MCPON, departing: Campa to retire

[CommunityEditor]

The Navy’s top enlisted sailor announced he will step down by the end of the year.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SW/FMF) Joe R. Campa Jr. said he will leave office Dec. 13 and retire April 1. The departure will make Campa, at two years and five months in office, the shortest-serving MCPON in the 41-year history of the job.

“I wanted to stay focused and leave in full stride — that’s what I am going to do,” Campa told Navy Times. “I didn’t want to stay too long — there’s a danger in a position like this that the longer you stay, the less connected you are with those on the deck plates where I’ve always been the most comfortable — I did not want that to happen to me.”

But the announcement doesn’t mean Campa’s work is done.

“This is not a farewell — not yet,” he said “I still have some time before retirement and there is still plenty to be done.”

His final weeks will be spent putting the final touches on a few initiatives he’d like to complete. He also wants to leave some ideas for the next MCPON, should his replacement choose to act on them

Campa’s departure after 29 years of service will be strictly business, much as his time in office has been.

“There will be no ceremony when I leave,” Campa said in an e-mail to his leadership mess Monday. “Just as I’ve turned over with reliefs in the past, it will be simple, and it will be short — a handshake in the office with the next MCPON will suffice.

“The memories I’ll take with me of this job will last a lifetime — you are to thank for that,” he said in the message. “We’ve accomplished a lot on behalf of our sailors and I’m confident you’ll continue to do so. I hope you realize the role you’ve played in every decision or recommendation to come out of this office.”

Campa said he will not have a hand in selecting his replacement — a process that is expected to begin now that Campa has signaled his exit. Any current command master chief is eligible to become MCPON.

“That decision will be totally up to [Chief of Naval Operations] Adm. [Gary] Roughead,” Campa said. “But once that person is named, I will do everything I can do to set that person up for success.”

In a personal message sent to all flag officers, Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Gary Roughead said that the “Navy owes MCPON Campa a great debt of gratitude for what he has accomplished on behalf of our sailors.”

Roughead said he was “deeply indebted” to Campa “for his leadership and extraordinary support for me in my first year as CNO.”

The message noted many of Campa’s accomplishments, but took special notice of the key theme of Campa’s tenure.

“Early in his tour, it was very clear that his intent was to re-set the chiefs’ mess and return its members to the role of deck-plate leaders,” Roughead said in the message. “[Campa] systematically, through numerous deliberate decisions, refocused our navy chiefs on what our navy needed and expected of them. As his tenure comes to a close, the term ‘deck-plate leadership’ has become the watchword of the Navy chief.”

Since the top enlisted position was created in 1967, only one other MCPON has served less than the three years normally allotted for the job: William Plackett, who served two years and 11 months, from October 1985 through September 1988.

Of the 11 MCPONs to date, six have served at least four years in office. One of them, John Hagan, the eighth MCPON, served the longest at five years and seven months. Three others served between three and four years.


Article: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/1...iring_110308w/


How successful has Campa been as MCPON? What do you think of his initiatives, including the overhaul of chiefs' evals? And what would you like to see the next MCPON do?

[OleChief]

Joe, you will be missed. I just hope the CNO does not follow you up with a yes man.
See you on the other side.
Ole Chief

Now the question: why retire before the end of the four-year term? And why not offer his Sailors a chance to say goodbye in a retirement ceremony, and a chance to hail the new MCPON? It's all well and good to be humble and pass the cutlass in an office setting, but for a position as important as the MCPON, a public, dignified ceremony honoring the traditions of the service and those who have come before and who will follow is the best way to celebrate the transfer of those who wear the three stars.

[CUSEFAN21]

Why the sudden retirement at 29 years instead of sticking it out for 30 years is the big question? Sounds like he's burnt out. That job sure will do it. Not wanting a ceremony is up to him he's not the dog and pony show type he came in the navy with little fanfare and wants to go out the same way he came in that's very commendable. He's taken great strides to better the enlisted side of the navy in many aspects( new uniforms, pay raises, better food, better living conditions) except fight to keep many retained in the service and fix the overly flawed Eval system where to many of the YES people that really don;t work hard but always seem to be in the right place at the right time to get noticed while many others are carrying the load behind the scenes. It seems odd how the military works they would rather pay 1 Admiral big bucks to play politico instead of bring in 5 E-5 for the same amount of pay to do the backbone work of the Navy. I just hope his replacement has the guts he has and works to keep it going for the better steering the Navy into a newer larger and better equipped fighting force retaining members worthy to stay in even with set retirement limits to many are lost after 20 years and many newer sailors just don't live up to the expectation under the contract which they sign keep the ones in who work hard even if it means leaving them in longer than the retirement limits. Just doesn't seem fair how many officers can do over 30+ while an E-6 has to retire at 20 to me that's not cost effective

Why don't you as Navy Times find out the real reason the highest ranking enlisted member of the U.S. Navy is leaving in six weeks. Why was he fired? You just don't leave any command in such short notice unless you failed. He has obviously failed at something. Tell us the truth!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Why don't you as Navy Times find out the real reason the highest ranking enlisted member of the U.S. Navy is leaving in six weeks. Why was he fired? You just don't leave any command in such short notice unless you failed. He has obviously failed at something. Tell us the truth!

Sounds to me like he refuses to be a yes man for Adm Roughead, so the CNO has directed him (not asked) to retire.

The question should be, what has he done to cause him to change his mind and not finish his tour. Why was he not involved in choosing his relief. Sounds to me like he has run into a wall with senior leadership. Too many needless changes of late. We are heading for a resession and all our leadership is concerned with is new PT gear and all new uniforms Navy wide. Think 25% military spending cut........if the election pans out as perdicted then expect 25% less money to waste next year. Joe fair winds and following seas, you are leaving before the Navy finally hits rock bottom.

Mr. Campa
You will be truly missed by one individual that has admired you tremendously.
You sir listen when no one else would. You gave hope and support when no one else would.
It has been a hard road. I do not know how he would have moved on with out your ability to listen and to give support!
Good Luck and Best wishes with your retirement you will be truly missed!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Sounds to me like he refuses to be a yes man for Adm Roughead, so the CNO has directed him (not asked) to retire.

If this is true! It would not surprise me. Admiral Roughead is a bully with who shows no respect to any enlisted sailor. He has on several occasions bowed down to feminist and minorities groups.
Admiral Roughead has put these two groups first. Which has in returned cost many good sailors their careers. I would not be surprised if the next MCPON is a Black or Hispanic female. Not because they are qualified, but because he is being pushed from these to groups to make change. I have no problem with the right person being in this position. With that said. I highly doubt that will be the case.
MCPON Campa needs to stay his term and finish the great job he is doing for the enlisted sailors!

Congratulations are due for the decision to shorten the MCPON Campa era. I believe that the Navy leadership came to its senses and ended the "dumbing-down" of the enlisted community before it was too late to recover from the damage that was done by the decision of MCPON Campa to no longer require education for the enlisted community, especially the Chief's community. I for one was excited about MCPON Scott's forward thinking and realization that, if the enlisted community was to ever really have credibility, it was going to have to become educated - just as the rest of the United States business and governmental communities required of their "middle management". MCPON Scott's clearly articulated desire that the Navy enlisted personnel retiring after 20, 22, 26, or 30 years be competitive on the outside if they needed a second career showed that he understood the need for further education to be successfulon "the outside". MCPON Scott was head and shoulders above MCPON Campa when it came to thinking about the best interests of the enlisted community, both while serving and after having served honorably. The 5VM and the initiative to educate the enlisted community was eagerly greeted by many of the junior enlisted personnel; who once MCPON Campa bowed to the pressure brought on by the old "we don't need no education" Chief's community, decided that the best course of action for their career was to obtain their degree from TA and the GI Bill and then leave the Navy to seek a career where their initiative and education would be appreciated. The Navy has lost a great many of highly motivated personnel the last couiple years because MCPON Campa's decisions clearly demonstrated to them that the Navy senior enlisted ranks had no desire to better themselves and raise the quality of the members of their community.