Fullbore Friday
no watch is a normal watch
Back in 2014 we took a day to give a nod to MA2 Mayo, USN and we brought it back in 2021 - but with the recent news of foreign nationals showing up at military bases and even houses of critical leaders - everyone on watch will need to be extra careful.
Even at times of relative safety - let’s hope that every command has a Petty Officer Mayo standing by.
A nice summary of the highlights can be found here in addition to other places.
In port.
Just another watch on the pier.
Tic. Toc. Yawn. It's 23:20. Watch is almost over.
Thing is, there is no such thing as a normal watch. You never know when the call comes. You don't even have to be at sea. You don't even have to be overseas. You can just be at the largest naval base in the world in your own nation.
When in a moment things can turn from boredom to the point where character, instinct and training take over. The first, is the most important - the rest only support it.
MA2 Mark Mayo, USN. Fullbore Shipmate; fullbore.
(the shooter) parked his tractor-trailer cab near Pier 1, was able to walk onto the pier and began heading up a ramp toward the USS Mahan when he was confronted by Navy security, said Mario Palomino, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service special agent in charge of the Norfolk field office.
The man then got into an altercation with a female petty officer and disarmed her, Navy officials said. Palomino said Mayo stepped over the disarmed officer and fired his weapon at the assailant. He was serving on watch for the installation that night and came to help once he saw the civilian board the ship.
Multiple pistol rounds were fired between the gunman and Navy security forces responding to the scene, Palomino said. The Navy has said previously that the truck driver fired the shot that killed Mayo.
The base's commanding officer, Capt. Robert Clark, said Mayo's actions to protect the disarmed officer (sic) were extraordinary.
""He basically gave his life for hers," said Clark said during a news conference.
Ship, shipmate, self? Yep; it means exactly what it says.
MA2 Mayo enlisted in the U.S. Navy in October 2007 and began working in Norfolk in May 2011.
“Petty Officer Mayo’s actions on Monday evening were nothing less than heroic. He selflessly gave his own life to ensure the safety of the Sailors on board USS Mahan (DDG 72),” said Capt. Robert E. Clark, Jr., commanding officer, Naval Station Norfolk.
There is more background at the above links and here about the shooter that I really don't want to cover here. There is plenty of time later for that and what lessons we can take away from it.
I have my opinions, but not here, not today.
Petty Officer Mayo, well done.
Read the then VCNO’s endorsement and more here.
lots of links. at least one is dead. this was the best
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2015/03/18/report-security-lapses-led-to-fatal-confrontation-at-norfolk/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
I'm obviously not a Navy guy, but Dang, you guys screwed the pooch here. Observations
- Why did the Gate OIC keep his job? A year later the article says: "The unnamed police OIC who watched Savage pass through the gate without proper ID (and failed a half a dozen more times) remains red-tagged and was not working in any law enforcement capacity as of March 19," WTF?
- I've been OIC of Nuke weapons security teams, and we always issued loaded weapons to units that took weaps out in the field (to prevent somebody stealing our MGs). seems to me, If I were the Capt of the DDG, I'd want the OOW with a pistol and the POOW with baton. If Deadly force was not automatically invoked by a special order, e.g. penetrations of an exclusion area, then the guy with the pistol, should be in the second line, and the baton in the first. The ship's Capt is betting his career on good judgement of the deck watch, I'd arm the OOW first
- the OOW actions seemed passive.
- Mayo, no body armor?
- throughout every interaction, they failed these gunfight rules: "Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough.", and "Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet."
Ten years on, what has changed?
What has been done to prepare and protect against not just a single drugged up civilian trucker, but a team of two or more motivated people with hostile intentions on behalf of terrorist or hostile nation goals?
Base perimeter fencing, gates and guards are not bad, and have successfully detected and thwarted some unauthorized entries...... that we know of. What about waterfront access, not just to swimmers but a recreational craft with partiers- who aren't?
Pier head security another critical access control point. Probably not manned by our best and brightest, or even shown any appreciation for the importance of their boring duties.
For ships, our precious few ships, for decades the quarterdeck was manned by the OOD (unarmed), the POOW, armed with a pistol everyone hoped they would not lose overboard or negligently discharge, but otherwise was grossly unqualified beyond maybe having been able to make it go "bang" and hit the ocean in a fam fire underway a year earlier. Also a messenger (unarmed), and all with no body armor. A ship's CO has the authority to arm all three quarterdeck watchstanders, require body armor, and actually do meaningful small arms training, even though "we have always done it the other way" forever.
But, what about water borne threats in port CONUS. Those supposed partiers mentioned above- what if it is a single occupant in a simple outboard powered skiff? Just about anything that floats can carry the estimated 500 pounds of C-4 which nearly sank USS Cole in Aden. Worse, the Houthis and Ukrainian forces have successfully sunk large ships with drone boats. Would a drone boat look much different than other civilian in San Diego, Norfolk or Mayport waters?
Do our Rules of Engagement support active force protection, or are they written by JAG types looking to prevent lawsuits or liability if a sailor acting in the scope of their employment and security duties shoots up a boat full of civilians, or a pizza delivery guy on the mid watch? I'd put the JAG types on the security watch bill permanently, but that's just me.
We are not serious about force protection, and MA2 Mayo's heroism has taught us little, IMHO.
Every skipper should read about VADM John D. Bulkeley ("Sea Wolf" by William Breuer) for some inspirational ideas on force protection, maintenance and leadership.