{"id":40971,"date":"2019-05-10T15:26:17","date_gmt":"2019-05-10T15:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/10\/why-mcpon-wants-chiefs-to-start-telling-sea-stories\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:44:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:44:33","slug":"why-mcpon-wants-chiefs-to-start-telling-sea-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/10\/why-mcpon-wants-chiefs-to-start-telling-sea-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Why MCPON wants chiefs to start telling sea stories"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To the Navy\u2019s top enlisted sailor, the greatest challenge facing the Navy\u2019s enlisted workforce is simply keeping sailors focused on preparing for \u201cblue water\u201d warfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking as a part of a senior enlisted panel at the Navy League\u2019s Sea-Air-Space<\/a> confab on Tuesday, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russ Smith<\/a> called on fellow members of the Goat Locker to work hard to train their sailors for warfare on the high seas against peer rivals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they can begin by telling sea stories, which he sees as engaging \u201ceyeball to eyeball\u201d discussions between leaders and their sailors that will make junior enlisted personnel \u201cunderstand that there is something coming that they need to get ready for, that war will come most likely in their generation and they need to be prepared to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chiefs must help them balance and manage their careers but their bedrock duty is to make sure that sailors know their ratings and what they\u2019re expected to do, especially in combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith believes that a key teaching tool is sharing \u201cstories that some of us older folks have with our experiences and really painting it in a realistic fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t