Meeting With Chief Of Naval Operations Roughead

At the invitation of good friend and Army vet John Pinto (spouse of Advisory Board member Donna de Varona), I attended a luncheon yesterday at the New York Athletic Club. The featured speaker was the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm Gary Roughead. Naturally, we were surrounded by Navy men and women! The Admiral, the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Navy and a member of the Joint Chiefs delivered an upbeat talk and took questions on the current state of our Navy, including plans and challenges. Knowledgeable, experienced, committed and passionate, the Admiral was thoughtful and his talk was fascinating. What an impressive individual! We’re very fortunate to have him in our military leadership.

Before the talk, we had a chance to chat and I mentioned a recent meeting we had with the Commandant of the Marine Corps. He said  he communicates all the time with General Conway. They have an ironclad rule which they established at the beginning of their relationship: “No surprises!” No matter where each of them are, if something develops that even remotely sounds like a surprise, they pick up the phone and call the other immediately. In this age of instant media, these are the kind of rules that our leaders have to adopt to avoid confusion. It works for the Chief and the Commandant.

Veterans Advantage Founder Scott Higgins Meets with the Navy's Chief of Naval Operations Roughead