Purge from CAPT Honors fallout continues.

[Lonestar]

I have zero negative things to say about this

I did not see this coming, and appreciate the explanation as a continuation of the theme towards demanding a professional command environment in the US Navy.

"Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Patrick M. Walsh removed Rear Adm. Ron Horton, Commander, Logistics Group, Western Pacific, from command March 3 for loss of confidence in his ability to command.

Walsh based his decision on the findings of the investigation into the production and broadcast of inappropriate videos aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Rear Adm. Horton, who was the commanding officer of USS Enterprise during the period when inappropriate videos were produced and aired between May and December 2007, was determined to be derelict in the performance of his duties. Specifically, for failing to: (1) hold himself responsible for the professional decorum of the ship and with it, the obligation to play an active role in the command climate for the crew; (2) provide adequate guidance and oversight; and (3) take prudent measures to ensure compliance with Navy standards.

"There is no higher responsibility in the U.S. Navy than that of command. Individuals in command are expected to uphold the Navy's core values of honor, courage, and commitment which includes maintaining a command climate based on professionalism and respect," said Walsh.

The U.S. Navy holds those in positions of command to very high standards and accountable when those standards are not met. When a commanding officer is found to be derelict in the performance of his duties and his superior loses confidence in his judgment and ability to lead, the commanding officer is removed from command."


I have no doubt this was a difficult decision. Fleet Forces Command is being remarkably transparent with their investigation and has put online all kinds of information related to the investigation.

The hardest thing for any large organization to do is self correct. I have heard from both cynics and optimists on this subject. The cynic says that ADM Harvey and ADM Walsh are attempting to stand out because the CNO announcement is rumored to be only a few weeks away, and both are naturally on the short list.

I reject that, because I am an optimist. I believe these difficult decisions reflect the judgment of thoughtful leaders who are genuinely interested in what is best for the Navy.

Good on the USN, and honestly more than what I was expecting.

[Lonestar]

Intersting commentary on USNI's blog about the official investigation report:

A good officer or petty officer and a true leader will leave nothing undone to help and support his men when they need help; to lead when they need to be led, to punish when that, as a last resort, is necessary. That is where “Paternalism” comes into the picture. Authoity and taking care of your people. That combination is essential.

Leadership and Authority by Vice Admiral L. Hewlett Thebaud, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

The Command Investigation into the leadership oversight and responsibilities for production and broadcast of videos aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) from about 2006 through 2007 is an incredible read (PDF). The investigation was conducted by RADM Gerald R. Beaman, USN, whose biography be found here. We note from the outset that RADM Gerald Beaman is above board, and I highlight his experience as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1981-1984 among other aspects of his experience that made him ideal for this investigation.

The report runs for 65 PDF pages and serves as an important document for understanding Command at Sea, command climate on a ship, and how a bad culture of command can contribute to the deterioration of the authority of command at sea. If for any reason you don’t want to read the entire document, I suggest at minimum reading the 27 opinions that run from PDF page 38 through PDF page 49.

The first 10 opinions are specific to the conduct of Captain OP Honors, and are quoted below.

1.“The XO Movie Night” videos became almost “cult like” for the majority of Sailors aboard ENTERPRISE. The passageways were empty at 2000 on Saturday nights underway and the mess decks, wardrooms and berthing compartments were filled standing-room only with personnel watching the “XO Movie Night” video.

2.With the average crew m.ember aged 20 years old, CAPT Honors was confronted with a generation of young adults who grew-up watching television shows such as Saturday Night Live, South Park, The Simpsons, and Family Guy. Because these shows routinely use sophomoric humor to entertain their audience, CAPT Honors consciously chose to use that same type of humor and entertainment to reach his targeted 20-year-old audience aboard ENTERPRISE. To the extent that CAPT Honors sought through “XO Movie Night” videos to reach a particular demographic in his effort to teach and inform the crew, his methods appear to have been successful, as evidenced, for example, by the crew’s good behavior ashore in foreign ports and the avoidance of imposing water restrictions known as “water hours.”

3.During CAPT Honors’ tour as Executive Officer, the ENTERPRISE crew performed at a high level and enjoyed much success, as evidenced by the numerous unit awards received and the favorable comments of Flag Officers, senior officers and enlisted leadership. Many attributed this success and the excellent material condition of the ship to CAPT Honors’ engagement with the ship’s crew.

4.CAPT Honors has good intentions in his creation of the “XO Movie Night” videos and certainly never intended for the videos to disgrace the Navy such as ultimately happened. I believe that the “XO Movie Night” video phenomenon slowly, but steadily over time, developed a mindset in CAPT Honors that caused him to elevate the hilarity or shock level from week-to-week. As a result of this mindset, and the lack of direct oversight from his superiors, CAPT Honors enabled the downward spiral in classless, tasteless humor and conduct that culminated in the production and broadcast of his very last XO video – a compilation of the most offensive XO videos that contained repeated profanity, anti-gay slurs, simulated masturbation, and sexual innuendos.

5.During ENTERPRISE’s 2007 work-ups and deployment, “XO Movie Night” videos continued with the same purpose as the 2006 videos, which was to provide a message to the crew through the use of humor and entertainment. From viewing the XO videos, it is apparent that the sophomoric humor not only continued on the 2007 deployment but degenerated to an “all time low” with CAPT Honors’ final video as Executive Officer. The humor and tone gradually became more lewd and disrespectful of time-honored Navy customs and standards, culminating with CAPT Honors’ repeated use of the word “f*ck,” use of anti-gay slurs, and display of simulated masturbation scenes that went beyond sophomoric humor. THe fact that CAPT Honors and the Public Affairs/Media Department personnel proceeded with the broadcast of these last few videos during the end of his tenure as Executive Officer is disturbing enough. The greater concern is the fact that the majority of the crew and embarked personnel witnessed the videos and never registered and objection or complaint. This is the most disturbing aspect of this investigation – that an atmosphere, environment, or “culture” tolerating such conduct and behavior was allowed to develop, grow and perpetuate over the course of two sets of work-ups and two major deployments. I believe the ENTERPRISE crew was gradually de-sensitized and conditioned to accept a low standard of conduct and behavior by the second most senior officer of the ship’s company to where it became the new acceptable norm. The crew could not be held accountable for a higher standard of conduct than the Executive Officer himself demonstrated.

6.CAPT Honors believes that he adhered to an acceptable standard by measuring the tone and content of his XO videos against the tone of “significantly more offensive R-rated… professionally-produced feature films” that were sometimes broadcast on ENTERPRISE SITE-TV immediately after his XP videos. CAPT Honors equates the tone and content of his XO videos with “PG-13 adult-level humor,” and he believes such content meets the Navy’s standard.

7.CAPT Honors is wrong. The U.S. Navy sets a higher standard of conduct and behavior for our officers and enlisted personnel. These standards trace back over 200 years, and are firmly grounded in regulations, custom and traditions. They form the bedrock of our Service and guided everything we do. Conduct that may be acceptable to watch as entertainment when performed by actors and comedians is not the standard of conduct for Sailors while serving in an official capacity. The difference between CAPT Honors’ XO videos and the professionally-produced feature films that contain offensive content is that U.S. Navy service members do not appear in the offensive scenes of Hollywood films. CAPT Honors fails to understand this difference. The fact that over the course of two sets of work-ups and one and a half deployments, he was only “counseled a few times” by his commanding officers served to convince him he was not out of line. Unfortunately for this highly decorated combat veteran, his logic and frame of reference were flawed from the beginning and worsened over time.

8.CAPT Honors appearance in, production of, and approval of these videos demeaned himself and, more importantly, the position of the Executive Officer. Although the ship’s performance does not appear to have suffered, his conduct was derelict and unbecoming of an officer.

9.By sponsoring and encouraging the inappropriate content in the videos, and enlisting the help of Public Affairs Officer and members of the Media Department, CAPT Honors fostered a work environment for those same individuals where sophomoric humor became the acceptable norm for the production of the videos.

10. Sailors not only expect, but deserve their Commanding Officer and Executive Officer to exhibit exemplary conduct and set the standard for virtue, honor, courtesy and tact. As Executive Officer, CAPT Honors placed himself in a position unbecoming his rank and position by appearing as one of the primary “actors” and, in most cases, the central character in the XO videos containing offensive content. He set a poor example for his subordinate officers, crew and embarked personnel. Furthermore, he violated the special trust and confidence placed in him by his Commanding Officers and embarked Strike Group Commanders. In spite of his best intentions, his use in the videos of repeated profanity, anti-gay slurs, simulated masturbation, comments on prostitution, his making fun of department heads in a demeaning way, and repeated use of sexual innuendos to deliver his message to the crew in what he considered an entertaining way was inappropriate and inexcusable.

Below are a few of my thoughts based on other aspects of the report.

1) Perhaps Congress needs to order a study regarding short term memory loss of men over a certain age and nuclear powered aircraft carriers, because there is a surprising amount of short term memory loss regarding the conversations among those of rank at o-6 and above. This issue jumps out when reading the report. I do not believe it has anything to do with nuclear power, and would suggest that perhaps the reasons for selective memory is an aspect of “culture” issues of the Navy being ignored.

2) The findings suggest Flag Officers were largely unaware of the content of the videos. The findings also suggest Commanding Officers were also largely unaware of the content of the videos. The Command JAGs were actually in the videos. Public Affairs was involved in the production of the videos. Several officers and senior enlisted leaders were involved in the videos. The complaints by the Command Chaplain was ignored by the XO, and the Command Chaplain never raised the issue with the Captain or any other senior officer. The videos eventually included an implied threat to those who objected to the content of the videos in the opening remarks. All in all, the lack of official complaints regarding the content of XO Movie Night being objectionable is understandable.

There is an important Navy leadership discussion regarding consent by silence just begging for a discussion, but until that discussion comes from someone inside the Navy, an outsider like me simply highlighting all the examples of existence won’t make a difference.

3) The second recommendation is noteworthy:

It is disturbing to note the continuing remnants of a pervasive culture in Naval Aviation that mistakenly accepts that a certain, extreme level of coarse humor is acceptable and necessary to develop young aviators into effective warriors and community leaders. Over the past two decades, Naval Aviation has been blemished by such behavior. Sincere, focused efforts to correct this stain on the aviation community have not solved the problem. Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific and Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic are currently leading an effort to address these systemic issues within the naval aviation culture. As part of their ongoing effort, I recommend they include a command climate survey that specifically addresses the symptoms identified by this investigation to ensure that a similar “sub-culture” is not manifesting itself within the aviation community and aboard other carriers.

4) A precedent is being set by ignoring the person who leaked the video.

5) This investigation raises a number of questions regarding the promotion process and how the Navy looks at FITREPs for promotion. The number of officers and enlisted personnel involved who were promoted suggests a systemic issue might exist, and unless I missed it, I did not see that issue raised in this report.

I have read a number of opinions, mostly on political websites, that attempt to suggest the Navy investigation somehow got this wrong. I would suggest that anyone defending Captain Honors at this point has not read the report. I believe this issue is about Leadership and Authority in the Navy, and anyone who would like to seek further understanding of what that means, I encourage you to read Leadership and Authority (PDF) by Vice Admiral L. Hewlett Thebaud, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Interesting read, and am glad that it appears as if the USN is taking serious action(along with shitcanning Honors old boss) and approaching the investigation in a above-board manner.

[Thanas]

Indeed. Good on the navy for following through on this.

[Todeswind]

I'm very happy that this is happening.

It's always fantastic to see social policies put into place with the proper reasoning, reasonable enforcement, and fair punishment. It's always a shame to lose qualified and competent officers (you don't get to be an admiral without an impressive record) but it's a signal to me of how seriously the US armed forces are taking the repeal of DADT.

It's a nice change of pace to see positive news about the US Navy.

[Lonestar]

I'm very happy that this is happening.

It's always fantastic to see social policies put into place with the proper reasoning, reasonable enforcement, and fair punishment. It's always a shame to lose qualified and competent officers (you don't get to be an admiral without an impressive record) but it's a signal to me of how seriously the US armed forces are taking the repeal of DADT.

It's a nice change of pace to see positive news about the US Navy.

I believe the USN fired Honors and initiated the investigation prior to the formal repeal of DADT.

[Todeswind]

I believe the USN fired Honors and initiated the investigation prior to the formal repeal of DADT.

The timing of these charges, especially considering that they are being levied years after the fact on what seems like a relatively minor (if public) act, combined with the relative unwillingness of the Navy to deal with similar incidents prior to the lead-up to the DADT repeal leads me to believe that the two are highly related. I doubt that these charges would be being filed were DADT not in its swan-song.

[Lonestar]

The timing of these charges, especially considering that they are being levied years after the fact on what seems like a relatively minor (if public) act, combined with the relative unwillingness of the Navy to deal with similar incidents prior to the lead-up to the DADT repeal leads me to believe that the two are highly related. I doubt that these charges would be being filed were DADT not in its swan-song.

Right after my 2005 deployment there was a guy who got sent to Captains Mast for harassment because he called a open secret suspected gay person a "fag", so your mileage may vary.

[Thanas]

An update:

Honors is going to be retained in the navy.

Disgusting.

[Enigma]

An update:

Honors is going to be retained in the navy.

Disgusting.

But not for long I think. He's probably going to be considered for early retirement as the article mentions.

[Thanas]

Yeah, but I thought that the naval aviation leaders were more professional than saying "nah, this is conduct becoming of a US officer".

[Mr Bean]

An update:

Honors is going to be retained in the navy.

Disgusting.

Your ignorance is showing Thanas and I don't meant that as an insult but a simple statement that I don't expect a German civilian to know the background of how backroom dealings are handed in the US Navy. There are methods and ways by which the US Navy does things and the Navy has decided that this is Captain Honors last command at the end of his current deployment whenever that is. He his advancement is impossible and he is eligible for retirement soon meaning he's got what's left of this current deployment then he will be moved back to Diego, DC, Norfolk or Pearl for a year to three year desk job and then he will be offer a chance to retire which he will of course take.

He is being denied all possible future advancement and he was already relieved of command. He may still be administratively tied to the Enterprise but he exercises no command authority there. He's done and gone already Thanas you just don't know the signs to read. Once you reach the level of Captain a black mark on your record is a blackball to your advancement. Going from Captain to Admiral is a step from 4 to 1 roughly speaking meaning there are three officers who retire (roughly) at the rank of Captain for every one who goes on to make Admiral. And that's only gotten worse in recent years as Admirals have stayed on longer than normal and advanced farther than normal with Iraq hanging on.

Thanas what they are doing is allowing Honors to keep his retirement and his benefits, any command or officer responsibility have already been stripped before this commission ever met and he was acting as seconds for other officers who could use their workload to be lightened.

[Ryan Thunder]

I'm sorry to rain on everybody's parade here, but I find it rather... well, broken that they can kick a high-ranking dude out for making naughty videos but not prosecute low-level grunts for murdering a house full of women and children in Iraq.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it's good that this is happening, but I just can't help but think, "what the fuck, guys?"

[thejester]

If videos existed of the murder and they were leaked to the media and it had been witnessed by thousands of other servicemen and women and the perpetrators staunchly defended it as the right thing to do at the time, I imagine the US military probably would prosecute those low-level grunts.

[Thanas]

Your ignorance is showing Thanas and I don't meant that as an insult but a simple statement that I don't expect a German civilian to know the background of how backroom dealings are handed in the US Navy. There are methods and ways by which the US Navy does things and the Navy has decided that this is Captain Honors last command at the end of his current deployment whenever that is. He his advancement is impossible and he is eligible for retirement soon meaning he's got what's left of this current deployment then he will be moved back to Diego, DC, Norfolk or Pearl for a year to three year desk job and then he will be offer a chance to retire which he will of course take.

That's quite funny that you would go that route. After checking a few links on other Navy blogs I frequent the following came up:

I strongly believe this news reflects more on the naval aviation community as a whole rather than the specific naval aviator at the center of the discussion.

The three-admiral board unanimously agreed that Capt. Owen Honors committed misconduct, failed to demonstrate acceptable qualities of leadership required of an officer in his grade and failed to conform to prescribed standards of military deportment.

But it also voted 3-0 that Honors “be retained in the naval service.”

The three-admiral board consisted of three naval aviators - all fighter pilots with careers very similar to Captain Honors; Rear Adm. Brian C. Prindle, commander of the Naval Safety Center; Rear Adm. Dennis E. FitzPatrick, commander of Strike Force Training Atlantic; and Rear Adm. Walter E. Carter. As three Navy leaders who represent the naval aviation community, they unanimously agreed that XO Movie Night content represents content worthy of holding a commission as a US Navy officer in the naval aviation community.

It is the responsibility of folks in leadership positions to embrace the highest standards in conduct and professionalism. It is a leader's responsibility to train his/her team and root out those who do not meet the obligations and responsibilities desired within the team. Captain Honors behavior was allowed to continue unchecked, and when that happens it erodes unit cohesion and the ability of leaders to lead. After the XO movie night videos, CAPT Honors no longer held ability to hold others accountable for similarly unacceptable conduct.

But apparently we simply didn't get the memo, because as it turns out, Captain Honors represents the kind of character, professionalism, and conduct that is valued by at least three Flag officers in the naval aviation community today - because their ruling specifically says that despite cited misconduct, they want Captain Honors on their team. Captain Honors is one of them, indeed exactly like all of them from a career perspective.

It is hard not to see this result as more evidence and a very visible impact of the culture problem in naval aviation specifically cited by the investigation report. Sexual harassment, discrimination, improper conduct... these simply aren't priorities to a leader who trivializes these matters as part of his professional conduct. It is also impossible to suggest these are priorities for any Flag officer whose role is to hold accountable those leaders who trivialize those matters as part of their professional conduct. When one removes accountability from leadership, the result is the new acceptable standard.

Leadership and Accountability... what else needs to be said that hasn't been said already? It sure is a good thing this will be the big Navy story Americans are most likely to see this week... or not.

Link.

The bolded part is what angers me. Also, don't try to present this as "no benefits" if they chose to give him an other than honorable discharge." The most he was facing, according to his own website, was retirement at a lower paygrade.



This might also interest you.

[Mr Bean]

Again Thanas you miss the point. One does not become Captain of a ship because one loves the sweet heathcare benefits or awesome pay. Everyone in the military gets the same heathcare and the pay is shit compared to what you can make in the civilian world at the same rank. Captain's are Captains because they want to command. Honors has already lost any chance are future commands and is being retired shortly. The fact you can find someone with a stick up their ass an link to a blog who loves over-reacting to everything. I told you already this was a backroom deal everything from the composition of the panel to it's findings were molded and guided from the smoke filled ops floors of the Navy. Captain Honors was found lacking in military discipline and blackballed he will shortly be retired will full benefits.

What did you want Thanas as a punishment for Captain Honors? Forty lashs and a months pay? Imprisonment? I'm honestly curious.

[Sephirius]

I get the feeling that Thanas wants him stuck working at McDonalds for the rest of his life with no pension.
Punishment fitting the crime, in my opinion.

[Thanas]

What did you want Thanas as a punishment for Captain Honors? Forty lashs and a months pay? Imprisonment? I'm honestly curious.

Other than honorable discharge at a lower rank and a finding of conduct unbecoming. Which is the only fitting finding for somebody making these kinds of videos. Unless of course you want to argue that his conduct was becoming that of an officer.

That being said, apparently you find nothing else worrying about this...or how it looks.

I get the feeling that Thanas wants him stuck working at McDonalds for the rest of his life with no pension.

And you can get off this right now. Nobody asked you for your insignificant little opinion.

[Block]

What did you want Thanas as a punishment for Captain Honors? Forty lashs and a months pay? Imprisonment? I'm honestly curious.

Other than honorable discharge at a lower rank and a finding of conduct unbecoming. Which is the only fitting finding for somebody making these kinds of videos. Unless of course you want to argue that his conduct was becoming, the rationale which I just love to see.

The rationale is that it's not really enough to warrant an OTH and reduction in paygrade. The standard set for charging someone with conduct unbecoming is higher than that, always has been, he made an error in judgement, but no one was really hurt by it, so they're preventing him from moving up and forcing him out.

[Mr Bean]

What did you want Thanas as a punishment for Captain Honors? Forty lashs and a months pay? Imprisonment? I'm honestly curious.

Other than honorable discharge at a lower rank and a finding of conduct unbecoming. Which is the only fitting finding for somebody making these kinds of videos. Unless of course you want to argue that his conduct was becoming that of an officer.

That being said, apparently you find nothing else worrying about this...or how it looks.

Again you have no idea how the military works and why Honors is getting the deal he is. He retires as a Captain and he lost his command what your asking for unless you want to be bucked to just a Commander (No way anyone bucked two rates gets an Honorable discharge) he was looking at losing less than 8% of his retirement pay at best.

As Block covered the standard for conviction of conduct unbecoming IS much higher in the United States Navy and again as I mentioned his own crew remains fiercely loyal to him to this day. As I said last time and I said it now again the only reason Captain Honors is in trouble is because the Press got hold of it. Without his Captain Honors would have made Rear Admiral easily and with the right political connections he could have made Vice with another eight years. The only thing wrong in the Honors case is the fact we lost an excellent officer to modern day Puritans.

[Flagg]

So will all the whiners who kept talking about how poor Honors was being scapegoated show up now? Hello? Beuller? Beuller?

[Thanas]

Again you have no idea how the military works and why Honors is getting the deal he is. He retires as a Captain and he lost his command what your asking for unless you want to be bucked to just a Commander (No way anyone bucked two rates gets an Honorable discharge) he was looking at losing less than 8% of his retirement pay at best.

How is he being bucked two rates or how would he be bucked two rates if he would be busted down to Commander?

The only thing wrong in the Honors case is the fact we lost an excellent officer to modern day Puritans.

So wait, you actually think what he did was okay? Did I get that right?

[Flagg]

Again you have no idea how the military works and why Honors is getting the deal he is. He retires as a Captain and he lost his command what your asking for unless you want to be bucked to just a Commander (No way anyone bucked two rates gets an Honorable discharge) he was looking at losing less than 8% of his retirement pay at best.

How is he being bucked two rates or how would he be bucked two rates if he would be busted down to Commander?

The only thing wrong in the Honors case is the fact we lost an excellent officer to modern day Puritans.

So wait, you actually think what he did was okay? Did I get that right?

Remember Thanas, using the word faggot in a professional environment is OK, and if you don't think it is you're just a modern day Puritan.

[Redleader34]

What did you want Thanas as a punishment for Captain Honors? Forty lashs and a months pay? Imprisonment? I'm honestly curious.

Other than honorable discharge at a lower rank and a finding of conduct unbecoming. Which is the only fitting finding for somebody making these kinds of videos. Unless of course you want to argue that his conduct was becoming that of an officer.

That being said, apparently you find nothing else worrying about this...or how it looks.

Again you have no idea how the military works and why Honors is getting the deal he is. He retires as a Captain and he lost his command what your asking for unless you want to be bucked to just a Commander (No way anyone bucked two rates gets an Honorable discharge) he was looking at losing less than 8% of his retirement pay at best.

As Block covered the standard for conviction of conduct unbecoming IS much higher in the United States Navy and again as I mentioned his own crew remains fiercely loyal to him to this day. As I said last time and I said it now again the only reason Captain Honors is in trouble is because the Press got hold of it. Without his Captain Honors would have made Rear Admiral easily and with the right political connections he could have made Vice with another eight years. The only thing wrong in the Honors case is the fact we lost an excellent officer to modern day Puritans.

Hello there! As a actual active duty sailor, let me be the first to tell you, I am annoyed we didn't get an Admiral's mast over this (when people who have wrecked submarines have had careers destroyed). The Captain's behavior is something not taught to be the standards of a United States Sailor. It is an example of what could be thought of as an embarrassment, and to be honest it is a decent thing that the big E is being retired soon, because that is the sort of thing that leaves black marks on the fleet wrt large, but I suspect that if there was an actual Admiral's mast, they would most likely have to purge the entire command structure of the big E if the videos were as large and mainstream as they were.