Note from MCPON: Family Readiness

[Sonya Ansarov]

NAVADMIN 045/2010

Personal for Commanders, Commanding Officers, Officers in Charge from ADM Greenert//

MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO Washington DC/N09/FEB//

SUBJ/Family Readiness//

RMKS/1. For more than eight years our Navy has been operating at a relentless pace, unlike any in recent history. Under your superb leadership our Sailors, performance, across a broad spectrum of missions, has been remarkable. A defining characteristic of this generation of Sailor, and an essential part of our success, has been selfless devotion to duty.

However, like our operating tempo, the stress on our force has also been unyielding. As we all know too well, this stress frequently migrates to our families, so as leaders it is our responsibility to provide the tools, guidance and oversight to enable them to cope with the increasing stress.

2. The importance of unit readiness (material and operational proficiency) is embedded and inculcated in every Sailor early in their training. It becomes a centerpiece of our daily routine when we report to our first command. Recently, we defined and embraced a second concept of readiness, called personal readiness. This is ensuring that every Sailor is physically, medically, psychologically, spiritually and administratively ready to deploy worldwide. In addition to our Sailors, we are asking more of our families today than ever before. Accordingly, they must have the means to handle increasingly dynamic schedules, mounting operational stress, longer separations, and potentially, the loss of their service member. Therefore, in addition to personal readiness, family readiness is yet a third concept of readiness that requires our immediate attention.

3. As leaders we must ensure we are embracing our Navy family as an essential element to success. They are a part of our Total Force and must be appropriately informed, prepared, networked, resilient and empowered. We must be responsible and accountable for the readiness of our families. Become familiar with the support services and programs available to your families. Use every means of outreach to communicate with and educate your families about these programs, and how to access them. Although Ombudsman, family readiness groups and spouse groups are important enablers we should nurture, this task is not their ultimate responsibility--that falls to us as leaders.

4. It is incumbent on you and your leadership team to have an accurate assessment of the readiness of your families. Supporting you in your efforts, and getting you some tools to do so, will be a Navy-wide effort. CNP will provide the means to assess a "ready Navy family," and along with CHINFO will develop a communication strategy to help you get the word out to your people. CNP will also work to integrate family readiness into basic, intermediate and advanced officer and enlisted formal leadership training, and all of this will ultimately be evaluated in command inspections. We will share best practices and formally acknowledge effective family readiness programs. CNIC, CNP and other cognizant stakeholders will fund family readiness support programs to a level commensurate with CNO objectives.

5. There is clear and compelling evidence that a solid command support foundation, underpinned by prepared and informed families, is a major part of unit success. Make Navy family readiness an essential factor in your command’s overall readiness.

6. Pass this message to your respective Senior Enlisted Leaders.

7. Vice Chief sends.