Page 56: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2006)

56 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

Yard Patrol Craft used for training. "'You have four years to do it,' we tell them. Only a few will obtain this, but it's what we want them to do."

Rempt says "We teach basic seamanship and watch keeping to all Midshipmen to give them a better sense of the sea and the weather. Even those who will not be surface warriors need this fundamental knowledge.

Marines and naval aviators still operate from ships.

With all of the electronic sensors available to you, there is no substitute for deck officers and lookouts who understand their surroundings. Radars and sen- sors can give a sense of complacency."

Building an Effective Team

Rempt says the Academy strives to develop

Midshipmen into good leaders. By leading by exam- ple, one can earn the trust of their subordinates, and build teamwork with the people they are trying to lead. "We teach them to do the things that help build the team. As leaders, they are usually responsible for a handful of people. On a ship, a division officer has his or her chief and leading petty officers. A department head has his or her division officers. A CO has the executive officer, command master chief and depart- ment heads. It isn't necessary to deal with everybody and their issues. It is important to understand and work closely with that team for which you are responsible, to help them with their careers and their family issues.

Focus on them and they can focus on their teams. The result is a very caring and supportive organization,

Rempt says.

Teaching Core Values

The Navy has gone through some ups and downs, but the desire to live up to these high standards has not changed, Rempt says. "We want them to take honor into their soul, with continuous vigilance and applica- tion of what they've learned."

The Navy's core values of honor, courage and com- mitment are pretty simple. The Academy teaches honor. If your people do not trust you, they will not follow you. "They come from all walks of life," says Rempt, referring to the freshman "plebes" who come to

Annapolis. "They don't all have the same standard.

We have the same focus on leadership, honor and char- acter values today as we did when I was a

Midshipman. They're smarter, and better academical- ly and physically prepared. They come into the

Academy at a higher standard than when I arrived here, and leave even better. But they do not all arrive with the same sense of honor. By the time they gradu- ate, however, they are ready to lead and serve with the highest sense of personal honor.

That's a big challenge, but "They have four years at the academy to do that."

The young people who come to the Naval Academy inspire Rempt. "Their whole approach to serving impresses me. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They want to make a differ- ence."

Rempt says he can speak for the Old Salts before him. "None of us thought we would be around as long as we did. My roommate, Mike Haskins and I vowed we would never come back here after we graduated.

Both of us became admirals, and here I am as the

Superintendent, and Mike retired and is now the

Distinguished Chair of Leadership at the United States

Naval Academy."

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The first Littoral Combat Ship, USS Freedom, takes shape in

Marinette, Wisconsin (photo by E. H. Lundquist)

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