The Navy has a toxic command problem.
Networking and politics are the best means of promotion. The replacement of exigent military training and operations with unending, mindless presentations is driving away talented young personnel. The consequence: While the Navy retains exceptional command officers and noncommissioned officers, it also has far too many average officers.
Sometimes the toxicity is literal as well as figurative. Consider what Task & Purpose reported on Wednesday: The Navy decided to award a failed commander with the Legion of Merit medal. That award is supposedly reserved “for exceptionally outstanding” service. Federal regulations clarify that “the performance must have been such as to merit recognition of key individuals for service rendered in a clearly exceptional manner. Superior performance of duties normal to the grade, branch, specialty, or assignment, and experience of an individual is not an adequate basis for this award.”
So, did Capt. Erik Spitzer deserve this high honor for his command of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam?
Negative. Take Spitzer’s response to the November 2021 incident in which thousands of gallons of fuel leaked into Pearl Harbor-Hickam’s water supply. This leak followed another spill in May 2021. Task & Purpose notes that when residents started complaining about the water’s taste, Spitzer rushed to assuage their fears, telling them, “I can tell you at this point that there are no immediate indications that the water is not safe.” The Hawaii Department of Health contradicted Spitzer’s guidance the very next day. The water turned out not to be safe. Military personnel, their families, and pets all suffered negative health effects.
Nevertheless, Rear Adm. Timothy Kott awarded Spitzer with the medal at the latter’s retirement ceremony last month. Kott has also now retired. Spitzer’s commendation praised his “expeditious restoration of clean water throughout the community.”
What’s next? Annapolis midshipmen being taught that sailing is for losers?
Task & Purpose records, “The Navy did not respond to questions about if Spitzer, or any other Navy officials, were reprimanded for their roles in the crisis.” There’s another gem of a lesson for midshipmen: “Forget development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command. Learn how to evade responsibility and get rewarded for it.”
The point stands. Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam is the artery for U.S. military command, operations, and logistics in the Pacific. With the threat of a war with China escalating each passing week, this base is a critical component of U.S. national security. Indeed, its importance has not been this significant since 1945. So if failed leadership is rewarded here, what confidence should that give us for the rest of the fleet?
The division between Spitzer’s treatment and that afforded to Navy commanders at sea, who are frequently relieved for any perceived failure, is striking. Largely unsupported by Congress and tasked with using an insufficient fleet to conduct an excessive range of operations (the recent deployment of two more destroyers to Europe being a perfect example), the admirals pressure fleet commanders to maintain exceptionally high workloads. But where mistakes are made, it is those at sea who find their careers killed off. Spitzer’s award shows there are two Navy standards: standards ashore and standards at sea.
At a minimum, this incident sets an exceptionally poor example for future leaders and will damage morale. At worst, it reflects a broader rot. Considering China’s rising threat, neither possibility is tolerable.
