Photo By Master Sgt. Blair Heusdens | Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Scott Fleming recently began a two-year tour as the...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba — In the coming month, Joint Task Force Guantanamo will see new leadership on both the enlisted and officer sides. The JTF's new senior enlisted leader is already on board, spending his first few weeks meeting and greeting service members and getting accustomed to daily life at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.
Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Scott Fleming recently began a two-year tour as the new JTF command master chief.
Like many others who come here, Fleming was curious about what to expect upon his arrival at Joint Task Force Guantanamo. In his short time on island, Fleming has had the opportunity to observe service members throughout the JTF at their day-to-day mission and has gained a better understanding of the JTF mission and the service members who make it happen.
"It's obvious to anybody who walks through that the people here understand their business and do it very well," said Fleming. "The perceptions that exist externally are most decidedly not true."
Fleming is no stranger to detention operations. During his most recent assignment, he served as the command master chief of Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion 5, which conducted detention operations at Iraq's largest detention facility at Camp Bucca for nine months. Fleming explained that the difference between the environment in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay is that his involvement in Iraq was more at the tactical level. However, his experience has given him an appreciation for the broader detention mission.
"I see the importance in understanding how [service members] deal with all of the things on their plates here," he said.
In addition to keeping a finger on the pulse of the service members here, Fleming plans to look at ways each entity within the JTF can better work together to accomplish the mission. Fleming will work with senior leaders at all levels to increase coordination and ensure the success of the mission.
"I see myself as the person who is looking at everything to figure out where we can implement some process improvement," Fleming said.
As the senior enlisted leader of the JTF, Fleming has high expectations of the service members and expects that the same high, professional standards that have been followed since the detention facilities opened in 2002 will continue until the facilities close.
"The core concepts of standard operating procedures and good order and discipline continue to be crucial here," Fleming said.
As the JTF prepares to close the detention facilities, Fleming believes it is still important to focus on the day-to-day mission and continue to provide safe, humane, legal and transparent care and custody to each and every detainee until the mission is complete. He has some advice for service members to keep them "in the game" and stay focused and professional.
"Resist external perceptions, don't get caught up in the end-state," Fleming said. "Look at the person on your left and right and figure out how to get through that day in a professional manner."
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2009 10:04 |
| Story ID: | 35143 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 329 |
| Downloads: | 197 |
This work, New enlisted leadership at the Joint Task Force, by MSG Blair Heusdens, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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