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NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003 19 Personal Limitations versus Unreal Expectations LEADING SEAMAN WAYNE SMITH, HMAS DARWIN It’s 0515 and I’m just off another four-hour stint of Upper Deck Sentry. I look a treat wearing that cursed heavy body armour, the helmet causing my head to sink below my shoulders, the venerable F88 Steyr, not to mention the radio communications and extended Maglite torch. All I want to do is sleep, my back aches, my neck cracks as I move it from side to side and the hammies are so tight I could use them to propel arrows. However, respite eludes me as the ship has received orders to sail ASAP and the CAS track radar refuses to complete ATO1 and the STIR blows fuses in train. The Gunnery Officer and the Commanding Officer want their fighting capability restored, the WEEO is asking for the finer details of each fault and the Petty Officer Bosun wants to know why I am not closed up at specials. Another long, testing day awaits this Killick ET. Background This article analyses the key areas that are affecting experienced technicians on board a fighting warship. It highlights observations of personal limitations that ultimately lead to expectations becoming unrealistic. I forward this submission in the hope that one day my contribution may help the higher order of command within the Royal Australian Navy better understand why the separation rates are so high in the engineering branches. As a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, the Royal Australian Navy has experienced a massive increase in operational tempo. Subsequently, Navy personnel have experienced significant increases in duties and responsibilities, the expectations sometimes overwhelming. As a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, the Royal Australian Navy has experienced a massive increase in operational tempo Force protection, boarding party, café party, messman, laundry hand, departmental collateral duties, light jackstay, heavy jackstay, NBCD, SSD, TOWEX, CASEX, HE, ECCD, ADEX, SSFB, pirate watch, life-buoy sentry, sort trash, compact trash, maintenance, defect rectification, paint and clean. A non-exhaustive list of additional duties that personnel are required to perform on a daily basis. Our people perform these duties further restricted by managerial catch phrases such as; do more with less, reduce budget outlay, work smarter, and provide an overall better quality of service. Each phrase becoming more common. Repeatedly we do the same tasks and hear the same statements. I am sure everyone at some stage thinks to themselves; “Why am I doing this?” “Why do I do this to my family?” “Why do I do this to myself?” “Is it really worth it?” “Does the financial package agree with the tasks performed and training required?” “Do I receive the recognition I deserve?” I have heard these questions and the never-ending complaints that continue to arise with every new generation of sailor. I have experienced first hand how the regularity of these very questions has increased over the last few years with the Navy’s transition from a peacetime service to a highly operational entity. The hurt has been amplified with the loss of highly experienced and trained personnel, our corporate knowledge, who became
20 NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003 disillusioned and could no longer balance their personal limitations against unreal expectations. Knowledge Barriers Every person is a valuable asset, which the Navy cannot afford to lose, especially for extended periods of time. This has become of greater significance with the introduction of the Minimum Manning concept. Some managers are reluctant to release personnel for further training often hamstrung by operational requirements. Who in their right mind allows their most effective technician to proceed on leave with an extant Priority 1 Ops URDEF? Conversely, who in their right mind would want to remain with an organisation that rewards people by taking them away from their families? The longer an individual remains with the ship, the greater the amount of corporate knowledge is imparted to that individual hence, the importance of the individual’s contribution to the team. Further training approaches the impossible, only so much can be learnt “on the job”. A point is reached where maintainers “hit a brick wall” in their knowledge and fault finding ability to further diagnose and rectify defects. The impact is a loss of a capability for extended, unacceptable periods. Personally, I believe that the technical training scheme has not furnished me with adequate or appropriate knowledge, skills or expertise to deliver the required service to Command. I feel my true knowledge and expertise has been developed through close liaison with external agencies such as MOTU-WE and other Repair Agencies. Consequently, I am convinced that our technical training scheme must provide more appropriate skills and incorporate continual exposure to agencies such as MOTU-WE to enhance and foster corporate knowledge. An interesting situation arises when personnel, already trying to do more with less, are expected to operate and maintain An interesting situation arises when personnel, already trying to do more with less, are expected to operate and maintain additional systems. additional systems. Systems for which they have no technical training and systems that have been shown to be operationally imperative. Some of the examples of additional equipment that have been to fitted to FFG are ASMD, INMARSAT, Trash Compactor Room and EOTS. When this additional technical burden is added to the participation in Wholeship evolutions such as boarding operations, force protection, seamanship evolutions and communal duties the expectation becomes unrealistic. I believe this situation could be overcome by supplementing the billeted technical personnel with additional sailors who possess the required skills and expertise. A compromise between Junior Officer training billets and additional technical personnel could reduce workload and help sustain combat capability. I am certain that four Midshipmen are not of any realistic benefit during an operational deployment to the North Arabian Gulf. Serving Member’s Needs and Values Each individual has needs or values, each as diverse as the individual’s physical make up. I believe it is fair to say that most people desire the following to be fulfilled; need to be valued, need to be with family and friends, requirement to be continuously challenged, able to progress personal interests, and job satisfaction. These points help define a set of goals which an individual wishes to achieve in a work environment and indeed in a personal sense. For an individual to be happy there must be equilibrium met between work related and personal values. From a professional perspective, I chose to be an operator/ maintainer of the Mk 92 Fire Control System. I chose this system as I found it would be challenging and interesting. I had a sense of purpose by performing this job and relished the important role it has in the overall function of the FFG as a fighting platform. During the infancy of my Mk 92 FCS streaming I was unaware of the impact it would prove to have on being afforded opportunities to spend time with family and friends, something I value immensely as an individual. Apart from the effect on spending time with family and friends I did not realise the importance of knowing how to balance ship commitments with my normal job of operating/maintaining the Mk 92 FCS. Unfortunately, the two requirements clash with the result of superhuman efforts having to be made and inevitably, personal sacrifices. It is not uncommon for my fellow workmates and I to spend extra hours during weekdays and weekends maintaining the system due to ship’s commitments and vice versa. These, of course, are weekends immediately following weeks spent at sea qualifying Principle Warfare Officers or conducting a shakedown during a
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