CO's Suggestion Box

PT Rating

john — Wed, 04 May 2011 10:11:01 +0000

I think it’s past time that the Navy create a PT rating. We have rating for Career Councilers, Legal, and many other things that relate less to the mission of the Navy directly. The Navy has the culture of fitness, and is constantly pressing us to be in better shape. The problem is that the training given to PRT coordinators is not consistent and they often give out a lot of misinformation. This rating should be like NC, only open to E-5 and above who want to cross rate, and each command would have a PRT coordinator assigned to the command as a full time duty.

Another idea is the use of Calipers, which are far more accurate for measuring body fat. The proper use of these tools could be taught as part of the “A” school, as well as proper strethching, nutrition, and other fitness related issues. This would help to elimnate misinformation, and injuries related to bad information, and training in the current CFL programs, where the guy who looks the fittest, often regardles of his her actual fitness is elected the PRT coordinator.

Pause for NMCI Radia

john — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 18:35:01 +0000

It seems like every time one is in the middle of an important brief to the Admiral, the NMCI Radia Box pops up and asks to “Install a Program”. Normally this is not an overly big deal, as you can just delay the install for 30, 60 or 90 munutes; however, it is still disruptive to the brief.

I propose that NMCI add a function to their Radia program that allows you to pause any uploads for a set period of time. Two hours would be recommended, as two hours would give plenty of buffer time both before and after the brief.

Saturday or Sunday Flex Days

john — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 03:40:32 +0000

There is nothing like coming in on the weekends to get needed work done. The ship is quiet, there is no one around to bother you and you can be much more efficient.

I propose that certain sailors be allowed a Saturday or Sunday flex day. Let them take off a day of their choosing in return for coming in to work on either Saturday or Sunday. Not only would this increase efficiency, but it would increase moral by giving sailors more control over their work schedule.

A Better Way to PT

john — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 22:32:51 +0000

I’ve observed that during the majority of command PT sessions the physical training is focused on the sailor with the lowest PT performance. While this may allow for a good workout for some, the athletes in the group get a very poor workout.

Therefore I suggest that command PT be split into two groups. The “beginner group” can have a slower paced workout, while the “advanced group” can get a good hard workout that benefits them.

NMCI Automatic Upgrades

john — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 04:02:32 +0000

I’m currently running Internet Explorer 5 on my NMCI machine. With this old of a system I am unable to view certain web pages and experience constant crashed. I propose that NMCI allow us to self upgrade when a new version of an already installed program comes out. This would increase efficiency and decrease trouble… read more

Happy Hour

john — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 03:54:36 +0000

I’ve observed that most shipboard “Happy Hours” are a colossal waste of time. Sailors often spend the first 10 minutes acutaly cleaning and then the remainder of the time zoning out and listening to music. I’m pretty sure the worlds finest Navy can do better than this.

I propose that we give our sailors some incentive to quickly clean and then get back to their normal job. Once an area is clean it should be checked by their departmental Chief, and if satisfactory the department should be secured from cleaning stations.

NMCI Password Control

john — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 22:43:19 +0000

Most sailors are required to “memorize” 10-20 constantly changing passwords for assorted Navy websites and programs. Unfortunately other than being told not to write down our passwords we have no practical way to record them.

Therefore I suggest that NMCI institute a password manager such as KeePass or RoboForm to allow sailors to securely keep their passwords.

PFA Immediately before Thanksgiving

john — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 22:37:21 +0000

I’ve observed that the majority of fall Physical Fitness Assessments (PFAs) happen immediately before Thanksgiving. With the intent of everyone taking their PFA and then eating them selves silly the next week. This is a crummy way to support the Navy’s Culture of Fitness.

I propose that PFA’s be rotated randomly to occur before and after Thanksgiving. Therefore half the time the command has their PFA before Thanksgiving and the other half they have it after Thanksgiving.

FITREP / Evaluation / Award Writing

john — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:51:39 +0000

It is 100% unsat that sailors are required to write their own FITREP/EVAL or award. The least a chain of command can do for a detaching sailor is to take the time to write out a thoughtful, well written award. Putting that requirement on sailors just shows their contributions are not valued. read more

E-Mentor

john — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:49:33 +0000

I’ve observed that the “fad of the day” is to have our sailors and officers sign up on these SWO E-mentor sites. This is a crummy way to do business. We are essentially asking other people outside our “command family” to mentor our sailors.

Lets take a round turn here. Mentoring needs to happen face to face inside the lifelines. One is effectively able to mentor when they are able to interact on a daily basis. Not over the sterility of e-mail.