Staff Relationship with the Flagship

meshing of operations between commands or within a command. Staff coordination promotes cooperation, reduces friction and decreases the number of differences requiring command decisions. Your thorough knowledge of all actions taken or proposed is essential to assure unity of action. The correlation of all staff activities depends, chiefly, upon the free interchange of information among the divisions. Make Recommendations and Decisions A well-oriented staff takes much of the burden of decision-making off the commander. Its members make decisions where authority exists for the action, or where the decision is in agreement with command policy. Since responsibility for action cannot be delegated, staff officers should realize they are not acting for them- selves, but for the commander. Decisions made by staff officers are generally of a routine or technical nature. For example, although the commander may make the decision as to the nature and scope of the operational training program, the operations officer generally makes all decisions regarding such items as scheduling and phasing. At all times, the staff officer should inform the commander of any significant decisions made for him or in his name. Normally, a commander delegates authority to his PAO to make routine news releases. The PAO, within the limits of authority delegated to him, makes routine decisions daily, as he checks security aspects, edits releases for propriety, accuracy, timing and policy and considers the overall impact on the public. When a news story contains information in a sensitive or questionable area, a conscientious PAO verifies the facts, prepares a statement and then seeks the commander’s approval. With experience, you will know when it is appropriate to prepare the statement. Prepare and Transmit Directives Decisions made by an individual staff officer, by detailed coordination of the entire staff, or by the commander on the spot, require implementation. On smoothly operating staffs, implementation is made possible through clear, concise directives. These directives may take the form of operation orders, letters, standard operating procedures (SOPs), notices, instructions, regulations or any other means suitable to the occasion. Usually, a staff section prepares a directive, coordi- nates it with other staff sections and submits it to the commander for approval. The directive must state the intentions of the commander and contain the instructions needed to carry out the action. Then, if the commander concurs with the recommendation, all he needs to do is sign the directive, it can be published and promulgated. The PAO prepares the public affairs portion of an operations order, an administrative instruction for the operation of a headquarters on a continuing basis, a special event or of an accident or disaster plan. The objectives of the public affairs action to be taken and the responsibilities for reporting and accomplishing the mission are stated within the directive. Public affairs directives are basic to the accom- plishment of the public affairs mission, which is to inform external and internal publics. A directive establishes relationships and responsibilities within a command so that the public affairs function of the command reflects the commander’s desires and leadership. Maintain Control Through Supervision Staff responsibilities go beyond the issuance of directives. Staff members make sure directives are understood and carried out according to the intentions of the commander. They also recommend changes to directives to improve efficiency when practice indicates that an existing directive is inappropriate. Control is a two-way process. In contacts with subordinate units, staff officers determine whether the standards, policies and procedures established in directives are realistic and effective. They also verify reports to determine whether the staff is getting complete data and that only necessary information is being reported. If better ways of accomplishing the mission can be found, they are adopted. STAFF RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FLAGSHIP The relationship between the staff and the flagship is governed by Navy Regulations. Except for matters of general discipline, which are subject to the internal regulations and routine of the ship, staff officers have no administrative connection with the flagship. Staff enlisted personnel are assigned to the flagship for administration and discipline. (At shore complexes, where there is a concentration of several large staffs, a 1-4