The White Falcon - 18.07.1986, Síða 7

that's happening in today and tomorrow's Navy
Areas rumored affected by Gramm-Rudman-
Hol lings:
□Selected Reenlistment Bonus (SRB): "The
program is so beneficial and has proven to do its job
well," Plackett said, "I don't really see that program
being tampered with extensively in the out years."
□Pay increases: We're probably
going to get a pay increase this
January of somewhere in the vicinity
of 3 percent," Plackett said. He
expects yearly pay increases will
be in the 3 to 4 percent range for
several.
□Education programs: "The
tuition assistance program and
the PACE program (rumored to
have been cut) are fully funded through FY 1986,"
Plackett said. "They'll be looked at in 1987, but I
expect them to stay around."
□FSCs: “What's impacted up most heavily in the
Family Service Center area is the hiring freeze,"
Plackett said. The FSCs have vacant positions which
the freeze prevents them from filling. Exemptions to
the hiring freeze have have been granted to other
programs, and Plackett hopes the FSCs also will be
granted exemptions which will allow them to fill the
vacant positions.
MCPON anticipates the Navy will streamline and
combine programs as much as possible to reduce
spending. He expects shaving a little off all
programs will prevent an important program from
being dropped.
i There will be a shift in attitudes toward
military training in the future
Already the Navy shifting the training
emphasis to less classroom
training and ^JJjMWT jSjjgl more on-
the-job training. l/mW Plackett said
he has heard concerns
voiced about jftMthis shift,
but explained: 1 “We're not
looking to eliminate any
absolute, iI^mU hard-core
training requirement". 1 * We're looking at
skills that have been successfully taught on the job. "
Civilianization of military shore billets is another
change, but it won't begin this fiscal year. This plan
will allow the Navy to have more people in
sea-intensive ratings while keeping the same
end-strength. "Even at the worst," said Plackett,
“what you would end up with is, in the sea-intensive
ratings, more people at sea simultaneously, which
eases the workload. Yes, five years at sea is long
time. But five years at sea on port and starboard in
twice as long as five years at sea in a four section
rotation."
Looking for chonges in the Euoluotion
System
Plackett also would like to see changes in the
enlisted evaluation system. “I'm satisfied with our
(evaluation) policies. I'm not at all satisfied with
the implementation of those policies," he said. “I
believe our evaluations are grossly inflated and that
we are not realistically evaluating our people based
on their performance."
Plackett favors mandatory ranking as a step in the
right direction. "If you still want to give everybody
4.0‘s, that's fine. Go ahead and give them," he said.
"Now you're going to need to tell me which one of
those 4.0's is No. 1"
R cold opproach to retaining Noual
personnel
Also being looked at are policies concerning
enlisted people with high tenure. "Are we retaining
the people based on their potential to continue to
contribute rather than long and
dedicated service? A cold
approach if you really want to
get down to it, but one that's
going to have to be looked at as
we get into the 1990's. This cold
approach is necessary because
(we're going to have to have just
an absolute quality force that is
jcap[able from the top to the
Hkbottom."
y! MCPON emphasized that we've
*\already got a quality force.
When asked what message he would like to get our to
the fleet, Plackett said: “It's become a cliche for
people to tell us how well we're doing. But I think
that it's very important that we don't lose sight of the
fact that we are quality. Not only are we quality, but
we're ready quality. The events in Libya have
demonstrated that. For those people who were on
the line over there, the respect and the pride that
their shipmates have for them just about surpasses
anything that I've ever had the pleasure to observe in
my 29 plus years in the Navy. Our Sailors have done
a hell of a job. And we're capable of going out and
doing that job any time, anywhere, against
anyone that might JM(o1js0. come to challenge us.
July 18, 1986 The White Falcon
7