Inaugural Class Graduates from International Course
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS091201-26
Release Date: 12/1/2009 5:32:00 PM
By Steve Vanderwerff, Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs
PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- Eight chief petty officers (CPOs) and warrant officers from India, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua-New Guinea, Philippines and Samoa, along with three U.S. Navy CPOs, graduated from the first International CPO Leadership (ICPOL) Course at a ceremony aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Fla., Nov. 19.
The course, part of the International Maritime Enlisted Leadership and Development Assistance (IMELDA) Program, was coordinated through the Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity (NETSAFA).
"I hope this course gave you an even better idea how and why people think and act the way they do," said Capt. Ed Turner, commanding officer of NETSAFA, at the graduation. "And that you know even more about how successful leaders provide the direction, motivation and support for those under their supervision. No matter what country you represent, leadership is the key to success at all levels."
During his remarks, Turner also recognized the U.S. Navy CPOs for their participation.
"I want to thank our U.S. chief petty officers from Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) and the Navy Orientation Recruiting Unit who volunteered to be a part of this inaugural course," said Turner. "While the primary goal of IMELDA is to provide training and education to international military members, we were most delighted to have the U.S. Sailor participation. Your honest and thoughtful feedback and interaction not only helped us confirm the course content, but added to the richness of this class."
During the ceremony, Warrant Officer John Mandra, from the Papua-New Guinea Navy, gave his reflections about his stay in America.
At the end of the ceremony, Master Warrant Officer Ibrahim Attah Usman, from the Nigerian Army, led his classmates in the IMELDA Creed that confirmed their commitment to being leaders among those serving in the forces of the global maritime partnership.
The ICPOL Course is designed to foster maritime partnerships and relationships well into the 21st century. It supports the evolving state of continual maritime readiness across the globe by the Navy and its international partners.
"In today's unstable world, the actions of hostile armed forces and those who wish to inflict harm are an ever-present threat," said Turner. "The role of these graduates as leaders is vital to the safety of our nations. They are an extremely important part of it. It's imperative that every crew member, whether in a large unit or a small independent operational element, has the confidence, proficiency and skills necessary to meet the challenges and to win."
The five week ICPOL Course is taught aboard NAS Pensacola at the NETSAFA International Training Center. During their stay, the students, representing several branches of service, such as the navy, coast guard, army and police, were immersed in the principals of military leadership, personality and human behavior, communications, teamwork, the legal aspects of military operations and decision-making in an operational environment.
"The course takes a fresh approach on teaching leadership," said Senior Chief Air Traffic Controller Randy Kleinschmidt, from NATTC. "It's like no other course I've ever taken. I found it especially helpful when they brought in experts who taught us about personality profiles, so we can understand the different types of people to give us a better idea of how and why people think and act the way they do. Something I think that I along with my fellow U.S. Navy chiefs brought to the course that the other countries don't practice is the idea of the chief's mess, working alongside each other and the idea of networking."
The course, however, wasn't taught entirely in the classroom. Between lectures on leadership, decision making and understanding people better, the students were also given the opportunity to learn more about the United States and the American way of life by taking field trips to the Escambia., Fla., County Courthouse; the USS Alabama, a restored battleship in nearby Mobile, Al.; a Blue Angels practice; and a visit to the Naval Recruiting Orientation Unit aboard NAS Pensacola.
IMELDA is an enlisted education initiative that helps enable nations to strengthen their interoperability with U.S. forces, expand their role in maritime domain awareness and enhance their overall ability as a maritime force. It is designed to provide America's international friends and allies with the necessary support to transform, strengthen and enhance the professional development and leadership of their petty officers and chief petty officers.
"As deck plate leaders they must be capable of operating in a multifaceted, dynamic joint arena," said Turner. "Their depth of knowledge and analytical skills, along with the ability for them to think critically is needed to support the Maritime Strategy that requires robust levels of capability. Enlisted service members are often required to fill the role of war fighter and diplomat, and chief petty officers as frontline decision makers. They are at all times expected to be a ready, developed and resourced war fighter."
The first ICPOL Course was preceded by the first International Petty Officer Leadership (IPOL) Course in May 2009, which graduated 10 petty officers.
Plans are in place for a mobile education team to deploy in the near future to Sierra Leone to teach the IPOL and ICPOL Course.
"This was the first convening of the IMELDA Chief Petty Officer Leadership Course," said Turner. "The mission of IMELDA is to develop and maintain a corps of professionally committed and technically competent enlisted leaders. A solid foundation has been established by this class."
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