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20 NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003<br />
disillusioned and could no longer<br />
balance their personal limitations<br />
against unreal expectations.<br />
Knowledge Barriers<br />
Every person is a valuable asset,<br />
which the <strong>Navy</strong> cannot afford to<br />
lose, especially for extended<br />
periods of time. This has become<br />
of greater significance with the<br />
introduction of the Minimum<br />
Manning concept. Some<br />
managers are reluctant to release<br />
personnel for further training<br />
often hamstrung by operational<br />
requirements. Who in their right<br />
mind allows their most effective<br />
technician to proceed on leave<br />
with an extant Priority 1 Ops<br />
URDEF? Conversely, who in their<br />
right mind would want to remain<br />
with an organisation that rewards<br />
people by taking them away from<br />
their families? The longer an<br />
individual remains with the ship,<br />
the greater the amount of<br />
corporate knowledge is imparted<br />
to that individual hence, the<br />
importance of the individual’s<br />
contribution to the team. Further<br />
training approaches the<br />
impossible, only so much can be<br />
learnt “on the job”.<br />
A point is reached where<br />
maintainers “hit a brick wall” in<br />
their knowledge and fault finding<br />
ability to further diagnose and<br />
rectify defects. The impact is a<br />
loss of a capability for extended,<br />
unacceptable periods. Personally,<br />
I believe that the technical<br />
training scheme has not<br />
furnished me with adequate or<br />
appropriate knowledge, skills or<br />
expertise to deliver the required<br />
service to Command. I feel my<br />
true knowledge and expertise has<br />
been developed through close<br />
liaison with external agencies<br />
such as MOTU-WE and other<br />
Repair Agencies. Consequently, I<br />
am convinced that our technical<br />
training scheme must provide<br />
more appropriate skills and<br />
incorporate continual exposure to<br />
agencies such as MOTU-WE to<br />
enhance and foster corporate<br />
knowledge.<br />
An interesting situation arises<br />
when personnel, already trying to<br />
do more with less, are expected<br />
to operate and maintain<br />
An interesting situation<br />
arises when personnel,<br />
already trying to do more with<br />
less, are expected to operate<br />
and maintain additional<br />
systems.<br />
additional systems. Systems for<br />
which they have no technical<br />
training and systems that have<br />
been shown to be operationally<br />
imperative. Some of the examples<br />
of additional equipment that have<br />
been to fitted to FFG are ASMD,<br />
INMARSAT, Trash Compactor<br />
Room and EOTS. When this<br />
additional technical burden is<br />
added to the participation in<br />
Wholeship evolutions such as<br />
boarding operations, force<br />
protection, seamanship evolutions<br />
and communal duties the<br />
expectation becomes unrealistic. I<br />
believe this situation could be<br />
overcome by supplementing the<br />
billeted technical personnel with<br />
additional sailors who possess<br />
the required skills and expertise.<br />
A compromise between Junior<br />
Officer training billets and<br />
additional technical personnel<br />
could reduce workload and help<br />
sustain combat capability. I am<br />
certain that four Midshipmen are<br />
not of any realistic benefit during<br />
an operational deployment to the<br />
North Arabian Gulf.<br />
Serving Member’s Needs and<br />
Values<br />
Each individual has needs or<br />
values, each as diverse as the<br />
individual’s physical make up. I<br />
believe it is fair to say that most<br />
people desire the following to be<br />
fulfilled; need to be valued, need<br />
to be with family and friends,<br />
requirement to be continuously<br />
challenged, able to progress<br />
personal interests, and job<br />
satisfaction. These points help<br />
define a set of goals which an<br />
individual wishes to achieve in a<br />
work environment and indeed in<br />
a personal sense. For an<br />
individual to be happy there must<br />
be equilibrium met between work<br />
related and personal values.<br />
From a professional perspective, I<br />
chose to be an operator/<br />
maintainer of the Mk 92 Fire<br />
Control System. I chose this<br />
system as I found it would be<br />
challenging and interesting. I had<br />
a sense of purpose by performing<br />
this job and relished the<br />
important role it has in the overall<br />
function of the FFG as a fighting<br />
platform. During the infancy of my<br />
Mk 92 FCS streaming I was<br />
unaware of the impact it would<br />
prove to have on being afforded<br />
opportunities to spend time with<br />
family and friends, something I<br />
value immensely as an individual.<br />
Apart from the effect on spending<br />
time with family and friends I did<br />
not realise the importance of<br />
knowing how to balance ship<br />
commitments with my normal job<br />
of operating/maintaining the Mk<br />
92 FCS. Unfortunately, the two<br />
requirements clash with the result<br />
of superhuman efforts having to<br />
be made and inevitably, personal<br />
sacrifices. It is not uncommon for<br />
my fellow workmates and I to<br />
spend extra hours during<br />
weekdays and weekends<br />
maintaining the system due to<br />
ship’s commitments and vice<br />
versa. These, of course, are<br />
weekends immediately following<br />
weeks spent at sea qualifying<br />
Principle Warfare Officers or<br />
conducting a shakedown during a