CHAPTER 6 – RESPECT IS A TWO-WAY STREET
U.S. Navy ship quarters: Enlisted Men’s berths (left)/ Officer’s cabin (right)/ Captain’s cabin (lower)
09:10 (Washington Time)
Thursday, November 04, 1993 ‘C’
Office of the Commander of the United States Combined Forces
The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
The moment that he entered Ingrid Dows’ office with five of his senior officers and saw what was on the low coffee table in one corner, a discouraged thought came to Admiral Normand Klasser’s mind.
‘Oh no! More models, again?’
He also noticed at the same time that both the Secretary of Defense and the Under-Secretary for the Navy were present in the office. This was thus serious business. Ingrid then smiled to the newcomers and showed them the sofas set around the low table and its scale models.
‘’Good morning, gentlemen! Please have a seat around this table.’’
All eight men then sat with Ingrid in the three large sofas surrounding the low coffee table. The first to speak then was John McCain.
‘’First off, gentlemen, know that this is a project I and Under-Secretary Brubaker have previously discussed with General Dows and have fully approved. The subject here is crew accommodations standards aboard our warships. While I fully understand that modifying the accommodations arrangements aboard our existing warships will often be next to impossible due to the lack of space in them, I intend to see these new standards taken in consideration in the design of all of our future warships. The new standards will in fact become the minimum acceptable standards and will not be optional.’’
Klasser, like his five officers, then looked at the six scale models set on the low table. They were actually not ship models but rather looked like architectural models of various rooms set by themselves, complete with miniature sofas, beds, lockers and tables. Ingrid Dows took over from McCain at that point.
‘’What you see on the table, gentlemen, are scale models of various concept designs for warship accommodations meant respectively for enlisted ranks, officers and ship captains. There is also a scale model for submarine accommodations and one for carrier accommodations. You may find those concepts rather posh and expansive, but they are in my mind absolute minimums to be respected in terms of the furniture and facilities to be available, as well as in terms of minimum deck surface they occupy. They have also been designed with compactness in mind and with the most efficient use of the space provided. This project has one main directing purpose to it: to improve the living conditions at sea of our sailors and thus improve both their morale and their combat efficiency. A happy crew is a better crew in my opinion and our men and women who serve our country at sea deserve to be better treated than the way they are now, gentlemen. One vital factor that is missing presently for our enlisted sailors is privacy, or rather the complete lack of it, aboard our warships. Right now, the Navy standard for enlisted ranks is triple-stacked bunk beds with personal effects and spare uniforms stored in a thin locker under each mattress. The average deck space per sailor in enlisted ranks sleeping quarters, including circulation spaces, is presently around ten square feet, taking into account the fact that they are stacked three-high, with barely enough free height between beds to be able to turn around while sleeping…and this is if you are not too wide of shoulders. In terms of privacy, it is presently a fat zero. Just for the fun of it, I researched how much space past sailors had on old sail ships and found that their space allotment was actually bigger than today, since they didn’t stack their hammocks. Meanwhile, officers’ accommodations have become larger and larger with the years. This situation is simply unacceptable when we are approaching the start of a new millennium.’’
One vice admiral then objected while pointing at the model showing the enlisted quarters on a medium-sized warship.
‘’But, General, if I can go by this model here, you are planning for each sailor to have his own private cabin: that’s downright extravagant!’’
‘’Extravagant, Admiral Jamieson?’’ shot back Ingrid. ‘’When that cabin totals no more than forty square feet of deck space and contains only one bunk bed, one small desk and a locker, plus barely enough room to move around? Yes, I want each of our sailors to have his or her own cabin, so that they could finally enjoy a minimum of privacy when not on duty. If you want to see some really extravagant accommodations, go visit some captain’s suites on a few of our destroyers and cruisers. I understand that those captains have heavy responsibilities and need comfortable accommodations but what I saw was plainly too much when compared to the conditions their sailors have to live in. I could also say a few things about the way some of our captains treat their crews but that discussion will be for another day. A big problem with our present warship designs is that the naval architects throw in every weapons, sensors and propulsion systems they can into their designs, then add the crew quarters as an afterthought in whatever space is left. As I said before, the fact that the sailors aboard many of our nuclear submarines still have to ‘hot-bunk’ because there are less bunks than there are crewmembers is simply unacceptable and has to stop, period!’’
‘’General, don’t you have more important things to do than to worry about the amount of square feet of deck space occupied by each of our sailors?’’ replied the vice admiral, earning an immediate and stinging rebuke from John McCain.
‘’CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE NOW, VICE ADMIRAL JAMIESON, OR LEAVE AND GO EMPTY YOUR DESK! GENERAL DOWS HAS BEEN WORKING LONG HOURS ON MANY THINGS, INCLUDING REWRITING OUR WAR PLANS AND STRATEGIC DIRECTIVES. CREW MORALE IS AN ESSENTIAL FACTOR IN COMBAT AND SHE IS FULLY JUSTIFIED IN BEING PREOCCUPIED BY IT. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, VICE ADMIRAL JAMIESON?’’
‘’Uh, yes, Mister Secretary.’’ could only say Jamieson, realizing that he was just one step away from being dismissed from his command.
‘’Good! Now remember this, gentlemen: this project has my full approval and our naval architects will be directed to incorporate those new habitability standards from the start in our future ships, and this starting today. Also, be prepared to receive in the next few weeks new directives from Under-Secretary Brubaker concerning the way our ship captains and senior officers treat their crews. The main point about that will be that respect is a two-way street. Our naval officers will have to treat their subalterns correctly and with respect while ensuring adequate discipline aboard their ships. The time of the screamers and martinets on our warships will soon be over, gentlemen.’’
Ingrid then took over from McCain, speaking to the Navy men.
‘’I will send you a finalized list of the new habitability standards in the next few days. While those new standards will apply to all our future warships, the ships we presently have in service should strive to improve as much as possible their crew facilities within their space capacity. Thank you for coming, gentlemen.’’
On that, Klasser and his officers got up and walked out of Ingrid’s office while keeping a stiff upper lip. However, once in the main hallway and some distance from Ingrid’s office, Vice Admiral Jamieson growled in a low voice at Klasser while walking alongside him.
‘’Can’t we do something to rein in that Dows, Admiral? She is dipping her nose in matters she knows little about and which are the traditional purview of the Navy.’’
‘’I know, but the Secretary of Defense is firmly on her side and we can’t simply ignore his directives. After all, he is an experienced ex-naval aviator and he knows how things are on our warships. To be perfectly fair to Dows, she does have a point about the poor living conditions of our sailors when at sea. As long as those new standards don’t have negative repercussions on the fighting abilities of our ships, then I don’t see a valid reason not to go along with them.’’
‘’But, Admiral…’’ started to say Jamieson. Klasser then stopped cold and faced him while pointing an index at him.
‘’Listen, Jamieson! We have our orders and we will follow them, end of discussion! If I catch you in trying to impede the application of those new directives, then it will be me who will relieve you of command, not Dows or McCain.’’
Klasser then resumed his walking, leaving behind him a baffled and furious Jamieson.