J.O. President Message

Take a Deep Breath and Focus

By LT Alden "CaSPR" Marton, USN,

Hello, NHA Warriors!

With 2021 in the books, let’s get ready for a solid 2022! LT Casey “Screech” Keilty’s high-energy tenure has finally come to an end, but his impact on this organization has paved the way forward. It makes picking up the reigns an easy transition!

The idea of a fresh start dovetails nicely into this issue’s theme of Leadership and Culture. Reflecting on what makes military leadership different – what culturally molds the leaders in the military – is this idea of home-grown leadership and turnover.

In my short Navy career, I personally have learned, performed, and passed on six distinct jobs – each one I initially felt underqualified for, then passed on as soon as I thought I was getting the hang of it. I think we can all relate to the feeling of “just getting good at my job” before the military directs you on to the next bigger and better shoes to fill, right? But while that’s the sort of scuttlebutt we like to gripe about, I think we also realize the institutional importance of starting over. Somewhere in the stress of “turnover” is the idea of opportunity – opportunity to see programs from a new set of eyes, opportunity to learn how to lead, opportunity to make an impact. But more than that, it’s an opportunity to build experience and to understand the depth of our warfighting organization.

Each one of our leaders has stood in our shoes. OUR shoes. They learned nuances of leadership through the lens of a division officer, legal officer, MWR President, etc. Our senior leaders were molded through Department Head and Joint Tours to the Pentagon so that, one day, they could take up the mantle of XO, Skipper, Commodore, and beyond. As we look upon our leaders and try to understand how they make decisions, I can’t help but picture their careers under the “JO Job Shuffle” or Disassociated Sea Tours. All of those experiences, no matter how small, transformed into decision-making tools to make the absolute, most-informed decisions for our Sailors. In this cultural phenomenon, where we may ultimately chop efficiency for wall-to-wall experience, we breed the most well-rounded leaders of the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE).

So, as we take a deep breath and start 2022, let’s take a moment to reflect on the amazing opportunity we’re given. Get those fresh sets of eyes on current problems. Apply new energy to expand that experience bubble. Find courage to excel. I’m thrilled to be part of the NHA Team and excited to hear everyone’s perspective on Leadership & Culture in this edition of Rotor Review. Thank you all for your wisdom and I’ll see you at this Spring’s NHA Symposium in Norfolk!

Fly Navy!

V/r, CaSPR

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