Case Study: Sun Tzu, III/31

After the inspection team had filed out, Faith let out a loud sigh and leaned against the safe. “Everything OK, sir?” someone asked. Faith looked up and saw the speaker was Specialist Bradley, the same Soldier who had made such a good impression on Faith the day before.

“Just this damn safe,” Faith replied, tapping the offending item with the toe of his boot.

“I know, sir, it has been a pain in the ass for a long time. The guys in the Group S2 shop insist it’s not theirs, and the MID didn’t put it there, no one wanted to take responsibility for it so it just sat there. And now it has turned into this.”

“Do things like this happen a lot?” Faith asked, curious.

“Actually, yes sir they do. The S2 shop and the MID are under different leaders, and they have overlapping but slightly different missions. The Group S2 and the MID commander don’t like each other much, and it trickles down throughout the two organizations. Since none of the officers ever come down here, they don’t have the slightest clue about what goes on. Many of the warrants and senior NCOs are ROAD (retired on active duty) and spend their time playing Solitaire or surfing hotornot.com. There are some good people down here, they just need something to do. And some accountability,” he added.

Based on his experiences at Group thusfar, Faith was inclined to agree with Bradley’s assessment. Faith also thought that this was pretty good insight from a young E4. It reminded Faith of what his first platoon sergeant said to him once- “Joe sees everything, sir.” It also reminded him of part of a poem Faith had heard once in school, by Rudyard Kipling:

http://www.web-books.com/Classics/Poetry/Anthology/Kipling/Tommy.htm
​
Tommy​
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,'' when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's ``Thank you, Mr. Atkins,'' when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy how's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints:
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country," when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
But Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!
Click to expand...


As Faith and Bradley talked, a handful of other Soldiers made their way out of the SCIF and up the steps. “Hurry up Billy,” one said as he passed, “we’re waiting on you, now.”

“We skipped lunch so we could finish the preparations for the inspection,” Bradley explained.

“Well, you guys did a good job in there getting ready, and with the inspection,” Faith replied.

“You too, sir.”

“So I know who the Group S2 is, who is the MID commander?” Faith asked. It just occurred to him that he was supposed to take over the organization in two weeks, and didn’t even know the name of the person he would be taking the guidon from.

“That would be Captain Lost,” Bradley answered, “but he’s not really around much.”

“BRADLEY!” someone shouted from the top of the steps before Faith could ask what Bradley meant by “not really around much.”

“Are you good, sir?” Bradley asked, clearly wishing to be on his way to lunch.

In a flash of clarity, Faith realized what the path forward would need to entail. “Yes, actually,” he replied, “I think everything is going to be just fine. Listen, who do I need to talk to in order to get all of the NCOs and warrant officers from both the Group S2 shop and the MID together in the same place at the same time?”

Bradley looked pensive. “Sir, outside of something like a change of command or a Group run, I don’t think that has ever happened.”

“Well, it’s going to happen today,” Faith said firmly. “Don’t let me keep you, thanks for the chat. Have a good lunch.”
 
Capt F needs to wait before getting too creative. He is the Dep2, and the 2 aint gonna be happy. The outgoing MID Cdr will be pissed and he now has two people gunning for him. Waiting 2 weeks won't cause the Intel world to stop analyzing.
 
So, we know that the Division staff seems to be at odds a bit about the investigation. It seems like the NCOs and the warrant officer who actually conducted the investigation seem to think that the whole thing is no big deal (assuming, of course, that the disks with the Top Secret stickers on them don’t actually have any Top Secret material stored on them). The whole, “you didn’t sign into the SCIF” thing is also a bit of a non-issue. Faith has the requisite clearances to be in the SCIF, he simply hasn’t been issued an access badge. Most of the time, no one would even bring something like this up, since it is mostly an administrative matter than a security issue. However, MAJ Teller seems to maybe be making more out of the whole situation than it needs to be, for some reason. I wonder what that’s all about.
 
I think someone already said this, but it would seem MAJ Teller is one of the Dud's "boys" and has likely gotten word from the Dud to make life difficult for CPT Faith. Faith needs to watch it here. I doubt the DCO is going to give a shit that he felt picked on if he blows up at a senior officer. Everybody has to work with people they don't like at some point. That's no excuse to lose your objectivity or your professionalism.
 
x SF med said:
Mara, huge props for getting Kipling into the story, especially "Tommy". :thumbsup:

How are you going to work "Kim" into mission planning for the next deployment? :hmm:
Click to expand...

Well, we do have pardus, and he is in Afghanistan right now, that's probably about as close as I can get for this one ;)
 
Marauder06 said:
Well, we do have pardus, and he is in Afghanistan right now, that's probably about as close as I can get for this one ;)
Click to expand...

Ah, so the great game is afoot.... but is pardus sitting at the foot of the great Zam-Zammir, in mufti? And wouldn't Irish be a better candidate for the role... to follow the original characterizations in the book?
 
x SF med said:
Ah, so the great game is afoot.... but is pardus sitting at the foot of the great Zam-Zammir, in mufti? And wouldn't Irish be a better candidate for the role... to follow the original characterizations in the book?
Click to expand...

I think Pardus called the mufti a "wanker" and is no longer welcome in that part of the world ;)

As Bradley moved up the steps to join his friends, Faith called out, “Hey, Specialist Bradley, when you guys get back from lunch, do you think you could get this safe moved back inside the SCIF?”

Bradley stopped and looked back at Faith. “Sure thing, sir, do you want us to do it now?”
Faith considered the offer for a moment. “No, I don’t think that’s really necessary at this point. Just sometime today before close of business. And who are the two highest-ranking NCOs in both the MID and the S2 shop who work here in the SCIF?” After Bradley named them, Faith thanked him and sent him on his way.

Faith leaned back against the safe for a moment, and considered the way ahead.
Although he had not been in the unit very long, he had been in the Army long enough to recognize the symptoms of a very sick organization. There were going to be limits on what he was going to be able to accomplish, but having seen firsthand the fallout from an organization with weak or absentee leadership. Faith felt that there were some people in 2nd Group with real potential, and with backing from people like Chief Michaels and the DCO, the right leader could have a very positive impact. Faith resolved at that moment to be that leader.

Faith was in a bit of a unique position. He was technically still in the Group S2 shop, and as the Assistant S2 (well, one of several assistant S2s, he reminded himself), he was the second-highest ranking person in the shop. He was also about to be the commander of the Group MID, a fact he suspected was not widely known at the moment. Coming from the Group S2 shop, and going to the Group MID, Faith had a foot in both camps, and felt like me might be able to use that to get the two disparate and apparently mutually hostile groups of individuals to start working together.

What Faith needed most right now was a plan. Fortunately, he was pretty good at planning. He regretted not having someone like his first sergeant from Korea, or better yet his first platoon sergeant, Edward Ellery, from his days in Division. But then again, if either one of them were here, there wouldn’t be these kinds of issues in the first place. He also regretted not having what he considered a sufficient amount of information. Who were the major players in the MID and the Group S2 shop? What are the major differences in their missions, and where was the overlap? What kinds of things can be done in the short term that could get things straightened out? Who were the people he could count on, and who should he cut loose? Most importantly, who could he trust?
 
Sounds like the young Captain might be on the verge of biting off more than he can chew. Small bites are required (without micro managing) with big messes like this. The old "how do you eat an elephant" adage. The last paragraph makes it sound like proper delegation skills are within his wheel house. I just hope he finds the right people to trust... :hmm:
 
For an organization to fall as far as this Group has, the people in it have to become accepting and then comfortable with the fucked-uppedness. There may be some good guys, but it sounds like much of the senior leadership, both enlisted and commissioned, is not all that concerned about things. The FNG, Captain and soon to be MID CO he may be, coming in and trying to play the fiery reformer role will likely not play well with the exact people he needs on his side in order to affect the changes the Group needs. He needs to tread carefully, and be sure he has done contingency planning on any move he makes to ensure both the efficacy of his plan, and the longevity of his position as a leader.
 
Faith knew he needed a plan. At just about any other time in his career, he always had people around him that he could trust, and who could be relied on to help craft a plan and see it through to completion. Taking mental stock, Faith realized that his list of friends in 2nd Group was very, very thin. In fact, it had only one name on it: Chief Michaels. Fortunately, it was a very, very good friend to have in the “friends” column. On the other side, in the “not friends” column, the list appeared to be growing. At the top of that list was of course The Dud, who not only appeared to blame Faith for the safe debacle, but thinks that Faith “stole” the MID job from him. Faith considered him a loser and not much of a threat. There was also the inspection team from Division, which did not appear very friendly. At a minimum, MAJ Teller would not be getting a Christmas card from Faith this year.

Regrettably, Faith knew that the “not friends” list was likely to grow even more by the end of the day. Faith sensed that what the NCOs and Soldiers down in the SCIF needed was a jolt, a shock of reality to get them working together as a team and doing the things that good NCOs and Soldiers do… like, not leaving a safe potentially full of classified outside the SCIF for months on end. Morale seemed low and apathy was high, but having been down in the SCIF during the pre-inspection prep, Faith also saw that the desire was there to “do something,” and when everyone worked together, things seemed to work out OK, as witnessed today during the inspection.

Faith felt that the best way to get their attention was to challenge their professionalism; to lay it all out on the table and call them on their shortcomings. Then, with their input, craft a plan to remedy the situation. Permanently. Faith knew that there would be resistance; without senior leaders in the SCIF being at least accepting of the situation, things would never have gotten to this point in the first place. Putting all of the NCOs and warrant officers from both the S2 shop and the MID together at the same place, at the same time, would get everyone’s cards out on the table jumpstart the teambuilding process. Or, at least that was the plan.

“Not a very good plan,” Faith mused to himself as he pushed off the safe and went up to report to The Dud what had happened during the inspection. Not for the first time, Faith deeply missed the presence of a strong NCO to help him come up with a plan to fix something broken in his unit.
 
Perhaps this is where the relationship between CPT Faith and MSG Reynolds begins? CPT Faith lays into the shop and MSG Reynolds is the only one thinking, "It's about damn time!".
 
Leadership requires respect and trust... the current plan could backfire and coat the young CPT in boiling oil from the NCO/Warrant management structure (apparently leadership is not what they are, except for Chief Michaels)... there has to be a way to lead them to the desired result instead of shaming them into the desired result.... and then let non-O team take credit for reforming the enlisted men at the SCIF into a cohesive team. Screw the Dud, let him absorb the shame of not having accomplished this during his tenure. MOO, YMMV.
 
Faith trudged up the stairs to the Dud’s office to fill him in on what transpired during the inspection. While Faith felt everything went well for the most part, and was pleased that there did not appear to be any compromise of classified information (unless something showed up on the disks that Warrant Officer Rollins took with her, the Group was in good shape. The entire incident was still a bit embarrassing, but it wouldn’t end up being fatal for anyone’s career.

MAJ Teller’s behavior, however, was a bit suspect. Faith figured that Teller might be an SF “hater,” which was why he was being such a hardass about the inspection. Faith paused at the first landing. If he was going to make intel work in the Group, he was going to have to get along with The Dud. There was no reason for the two of them to hate each other; Faith had worked with people he disliked MUCH worse in Korea and when Faith was in Division. If Faith was going to expect the NCOs, warrant officers, and Soldiers in the Group S2 shop and the MID to work together, then he needed to step up and set the example by finding a way to work with The Dud.

“A fundamental aspect of leadership is never asking your troops to do something you’re unwilling to do yourself,” Faith mused. He steeled himself to do what it takes, correction, whatever it takes, to mend the broken relationship between himself and The Dud, and between the Group S2 shop and the MID. He marched resolutely up the steps and into the hallway outside of The Dud’s office.
 
When he reached The Dud’s office, Faith saw that the door was slightly ajar. He raised his hand to knock, and heard voices coming from inside. Not wanting to interrupt, Faith turned to leave but heard a somewhat-familiar voice speaking with The Dud.
“Yeah, we got him, between what was in the safe, and with his violation of the SCIF, there’s no way he’s going to be sticking around,” MAJ Teller said. “We really nailed that little prick.”

Faith knew immediately who MAJ Teller meant by “that little prick.” He felt the color rush to his face.

“Great!” replied The Dud, “When he’s gone, they’ll have to make me the Group MID commander…” he began

“And that will clear the way for me to come over from Division to be the Group S2,” MAJ Teller finished.

Faith was stunned. He couldn’t believe, first of all, that this kind of conversation was even taking place. And second of all, that it was taking place in a manner in which it might be overheard. And finally, he couldn’t believe that he had wanted to try to patch things up with a scheming, malignant, two-faced, sorry-ass excuse for an officer as The Dud. It was “game on” now.

Faith felt a familiar rage creep over his body. He stood outside the door to The Dud’s office, the anger welling up inside him until it was boiling over. Faith decided he was going to kick open the door to The Dud’s office and do… something. What that “something” was he didn’t know; he hadn’t thought that far ahead, and usually didn’t when he got this angry. Just before “something” was about to happen, a voice interrupted his plan.

“Hey sir, how’s it going?” Chief Michaels asked, in his low, gravelly voice. Faith, with one leg in the air, was so focused that he didn’t hear Michaels’ approach, and so surprised by his unexpected appearance that he staggered sideways.

“Oh, hi Chief,” Faith stammered, “I was…”

“We’re you just going down to your office so we could all have a little chat?” Michaels suggested, gesturing over his shoulder to the men standing in the hallway behind him. Faith saw four men with long hair and beards, dressed in non-descript civilian clothes, standing behind Chief Michaels.

“Um, yeah, sure,” was all Faith could say. Faith didn’t recognize the men with Chief Michaels, but he could tell that, despite their dress and appearance, they were most likely Special Forces Soldiers. They just had “that look,” and it wasn’t just from the way they stood there with their hands in their pockets.

The conversation between Michaels and Faith wasn’t loud, but it had to be overheard by The Dud and MAJ Teller, Faith mused as he walked the short distance back down to his office. Sure enough, just before he went in, he saw The Dud’s head poke out from behind his office door. Eyes wide, The Dud had a very concerned look on his face.
Faith looked back and made eye contact with The Dud, and slowly nodded his head up and down one time. “Yes, I heard everything you said,” Faith intended that nod to convey. Then he walked into his office, and invited Chief Michaels and his companions to come along as well.
 

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