{"id":86153,"date":"2025-06-18T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/06\/18\/why-i-left-government-service-my-moral-compass-no-longer-aligned\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:58:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:58:25","slug":"why-i-left-government-service-my-moral-compass-no-longer-aligned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/opinion\/2025\/06\/18\/why-i-left-government-service-my-moral-compass-no-longer-aligned\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I chose to retire from government service at this time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we drive a ship, we learn to steer by both the magnetic compass and the inertial navigation system. The magnetic compass always points toward \u201ctrue north,\u201d based on the Earth\u2019s gravitational field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a relatively unchanging constant that the ship can reliably steer by. The inertial navigation system, on the other hand, is calibrated internally and drives the ship\u2019s motion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In general, these two references \u2014 magnetic and inertial \u2014 are aligned, or at least close enough that any difference, known as deviation, can be corrected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For 45 years, I followed my magnetic and the Navy\u2019s inertial compasses and found them aligned with the organization I served, first as an active-duty officer, then as a government contractor and finally, as a government civilian employee, across a total of six administrations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were deviations, yes, but overall, my personal course and the course of the organization remained relatively coherent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, over the past six months, I found my magnetic compass \u2014 guided by the core values of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.secnav.navy.mil\/ethics\/pages\/corevaluescharter.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.secnav.navy.mil\/ethics\/pages\/corevaluescharter.aspx\">honor, courage and commitment<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.usni.org\/posts\/2022\/03\/22\/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-find-out-what-it-means-to-me\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/blog.usni.org\/posts\/2022\/03\/22\/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-find-out-what-it-means-to-me\">my own fourth value of respect<\/a> \u2014 increasingly out of alignment with the inertial course changes I observed within the Defense Department under the current administration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I witnessed policies that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/03\/07\/war-heroes-military-firsts-among-26000-images-flagged-in-dei-purge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/03\/07\/war-heroes-military-firsts-among-26000-images-flagged-in-dei-purge\/\">erased historical records based on a loosely defined \u201cDEI purge<\/a>\u201d and diminished the contributions of minority service members and veterans, as well as policies seeking to dismiss portions of the DOD community, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/03\/18\/almost-21000-dod-employees-approved-to-resign-amid-workforce-cuts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/03\/18\/almost-21000-dod-employees-approved-to-resign-amid-workforce-cuts\/\">civilian federal employees<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/04\/02\/utter-chaos-amid-confusing-ban-rollout-trans-troops-fight-to-serve\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/04\/02\/utter-chaos-amid-confusing-ban-rollout-trans-troops-fight-to-serve\/\">transgender service members<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I sent a weekly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/02\/28\/dod-civilians-ordered-to-respond-to-what-did-you-do-last-week-email\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/02\/28\/dod-civilians-ordered-to-respond-to-what-did-you-do-last-week-email\/\">five-bullet email<\/a> to an anonymous Office of Personnel Management (OPM) address detailing my \u201caccomplishments,\u201d knowing that a false word or omission could lead to dismissal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More importantly, I saw the stress, lack of sleep, random layoffs and an atmosphere of fear among my peers where political affiliation increasingly overshadowed technical competence and experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I watched colleagues \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2025\/03\/05\/trump-lawyer-on-fired-vets-perhaps-theyre-not-fit-to-have-a-job\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2025\/03\/05\/trump-lawyer-on-fired-vets-perhaps-theyre-not-fit-to-have-a-job\/\">veterans<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/mil-money\/2025\/02\/26\/military-spouses-still-face-confusion-in-federal-return-to-office-rule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/mil-money\/2025\/02\/26\/military-spouses-still-face-confusion-in-federal-return-to-office-rule\/\">military spouses<\/a>, scientists and researchers \u2014 systematically driven out of jobs they loved without remorse or empathy. I watched the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/01\/30\/pentagon-agency-halts-mlk-day-black-history-month-other-celebrations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/01\/30\/pentagon-agency-halts-mlk-day-black-history-month-other-celebrations\/\">prohibition of \u201ccelebration\u201d months<\/a>, ties cut to mentoring and support organizations, all as I tried to apply corrective measures to stay aligned with the organization I love \u2014 but ultimately, I realized I could no longer maintain my course toward true north while remaining in step with the department\u2019s current direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seeing good leaders and organizations censured or fired simply for standing on long-held principles was not only disheartening; it cut against everything I believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I did not take the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/03\/31\/pentagon-to-offer-new-round-of-voluntary-resignations-retirements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/03\/31\/pentagon-to-offer-new-round-of-voluntary-resignations-retirements\/\">Delayed Retirement Program<\/a> (DRP) because, according to that policy, the billet I occupied would automatically be eliminated if I did. I could not in good conscience be complicit in cutting a safety-related billet which was specifically created after the U.S. Fleet Forces\u2019 comprehensive review as a corrective action for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2022\/06\/16\/five-years-later-inside-the-navys-data-driven-quest-to-avert-a-future-fitzgerald-or-mccain-collision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2022\/06\/16\/five-years-later-inside-the-navys-data-driven-quest-to-avert-a-future-fitzgerald-or-mccain-collision\/\">root causes of two collisions that took the lives of 17 sailors in 2017<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ironically, the current Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) policies implemented in the name of \u201cefficiency\u201d will likely lead to that billet\u2019s elimination anyway, or at a minimum ensure that it stays gapped indefinitely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As with any decision, there will be consequences; good people will be disadvantaged, but they will stand up and speak out when they can; they will also continue to support the fleet because they care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">May 31 was my last day in government service. I am proud of my accomplishments and even prouder of the shipmates and colleagues who have served \u2014 and who have been treated with shameless disregard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like many, I remained silent for a time out of self-preservation. But I can no longer carry that burden, nor ask my family to carry it with me. For what it\u2019s worth, I\u2019m sleeping much better these days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One thing I have learned in 45 years of naval service: The forces of nature will always overcome mankind\u2019s meager attempts to defy them. There are thousands of superb active-duty and civilian public servants who don\u2019t have the flexibility that I have; they will bite their tongue and persevere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These counterproductive and unnecessary policies will come and go. Much damage has already been done, but hopefully the focus will shift, as it should, to Navy Secretary John Phelan\u2019s priorities that he articulated to Congress: strengthening shipbuilding and the maritime industrial base; fostering a warfighter culture that is adaptive, accountable and innovative; and improving the health, welfare and training of sailors and Marines and their families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy will find true north again and persevere. I am certain of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Dr. John Cordle is a retired Navy captain with 30 years of active-duty service. He commanded the destroyer Oscar Austin and the cruiser San Jacinto. On active duty, he earned a Bronze Star, the Navy League\u2019s John Paul Jones Award and the BUMED Epictetus Award for Innovative and Inspirational Leadership. He was recently recognized with a Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his work in Human Factors.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this op-ed, retired Navy Capt. John Cordle shares why he chose to retire from his position as a federal worker under the current administration. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":113268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":14,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,25,14],"tags":[8503],"coauthors":[7441],"class_list":["post-86153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-opinion","tag-opinion"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"KT65RGKLURA6XOIBWY2P7ITXKE","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/2025\/06\/18\/why-i-left-government-service-my-moral-compass-no-longer-aligned\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why I chose to retire from government service at this time - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this op-ed, retired Navy Capt. 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