 Okay, I'm gonna shut up now That's kind of where I'm at in a nutshell past present and future and I'm eager for any questions that you might have I know we got some outstations here, too. That hopefully might have some Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I'm Mike billips reserve of currently working the inauguration of Mike billips and I've done I've done a couple of so-com exercises the last couple years in Europe and just wanted what to get some of your thoughts on kind of the post-Afghanistan Purple world in terms of what you see When we don't have hundreds of IA's going forward. Yeah, how we can Are likely to be involved in in joint operations since it'll mostly be us and so-com the only people really doing For deployed operations after 2015. Yeah, it's a good question The the short answer is I don't think anybody can know but let me let me just run that out a little bit I think this is a great time to be Navy because The the war in Afghanistan is going to start winding down here as we get to 2014 There will be some presence on the ground post 2014. No decisions have been made about that It'll certainly be smaller than what we have now, of course And it will be largely a train and advise and assist so there will be there's no question It'll be a special operations kind of heavy focus. No doubt about that But the army will be coming back into garrison and they'll be Exploring my guess is exploring some capabilities that that that they want to reinstall in the army They're going to preserve all their counter uncertainty expertise and boy. Nobody has learned that better than the army They've just done an eye-watering job But they also have other capabilities that they want to get back to getting good at and the Navy will be still globally and Globally deployed and extremely expeditionary as will the Marines the Marines also as you know want to get back to rekindling Amphibious capabilities that they have not been practiced and we got Marines my young nephew just came back from Afghanistan the corporal He's going to be leaving the Marine Corps probably in the next six eight months never been aboard a ship And there's and he's obviously just one of thousands and thousands of Marines who haven't had that experience So this is a good time and then with this and with this rebalancing towards the Pacific And the increased focus that the president wants on the Asia Pacific region That's a that's a Navy story and we ought to be grabbing at that So I don't know what the the IA requirements are as you know continuing to be reduced and I suspect that Whatever the IA footprint is in Afghanistan post 2014 is going to be small But they'll probably will be some demand Which will mean that in the reserve world we're going to meet we need to kind of take a fresh look at it Sort of how are we doing it before 9-11 and what do we need to preserve about the way we were structured in the way? you all were Deploying to support operations and exercises because I think as we move forward with this Balancing towards the Asia Pacific there will be an increased demand on that side of the world for a reserve assistance As exercises and operations increase there in that part of the world. It's a broad answer, but I think That's the best we can do right now But I do I'm glad for the question because I do want us to take a look at this Asia Pacific focus and really welcome it Because this is this is really it's about us. That's a big old body of water And we've got a lot to contribute in that part of the world Yeah Sir just want to note that we have 112 people around the world to include Afghanistan Gitmo and number of fleets terrific One question that we have from chief petty at the third naval construction regiment in Port Wainimi He wants to know with one MC billet to a battalion It makes it difficult to provide coverage when the CVs pull the MC into their mission many times at the expense of the public affairs Would it be possible to combine those MC billets to a CB in pace of Absorts that may that way there is a larger pool of MCs to perform the PA mission across across the NCF Wow, what a great question not even never would have thought thought of that I'll let me take that question Mashed chief and let's take a look at that I mean if there's a if there's an issue supporting CB battalions So we ought to we ought to see what the upper what the options are alternatives to help out with that. I Think the world of the CBs. They just do amazing stuff and I can see very easily given the How hard they work and the sense of urgency with which they do it that they would be pulling in everybody in all hands to help out I will say this first of all thanks for the question, but also thanks For your service and for being willing to chip in and pick up a shovel or pick up a hammer and help out the CBs I know it's out of the skill set, but again, it's all part of being a part of a team. So While I get the concern and it's a fair one I do applaud the effort and the willingness to chip in and and help the command. That's great That's great. Yes Sir commander on F-35 program office We talked about being able to defend the Navy's program But as public communicators, what is our obligation to understand our other services programs so that we understand see our battle And how we fit into the national defense priorities great point great point And I didn't mean to suggest that that we do everything at the expense of jointness We are more joint now as a military than we've ever been before. I've certainly seen that now firsthand And it shouldn't just be about defending the program at the at the expense of others So we do need to understand What the other services are asking for what they need and the degree to which there's interoperability Built into that because as you know, there are many programs that are joint and we do need each other So I think it's it's a great point and we ought to take the time out when we're getting ready for budget season in February to skim through the other services budgets to and see what the What they're asking for and what the potential crossovers are? Absolutely, it's a great point. It did not mean to suggest that we you know that we just work on ourselves and nobody else Although, you know, we we do have that primary obligation. So what else? Er, we have a question from Lieutenant Commander Michael Dean. He's with the Afghan Public Protection Force advisory group I know Mike He says Admiral Kirby wrote his Naval Naval War College Thesis that maybe public affairs would have difficulty being being taken seriously until it became an operational function Because operations was where all the money was does he still believe this is the case? My homework is coming back Yeah, I do actually I wrote a paper that said public affairs should be considered an operational function of war And I still believe that in fact I believe it even more strongly having gone over to Afghanistan for a couple of months to work for general Allen I used to think when I came in To public affairs, I was I was Look, it wasn't something that I dreamed of doing in fact How many people know Jamie Graebiol? Yeah Jamie and I and I'll get to the answer in a second Jamie and I were at the Naval Academy teaching together and we were pretty sure we didn't Want to go to stay surface warfare, but we weren't really sure what we wanted to do instead So we took a pie plate paper pie plate and we drew pieces of pie on it And in each slice of pie we put a different community in the Navy that we could transfer into Intel crypto you supply public affairs And every day and we had a little tongue depressor that we stuck to the pie plate and we spin the tongue depressor Whatever it ended up on you know, it's okay. That's it. That's what we're gonna do And then we never did anything about it. Well one day we shook hands. We said this is it today's the day Wherever the tongue depressor lands man, we're putting our papers in landing on public affairs So here I am and So I used to think for a while when I came in here We were both because it wasn't something that we had like dreamed of doing I mean we were we were both suitably skeptical. I think we came in and you know We used to say you know every public affairs officer and the Navy could probably drop dead and the Navy could still do its job Right. I don't believe that anymore. I haven't believed that for a long time We are vital to the effort whether it's on the ground or at sea in the air We are vital and I I have seen that so many time at time again the two months I was over there with General Allen was Just some of the best times I've ever had not in terms of in the severity of the issues I don't mean to take those lightly but to see how critical the public affairs effort Contributes to our ability to fight that war. It's it's it's vital And so I believe even more strongly now that my paper was accurate that That we should be considered an operational function and we should We should be resourced to that effect We should be at the table to that effect and and we should be driving ourselves To that effect and you should be asking yourself, you know How am I contributing to the effort of the command? Whatever that is when I'm driving home at night? I know this will sound corny, but it's the truth. I'm not gonna lie. I asked myself three questions What am I doing? What am I not doing and how do I make up the difference? You got to constantly sort of push yourself to think about what you're doing to make the command better And so yeah, I absolutely stand by the thesis and the paper got an A plus so Just tells you how great it was Anything else we got any more out there do we have instant Jason Tross? He's a PAQC student at Denpo's yep He says can Admiral Kirby speak to the current future fiscal landscape as it pertains to our public affairs communities both active and reserves Example training operational support equipment manning Not with any real intelligence. I can't I That's something that the command that the master chief and I have talked about a lot I that's something I really want to get into is understanding our the the structure how we're resource Where the gaps are what we need to do going forward? It's a great question. I wish I had a better answer, but I can tell you over these next few months I'm gonna be focusing pretty heavily on just that issue Just that issue Yes, ma'am. Yep Yes So where do you see an increased emphasis and interest clearly with the CNO and on Understanding more about our history not just what's right in front of us, but really where were we before and helping to draw that in To educate our bosses. Yeah, it's interesting You should mention that because in my my my own notes to myself when I talked about my prior my second priority about defending the budget and the program and the capabilities that we're trying to to Develop and preserve I wrote heritage down there as one of the supporting arms on that. I mean It's a it's a struggle for us. It always has been we are America is a Continental power with maritime responsibilities. We have been throughout our history America and Americans have been traditionally closer to their army their ground forces than they have been to their Navy It's again not right or wrong. It's just Who we are as a people unlike say Great Britain, which is A maritime power who has had over her long course of history Continental responsibilities, I just finished reading a terrific book called to rule the waves I highly recommend it if you if you're interested It's a history of the Royal Navy, but it really talks about how the the Navy in England's history Became one in the same with with the heart of the country I mean the in today the Royal Navy is is It's beloved and it's not that American people don't love us or cherish us or value us They do I mean they and they prove that every year through the budget that we get but there but we do have some some work to do in terms of Trying to find ways to plug America into our heritage in our history So that that awareness is higher and better and maybe even helps us Prove the kind of capabilities that we want to get today You know there's old the old saw you know you want a new idea read an old book and There's all kinds of examples from our own history in the I taught naval history at the academy There's all kinds of examples from that that we can draw on today. I know the secretary Likes to put historical references into his speeches. I think that's terrific, and I know the CNO is committed to It's particularly the war of 1812 commemorations, which again offers a terrific opportunity For us to leverage some of that to help us now Danny showed me some Gallup results that were pretty interesting. You guys may already know about this, but The nutshell is for like these war of 1812 commemorations to the degree that people actually came out and Got to see and experience our sailors and our ships and the heritage of the war of 1812 Their awareness and appreciation of the Navy increased To the degree they didn't come out whether they just got it through the media or they just heard about it word of mouth I mean their awareness and understanding of the Navy didn't move at all So it's really is it's really about touch and feel and finding ways to get out there I mean really out there, and that's why our outreach efforts are so important We do we have an illustrious history. We have a lot to be proud of and I think We don't necessarily take advantage of it as much as we as much as we should There's just terrific lessons there, and we are whether whether many people believe it or understand it or not We are a maritime power. We are a sea power. We have long coastlines on On both sides and in our underbelly and we have huge maritime responsibilities in the world There's no other Navy in the world more capable or or or as big and powerful So we've we just have to find ways to help connect them. We just it's it's really really important And I am going to look for ways to do that Yeah, good question. Yeah Sir bill urban surflint Can you talk a little bit about the career path priorities and jobs that you think are important to get to? Through the ranks as I said I didn't have any choice so Let me let me Because I don't have a lot of experience in a leadership role in the community. It's let me let me try to put it through the lens of Of how I saw it coming up and what I valued and again take this with a grain of salt because not everybody can do every job and there's no such thing as a bad job You know, I heard that a lot grown. Oh, yeah, just take the orders there. You'll be great It's no such thing as a bad job and I always thought they were just telling me that to shut me up and get me to go And but it's true. It really is it's how you do in the job that matters most There they're all good. You can make them all really really hard or you can make them all really really easy and go home at 4 o'clock if that's what you want It really depends on how you approach it. I always found Jobs where you need a mix of jobs where you are you are the PAO And I mean this on the enlisted side and the civilian side as well This isn't just about the Oscar Corps where you are running an office you are running a shop Even if that shop is you and one other person or you and nobody else Where you are the consultant? I think you need a good mix of those. I think you also need a good mix of jobs where you're on a staff And you're working for senior PAOs in a group of other PAOs because you're going to learn things From the experience of your seniors, but you're also going to be forced to compete against your peers. That's important a chance to break out over time with your peers and show what you're really made of You need a good mix. I believe of a float and a shore and I didn't realize for us in public affairs There's not a lot of afloat opportunities. I don't want people to read too much into that I mean there's 11 carriers not everybody is going to get the opportunity to be a carrier PAO There's only so many ESG's not everybody's going to get a chance to do that But if it falls in your lap and you have the opportunity Grab at it take it because it's an amazing experience It'll teach you leadership and operational relevance that you're not going to get anywhere else If it doesn't fall in your lap if it doesn't go your way Don't fret over that just do the best you can where you're at and you'll you'll you'll be fine You'll get noticed you'll develop those relationships and you'll be just fine. There are Lots and lots of public affairs officers who have done very very well and wrote risen to very high levels in the community again across the board Who had never got a chance to do that? But I do think trying to find a mix of a float and a shore is good If you can't do that at least try to get tours on the waterfront as much as you can you're going to need a mix of staff headquarters and Waterfront because you want to you want to you don't want to lose that connection to the fleet too much and frankly that's one of the things I was really worried about coming into this job was I've been a long time since I've been near the Navy and near the waterfront Lastly, I'd say don't issue jobs in Washington And I know I'm speaking to people that are here in Washington right now, but I mean it's There's powerful opportunities right here At all kinds of different levels some of the hardest jobs I've had but I think we're looking back the most influential and the best jobs We're right in Washington This is where the decisions are being made if you want to be an advisor and a consultant and you want to develop your instincts and help leaders Make these tough decisions. You got to be here at least part of the time you have to live in this highly charged environment It is it is not the Disney world You know that some people joke about it being where you know You spend all your day working and to what effect and nobody cares and the fleet doesn't really you know That's not true. The decisions that they make in this building in this town are The most important decisions that are made in the military establishment oftentimes And and the leaders that you're going to meet and interact with here These are men and women that are are going to be going out and commanding forces A field and a float and also coming back here to rise to higher levels. You can learn so much from them So don't turn your nose up to Washington DC duty Don't get too married to it either You don't want to be here if you can avoid it and I know I didn't but you don't want to you know If you have the opportunity to leave after a while you should do that too because you want to take all I mean the idea is is taking the value of each job to the next one and learning from it and then applying it at the next one Try to fill the air in that balloon at the higher level if you can Yeah, so that answer your question It's really about balance and I you know, I think it would be very difficult for us to say Here's the flow path boom and everybody has to do that Because we're just a we're diverse community. I want to preserve that diversity and I think diversity rests on good balance Yeah, I gotta go One more question anybody. Yes, ma'am We focus a lot on HADR in Navy Madison, obviously with our counterparts in MSc And with the global force for good the message really resonates with folks But some of the criticism we get is that we don't focus domestically However, I don't know if people know this we actually have several domestic humanitarian assistance missions Including Alabama care that just took place in March Arctic care in Alaska Tropic care in Hawaii. However, no public affairs assets get dedicated to these missions And they are essentially like many continuing promises or Pacific partnerships And I guess what can we do to correct that and get dedicated assets? We've started sending some MCs, but we only have so many in Navy Madison Great question. Let me let me owe you an answer on that. I don't know I honestly didn't know about those domestic efforts I think that's terrific. So I mean I had no idea So let me let me look at that and see if we can get you a good answer if we can apply resources to help you out We'll do that. Well, listen, I've gone longer than I should have and I apologize I Really appreciate you devoting an hour of your day to me and let me do this And if this is useful for you and you liked it, I would like to continue to do it every now and then Because I just you know, you never know where a good idea is going to come from or and I or something that we need to We need to focus on so thanks for what you're doing Thanks for being so kind and welcoming me and I promise I'll work hard for you I can't promise I won't screw up can't promise that I won't let you down at times But I can't promise you that you'll have a hundred and ten percent of my effort every single day And I'm very grateful to have this opportunity to serve with you Yes for our online audience we will get back to you with answers to your questions Very good. Thanks everybody Please carry on carry on. Please. Thank you