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MCPON to mess: Get serious

This month, 4,171 petty officers first class got the word they would make the biggest steps of their careers — pinning on chief’s anchors and joining the khaki ranks.

Now the work starts. Over the next six to eight weeks, the newly selected chiefs will prepare for their Sept. 14 pinning ceremony.

To that end, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SW/FMF) Joe R. Campa has scrapped old training and titles and introduced what he calls the chiefs’ “Induction.”

It’s a process that he says will be tough and challenging for the selectees but with none of the old shenanigans of the past.

Instead of kangaroo courts and cross-dressing, Induction will include classroom training, off-site seminars and mandatory, regular physical training.

Campa is calling for individual commands to come up with their own ways to make the process special and unique to them — within limits.

“This is our process,” Campa said in his annual guidance issued in March to the fleet, a copy of which was obtained by Navy Times. “I value it, but I’ll caution you: Do not cross the line we all know exists. Common sense should guide you. Police one another and keep the safety of our future chiefs in mind at all times. I will not tolerate mistakes made through ignorance or disregard for the Navy’s policy on hazing.”

New name

Campa’s push to refocus the chiefs’ season starts with the title. Gone is the term “transition” and the mentality of the past few years.

“‘Transition’ is passive — and I don’t think there is anything passive about being a chief petty officer,” Campa told Navy Times in a July 13 editorial board. “‘Transition’ doesn’t lay out any expectations, so I never liked that term.”

The term “initiation” also wasn’t one he liked, saying it meant, “Something is being done to somebody. That if you withstand it, you’re in — it creates no expectation on the part of the selectee.”

Campa has settled on a new term he says will set the proper tone for the process — “induction.” “‘Induction’ means that standards have to be met, requirements have to be met on the part of the selectee and that, when you do get pinned, there is a feeling of acceptance, of belonging,” he said.

New training

Last fall, Campa announced the Navy’s Center for Naval Leadership would produce an annual, monthly series of “Chiefs’ Mess Training.”

These topics would be discussed monthly in individual messes fleetwide.

He’s since expanded that, adding other pieces to the training process for new chiefs well after the pinning ceremony. The changes will benefit those already in the mess, as well, he contends.

The lineup:

** Chief Petty Officer Selectee Leadership Course. This new course is an intense three days of classroom instruction focused on “reducing time to competence” for the chief selectees. Campa describes it as a full immersion into the roles and responsibilities of a chief petty officer.

Though it’s recommended that the training be conducted away from the command in an off-site environment to avoid workday distractions, it’s not required.

It’s also recommended this course be given as early as possible after notification to help set the tone or the rest of the induction process.

** Chief Selectee Training. The next step in the process are 10 “training modules” that will be taught twice weekly throughout the rest of the induction period — allowing each mess to dedicate significant time and effort to each training topic.

The weekly topics are designed to teach the tenets of Campa’s Mission, Vision and Guiding Principles. But it’s not just for selectees, Campa said. He wants existing chiefs to introduce real-world and command-specific topics into the discussions to enhance the training.

** Chiefs’ Mess Training. After induction, the training process will continue for each mess through chiefs’ mess Training that will resume in October and continue for the next 10 months.

This training will focus on developing individual personal and professional leadership styles and prepare all chiefs to assume ever-increasing levels of responsibility.

The training modules will be updated annually to reflect current Navy issues, lessons learned and feedback from each mess, Campa said.

** CPO Academies. Many commands have created formal chief petty officer academies on a command or regional level. Though Campa said these have proven to be effective ways to for standardized training during the induction process, they are not required.

“CPO Academies can expand on, reinforce and complement individual mess training and can be particularly beneficial to small commands by widening the experience foundation,” Campa said. What they cannot do, he said, is replace the responsibilities of each mess to train their selectees.

Physical training

Campa wants group PT to be a regular part of the induction process up to the pinning ceremony in September. Whenever possible, he wants the Physical Readiness Test conducted as part of induction to count as a “real” test.

Campa’s guidance recommends each mess designate a “fit boss” — a chief whose sole responsibility is to monitor, manage and execute fitness events for the Induction. This includes ensuring that all selectees and mess members doing physical training have a current Physical Health Assessment and have completed Risk Factor Screening.

He warns that physical fitness training “is NOT hazing by another name.” For example, ordering selectees to perform calisthenics such as punishment push-ups, sit-ups, during any period other than group PT will not be tolerated.

Everyone’s responsible

In the end, Campa says command master chiefs are ultimately responsible for the conduct of selectee training during induction.

But he believes it’s the responsibility of the entire chiefs’ mess to keep an eye on things.

“I firmly believe that an effective Induction process is one that presents challenges to our selectees like they have never faced,” Campa said in his guidance. “It should be difficult — following Induction, all chief petty officers must feel the sense of unity and accomplishment known only to those of us who walk the deck plates as chief petty officers.”

Do’s and don’ts

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Joe R. Campa’s guidance for chief petty officer Induction offers recommendations to messes.

Do:

** Select/create activities which support and teach our Mission, Vision and Guiding Principles.

** Conduct training and activities in a group format.

** Use the imagination, creativity and initiative in your CPO mess to design the final day’s event that challenges and welcomes the new chiefs.

** Remove members from the events who are not following your established guidelines.

Do not:

** Compromise your professionalism at any time.

** Use props of the past at any venue. There will be no kangaroo courts.

** Force or allow selectees to eat or drink food or liquids for any reason other than energy or a scheduled meal.

** Tolerate physical abuse of any kind.

** Allow cross-dressing or any sexually explicit behavior at any time during any Induction event.

** Allow the consumption of alcohol during or before any training event. No training will be conducted where alcohol is present.