Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class John Bellino | 210427-N-PC065-2020 NORFOLK, Va. (April 27, 2021) Command Master Chief Larae Baker,...... read more read more
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NORFOLK, Va. (April 26, 2021) - Over the past year, the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) has been blazing a new path in their preparation for deployment.
The Arlington has completed most of the basic phase requirements months ahead of schedule and is shifting focus to support the fleet.
Many have asked, “what is the key to the Arlington’s success?”
Dubbed the “Warrior Initiative,” the Arlington has combined several inspirational leadership approaches to produce success.
Foremost, Arlington leadership operates under the hypothesis that higher morale will produce greater mission accomplishment.
“Without our emphasis on morale, team building and ownership, we would not have been able to accomplish this much so quickly,” said Command Master Chief Larae Baker, Arlington’s command master chief.
“In fact, you can have the best manning in the world, but if you don’t have tight, cohesive teams that communicate well and often, and support the mission, you’re still not going to get results.”
“It’s true that morale produces results, but you also have to do a lot of planning and rehearsals so that when inspection time comes, you knock it out of the park,” said Cmdr. Mark Stines, the executive officer of the Arlington, as he expanded upon Baker’s insight. “Interestingly, this actually results in better morale, it’s a loop.”
The command triad seeks to foster a culture centered on the “Warrior Sailor” ethos. Everyone is a warrior regardless of their rate and every Sailor contributes to the ship’s warfighting effectiveness.
“On this ship, we talk about the warrior ethos all the time,” said Capt. Chris “Chowdah” Hill, the commanding officer of the Arlington. “But we even take it to the next level and are relentless in communicating that we’re the best damn ship in the Navy and I swear it is sticking.”
The assertion that Arlington is the best damn ship in the Navy has even made it onto the newest mural decorating one of Arlington’s main storage areas.
When it comes to decision making, leadership on the Arlington takes three main things into consideration.
“First, Sailors want to be warriors, second, Sailors like to win and third, every human desires to be valued and loved.” Hill stated. “So as leaders, why don’t we just give our Sailors all three and see what happens.”
Arlington Sailors are often quizzed on the ship’s “Seven Tenants of the Warrior Sailor.” The first being, warfighting comes first, which means warrior Sailors need to stay competitive and tough, constantly honing their tradecraft and grooming their weapon, which in this case is the ship itself. That tenant is followed by warriors have principles, warriors have oaths, warriors are a band of brothers and sisters, warriors mentor and coach, warrior leaders are servant leaders and warriors enjoy life.
When everyone buys into the concept like the Arlington warriors have, the ship operates as a well-oiled machine, firing on all cylinders. Arlington hopes to set the standard for others to follow moving into the future.
For now, the Arlington continues to conduct training, support the fleet and march forward abiding by its “Warrior Initiative.”
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2021 11:38 |
| Story ID: | 395255 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 291 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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