{"id":37251,"date":"2019-05-24T19:31:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T19:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/24\/no-more-quals\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:37:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:37:44","slug":"no-more-quals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/24\/no-more-quals\/","title":{"rendered":"No more quals?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

They\u2019re big and shiny and they look good on your dress whites, especially if you\u2019re a junior sailor and you\u2019ve been pinned with multiple warfare quals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a decade after the Navy began mandating all sailors in key warfare qualifying commands to earn one within 30 months, the warfare pins might become an endangered species \u2013 at least for sailors below petty officer second class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because on March 3, Big Navy issued OPNAV Instruction 1414.9B, which gutted the mandate for most commands. Debate now swirls through the fleet as type commanders and warfare community leaders mull whether junior sailors should even earn the qual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Submariners, SEALs, divers and explosive ordnance disposal techs likely won\u2019t be affected by the reforms because their warfare qualifications are built into their training. But the top generators of the awards, including the Enlisted Surface Warfare and Aviation Warfare qualification programs, are expected to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecoming an Enlisted Surface or Aviation Warfare Specialist isn\u2019t something that\u2019s necessarily inherent to their job,\u201d said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russ Smith<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s just a sign they want to take their skill, knowledge and understanding to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Aubrei Hein, assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, is pinned with the Fleet Marine Force Specialist Device on board the amphibious transport dock ship Arlington on March 16. The Arlington was sailing the Mediterranean Sea. (Staff Sgt. Andrew Ochoa\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Smith\u2019s chest is spangled with the surface, information and aviation warfare pins \u2013 three of the 11 that are offered by the Navy \u2013 so he\u2019s not opposed to earning the hardware. But like a growing number of other critics, he became concerned that the pursuit of quals was gobbling valuable hours that should be spent by young sailors learning their ratings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith told Navy Times the intent behind forcing most sailors to earn their pins \u201cwas an amazing one\u201d and the programs served the important purpose of hiking the general knowledge of all personnel who pursued the quals, but Smith also worries there are very junior service members vying to rack up as many as they can instead of mastering their craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith pointed to E-3s wearing two or three warfare pins who haven\u2019t passed an advancement exam as \u201cwhy we\u2019re going in the direction we are going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will remove these things as an impediment to advancement, these secondary qualifications,\u201d said Smith. \u201cIf we remove them as a breakout piece for advancement then we have taken the incentive away. Right now, we have incentivized these things so highly. So we perhaps had people chasing the wrong things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sailors receive their Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist pin on board the guided-missile cruiser Mobile Bay in the Arabian Sea on Dec. 16. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nick Bauer\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To Smith and other senior leaders, scrapping the pin requirement is part of a wider effort to rid distractions for young sailors \u2013 everything from collateral duties<\/a> to pursuing too many college credits<\/a> \u2013 so they can prepare to wage war on the high seas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere will be people with many different views on this and it will likely be an emotional topic, though I hope not,\u201d said Fleet Master Chief Rick O\u2019Rawe<\/a>, who raised his voice in the fall to support the reform effort. \u201cYou always have to be prepared, that today could be the last day of peace. You just don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Rawe told Navy Times that the push to fix the warfare qual programs is being driven by force master chiefs who help senior commanders manage the programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said they envision warfare quals being used to mark a sailor\u2019s proficiency from an apprenticeship level to that of a journeyman \u201cand right now, that\u2019s what the Navy needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that there\u2019s still going to be a requirement at some pay grade for our sailors to get warfare-qualified,\u201d O\u2019Rawe said. \u201cSpeculative at the moment, but I believe our type commanders are going to develop and implement policies in the future where our E-4 and below sailors will not have a requirement to qualify.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some type commanders might make that bold call now, he said, \u201cand I wouldn\u2019t fight that and, in fact, I could get behind that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sailors with Coastal Riverine Squadron 11, Combined Task Group 68.6, take part in a Tactical Combat Casualty Care drill on March 9 at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. The training was designed to help the sailors earn their Expeditionary Warfare pin. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Shannon D. Barnwell\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The man in that arena is Master Chief David Carter<\/a>, the top enlisted sailor at Naval Information Forces. He was one of the strongest advocates for killing off the mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were really part of the problem, as sailors who really didn\u2019t need the qualification were getting them and that\u2019s not really the program we want,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carter has earned specialist pins for information, surface, aviation and expeditionary warfare, plus the Small Craft Officer in Charge insignia, and he\u2019s designated as a Naval Parachutist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today in Carter\u2019s community, it\u2019s becoming more difficult for sailors without information ratings to study for the qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commands can offer waivers for other personnel who closely support information warfare commands, but fewer units are opening up the qualification program to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the mandate gone, IW master chiefs have turned their attention to revamping the community\u2019s entire warfare qualification process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m anticipating that there will be some significant changes,\u201d Carter said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t want to drive what the working group is going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 review fire plans on Feb. 23 as part of their Seabee Combat Warfare qualification training at Camp Shields in Okinawa. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Lopez\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Carter suspects they\u2019ll likely begin offering the qual to second class petty officers, with waivers for outstanding E-4s, but the chiefs mess must evaluate each candidate\u2019s readiness for the extra study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t be afraid to tell anyone that they\u2019re not ready yet,\u201d said Carter. \u201cThat\u2019s our job as enlisted leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Rawe said that what\u2019s happening now at Naval Information Forces will occur throughout the fleet as communities reform their warfare qualification policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis will allow them to really develop, where they become the absolute expert in their jobs and can operate, maintain, troubleshoot and repair your stuff so well,\u201d he said. \u201cThat should be enough for you to advance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t