{"id":22120,"date":"2019-05-07T17:19:35","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T17:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/07\/what-you-need-to-know-about-this-years-chief-initiation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:51:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:51:12","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-about-this-years-chief-initiation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/07\/what-you-need-to-know-about-this-years-chief-initiation\/","title":{"rendered":"What you need to know about this year\u2019s CPO initiation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now that he\u2019s the Navy\u2019s top enlisted sailor, don\u2019t expect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/navybio_ldr.asp?id=935\" target=_blank>Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russ Smith<\/a> to shake things up with his first official CPO initiation guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That happened last year, when the post of an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/06\/28\/acting-mcpon-to-chiefs-visibly-lead\/\" target=\"_blank\">appointed MCPON<\/a> was vacant and the four fleet master chiefs together reworked the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/14\/initiating-the-cpos-guidance-everyone-needs-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\">philosophical and aspirational approach<\/a>\u201d of initiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After smooth sailing through last year\u2019s season, the group decided there was no reason to revisit the effort. And the annual update might become an artifact, replaced by a set of standing orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We took a very different approach last year and rewrote the guidance in an effort to take it away from a compliance-based checklist driven by a set of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickanddirtytips.com\/education\/grammar\/dos-and-donts\" target=_blank>do\u2019s and don\u2019ts<\/a>,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s that compliance rubric that we all love as chiefs. You know, what\u2019s my box? What\u2019s my rule set? What can I do? What can\u2019t I do? Chiefs salivate over it every year and they wait for this thing to come out. We need to get away from that because that\u2019s not the right approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/14\/initiating-the-cpos-guidance-everyone-needs-to-know\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pinning2.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Initiating the CPOs: Guidance everyone needs to know<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Navy&#039;s four fleet master chiefs have spoken.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith and the fleet master chiefs instead have adopted a standards-based model for \u201cthe building of chief petty officers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, each command\u2019s senior enlisted leader is accountable for what occurs during the initiation season. The directive guides the mess to \u201cactively enforce good order and discipline\u201d and that any senior enlisted leaders &#8220;not following established guidelines will be removed and when necessary, held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To Smith, the point is to let communities sculpt their own initiations, so long as each ceremony is \u201ca well-constructed and orchestrated executive senior leadership development program\u201d that teaches selectees to \u201cnavigate adversity, foster a culture of leadership, build teamwork\u201d and \u201cgrow both personally and professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MCPON said he wants the initiation process to be both \u201cchallenging&#8221; and \u201cdaunting\u201d and \u201cdifficult to navigate\u201d and even \u201cfrustrating.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut at the same time, that doesn\u2019t mean that it can\u2019t be something that they enjoy and that they take great pride and excitement in the camaraderie and in the shared experience that they have with their fellow selectees and the chiefs that they\u2019ll be joining,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for the season\u2019s notorious history of shenanigans, Smith said that attitude has been \u201cdistilled out\u201d of the mess and what\u2019s left is a \u201cprofessional regimen\u201d designed to prep a sailor \u201cfor the rigors of becoming a chief petty officer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But traditions remain, such as the practice of a selectee carrying a charge book through the initiation season. The guidance describes it as \u201ca proud and treasured keepsake\u201d for a newly-minted chief that will preserve a \u201clifelong living document\u201d that passes on \u201cexpectations, knowledge and learning experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During this season, there\u2019s a mandated CPO Selectee Leadership Course, plus special instruction about the meaning of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.navy.mil\/browse-by-topic\/communities\/chief-petty-officers\/united-states-navy-chief-petty-officer-creed.html\" target=_blank>Chief Petty Officer Creed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recited at every chief pinning ceremony, this creed is a page of prose that contains the \u201cideals, values and expectations\u201d of a Navy chief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The initiation season also is expected to conclude with a \u201ccapstone event\u201d similar in purpose to boot camp\u2019s \u201cbattle stations.\u201d It can last up to 18 hours and test what selectees have learned during the initiation season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s followed by a pinning ceremony the following day, typically Sept. 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/02\/12\/mcpons-marching-orders\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MCPON-football.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">MCPON\u2019s marching orders<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The 15th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy dishes on what he wants to do at his post: no uniform changes but focusing again on what sailors need to know to fight and win wars at sea.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The season will kick off after the active-duty chief selectees are named, which usually occurs in early August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it all depends on the schedules of the chief petty officer selection board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reserve board begins on May 20 and is expected to adjourn by June 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The active-duty board follows on June 27 with an adjournment expected by July 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith doubts his watch will feature future rounds of initiation directives. To him, last year\u2019s \u201cLaying the Keel\u201d blueprint for enlisted leadership training has become a \u201cliving document\u201d guiding the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe all felt that it belonged more as a part of \u2018Laying the Keel,\u2019 and not something that\u2019s reissued each year. Though it will be reviewed when necessary and updated if needed, but not on a set timeline, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo we\u2019ve folded it in with \u2018Laying the Keel\u2019 and from here on out, it will be a part of that overarching document. It will only be updated when that document is updated.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MCPON-issued CPO initiation guidance might never occur again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":47904,"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":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,12,26,65],"tags":[8445],"coauthors":[3087],"class_list":["post-22120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy","tag-transition"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"I27WDBDYQBGGDGQ3E2TYW6DWLI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/07\/what-you-need-to-know-about-this-years-chief-initiation\/","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>What you need to know about this year\u2019s CPO initiation - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MCPON-issued CPO initiation guidance might never occur again.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What you need to know about this year\u2019s CPO initiation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MCPON-issued CPO initiation guidance might never occur again.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/07\/what-you-need-to-know-about-this-years-chief-initiation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-07T17:19:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-18T20:51:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. 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