, training, and equipping priorities, it also serves as a guiding beacon for the direction of the Navy and Marine Corps. As JOs, we have an excellent opportunity to implement this guidance, whether this is through the climate we foster in our divisions, ensuring our Sailors and Marines are aware of educational opportunities, or by monitoring the mental health readiness of our shipmates.
  

“Suicide Bombers Hit Shiite Mosque in Afghanistan killing dozens...” (Washington Post): A Shiite mosque was bombed by multiple suicide bombers in the city of Kandahar, in the south of Afghanistan on Friday, killing more than 50 people and injuring over 100 others. This is the second bombing that has targeted a Shiite mosque in Afghanistan this week alone. The first bombing occurred last Friday in the city of Kundez, and it also killed approximately 50 people who were attending a Friday prayer. While no group has claimed responsibility for the most recent mosque bombing, the previous Kundez bombing was claimed by the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). ISIS also claimed responsibility for an attack that killed a Taliban police chief in the Kunar province this Thursday. These bombings are placing pressure on the newly-empowered Taliban, whose ability to provide protection was a “core source of its popularity” in Afghanistan, while also calling into question their ability to protect Afghans against militant and terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, especially within the urban areas of the country.

“COP26: China’s Xi Jinping Unlikely to Attend, UK PM Told” (BBC): COP26 is a UN effort to unite the world on combating climate change. UK officials have confirmed that Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be in attendance and many other global leaders, to include those of Brazil and India, have not yet confirmed their attendance. COP26 is the world’s leading effort to meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature targets, protect natural habitats, and mobilize green finance; the goals of the conference directly align with American national security concerns regarding climate change. Notably, the leaders of Russia, India, Japan, China, and the U.S., the world’s top five emitters, did not attend the COP meeting in 2019.

IN DEFENSE NEWS

“Ex-Navy nuclear engineer and his wife are charged in an espionage plot” (NPR): The FBI arrested a married couple from Annapolis, MD, after a sting operation conducted in West Virginia. According to prosecutors, former Navy nuclear engineer Jonathan Toebbe and his wife Diane attempted to sell information such as the schematics and operating parameters of nuclear submarines to an unnamed foreign government. According to a message that Toebbe allegedly sent, he adjusted his behavior based on an insider threat training he received in order to avoid detection. The story emphasizes the need for personnel to be vigilant about insider threats to national security.

“Why the Army Clings to its Space Troops: ‘Translating Greek to Grunt” (Air Force Magazine): As the Space Force begins to mature and acquire a unique identity and capabilities, the old debate of “Which assets belong to which branch?” is flaring up with regards to existing space assets in the Army that pre-date the birth of the newest branch of the Department of Defense. In a discussion reminiscent of the historical debates regarding the relevance of the Marine Corps (Marshall’s memorandum of 1943) and the Revolt of the Admirals (1949) over the proposed acquisition by the Air Force and Army of the Navy’s aviation capabilities, the Army’s 1st Space Brigade is stepping out of relative obscurity to make its case for staying in the Army. In the article, the commander of 1st Space Brigade, Colonel Brooks, underlines the importance of having space assets integral in every branch and that the support offered is analogous to close air support where all units can speak the same war-fighting “language”.

”Coast Guard Looks to Direct Commissioning for Cyber Personnel” (Federal Computer Week): As the U.S. Coast Guard looks to expand their hold within the cyber realm, the service has opened up a new route for members who have an interest in serving as a cyber officer within the nation’s oldest sea-going service. As those responsible for protecting the facilities that are regulated by the Maritime Transportation Security Act, the Coast Guard has taken an expanding role by creating Cyber Protection Teams, monitoring potential cyber attacks through the Network Operations Security Center, and by conducting assessments within port facilities to learn how to better protect them from threats. This announcement is important to Junior Officers that may be interested in getting involved in the cyber mission as well as due to the fact that the U.S. is dependent on its port facilities keeping the supply chain strong and avoiding potential disasters that could be caused by cyber attacks.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: Considering the espionage case involving a Navy nuclear engine, what actions have you taken in order to protect yourself and your units from insider threats?

PODCAST EPISODE OF THE WEEK

“Joe Felter on Countering China in their Own Backyard” - Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge, hosted by Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institute, invites scholars, political leaders, former military officials, and big thinkers onto the show to discuss pertinent international issues. This episode in particular provides context to the tensions surrounding southeastern Asia, as well as a perspective on how the countries bordering China can move forward within the current climate. Peter and his guest, Joe Felter, discuss how the QUAD nations each struggle with their own national priorities and complicated relationships with China. The two also debate how a larger partnership in the Southeast, similar to that of NATO, could be part of a sustainable solution.

Listen to it here.

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We’ll see you next week.

This issue of SEA STATE was written and edited by Viraj Patel, Yash Khatavkar, Madison Sargeant, Jake Marx, Christian Hoffman, Sam Lick, Artem Sherbinin, Emma Quinn, Jack Whalen, Lauren Hickey, Scotty Davids, and Nate Bermel.

SEA STATE is not affiliated with the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, or the Department of Defense. All views expressed or shared in this newsletter are the authors’ own and not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. government or any military entity.