What is this?

This is a collection of advice for Junior Officers new to the U.S. Navy, written by a marginally experienced JO and a few guest writers. This was an active blog through most of 2013, but shore duty came to an end as shore duty does. It is now left here for the entertainment of whoever may stumble upon it.

Who is the author?

Navy submarine officer, still active duty, long since moved on from the post-DIVO shore duty where I wrote everything contained here. This was an anonymous blog when I wrote it and I’ve kept it that way, but if you really want to know what I’m up to these days, you can find all that out here or connect on LinkedIn under William Spears.

It’s never been lost on me that writing pages of unsolicited advice is a highly presumptuous thing to do. Leading Sailors is a presumptuous occupation. Any experienced JO worth a damn has taken a struggling ensign under his wing at some point, but not every struggling ensign finds a decent mentor. Leadership books by senior officers are too far removed from the JO experience to be of much use to an ensign. My goal here was always to address that gap.

Take everything you read here with a sizeable dose of salt. What’s captured here is a very specific point of view; that of a “seasoned” division officer enjoying shore duty but anxious to get back to sea, sentimentally recalling every lesson he learned the hard way (e.g. the POV of someone who has yet to have his ass handed to him as a Department Head). Some of my opinions have evolved since writing this stuff years ago. To preserve the authenticity of the junior officer’s perspective, I have not materially edited or updated this blog since I stopped writing it. Hope you find it helpful.

What’s with the name?

On my first ship, meals in the wardroom tended to be overly stiff and formal when senior officers were present, adhering strictly to the rules and traditions of naval etiquette. When it was just Junior Officers, though, “JO Rules” applied. Meals were fast and easy, and the conversation was fun and free of company lines, posturing, tasking, or out-of-touch perspectives. It was during these times that some of the best and most useful mentoring occurred.

Disclaimer

The opinions and views expressed in this forum are those of the authors alone and are presented in an entirely personal capacity. They do not represent the position of U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Navy or any government organization.