Author: Joel Schofer, MD, MBA, CPE
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What Is It Like To Be an XO?
BLUF – You will have a wild range of emotions, experiences, and hours, which in the end will probably be worth it.
I was the Executive Officer (XO) at Portsmouth for 2 years and 2 months. Technically, I was not an XO but a Deputy Commander (DCOM) because we had a subordinate command (Expeditionary Medical Facility-Juliet), but most people still called me “XO”. To give you some idea of the scale, Portsmouth had about 5,500 people, 150 staffed inpatient beds, 10 outlying clinics, and 30 training programs with a budget of $550M. It is among the largest military treatment facilities (MTFs). Experiences at small to medium-sized places and non-MTFs will certainly vary.
The Hours
Unless you are TAD or on leave and have an Acting XO, you are always on duty as an XO. You never know when something may happen that you have to deal with.
Monday through Friday, you are at work. My actual hours depended on what was going on and was largely driven by my Commander, but they ranged from Monday through Friday from 0600-1830 to 0700-1500. I pretty much always spent 8 hours at work every day, but would occasionally have 13 hour days. If your Commander is more intense and spends more time at work, so will you. If they are more laid back, you’ll probably spend less time at work.
I found it most convenient to work out in the early AM before I came to work, but if I wanted to clear white space to workout while at work I imagine I could have. There really are only a few people that can affect your schedule when you are an XO, and you are largely in charge of how you want to run it.
After those work hours, I would go home and eat dinner. I nearly always would check my e-mail at night before I went to bed, usually only on my phone. I rarely had to VPN in at night.
On weekends, I would always check my e-mail at least once a day. I would also get periodic text messages or phone calls I had to deal with whenever something happened. It could be a facilities problem, questions about an inpatient unit going on divert, a problem dispositioning a patient, a request for permission to transfer someone in an unusual situation, or just about anything. Sometimes I would have FITREPs or EVALs, instructions, or other documents I had to review on the weekend. Some work weeks were a survival exercise, and I needed Saturday to catch up.
On my first night as an XO, I got 27 text messages. That was the first and last night I kept text message alerts on. From then on, my team knew that between 2100-0500 they needed to call if they wanted me. Otherwise, I would respond to texts when I woke up in the AM. I only received one emergent phone call that I remember in two years.
Overall, you will have a lot of control over your schedule, but hours can get long and you are always on duty unless you have an Acting XO. Don’t apply for XO unless you are ready for some long days and weekend fires that need to be put out.
The Experience
You are the XO, and you will have massive impacts on people’s lives. This is what makes the job rewarding. You can mentor, lead, admonish, hold people accountable, lay down the law, enforce policy, give exceptions to policy, set policy, swing the hammer of justice at Executive Officer Inquiry (XOI), deliver bad news, deliver great news, make sure things get done, decide what not to do, and all other sorts of things. An effective XO can dramatically improve the lives of those who work for you and your command. An ineffective XO can have the same negative effect. I think I was effective and made a largely positive impact, but ask the people who worked for me and see what they think if you really want to know. They are the judge and jury of how I did.
You become an XO because you want to lead people. If you don’t want to lead people and make hard decisions, I don’t know why you’d apply.
Things You Never Thought About Will Drive You Crazy
I have never thought more about pipes, generators, HVAC units, weather, temperature, humidity, or water. Leading people is a challenge, but it really was facilities that kept me on my toes. In a facility as large as Portsmouth, the physical building and all its associated challenges were the biggest headaches of being an XO. Luckily, I had excellent leaders in the facilities department. If I didn’t, it would have been VERY ROUGH. A good DFA and facilities manager are indispensable. If you don’t have competent people in these areas, you will need to train them ASAP. If they are untrainable, you will need to do something about it.
You Are a VIP!
You are a VIP, and you will be expected to act like it. People will stand when you enter the room. Your personal appearance and behavior will need to conform with standards. If you violate a policy, someone will know. You will be invited to and expected to attend many ceremonial events. You will have to serve as the MC and speak publicly numerous times. You will need every type of uniform. During my XO tour, I wore them all. This also means I had to purchase the ones I didn’t have, which was expensive, but my wife’s a doctor…
If you don’t want to be a VIP, don’t apply to be an XO.
The Bottom Line
You become an XO because you want to lead people. You will experience a range of emotions while doing so, and you will spend more time worried about facilities than you imagined. There will be some “get out of the Navy” days and weeks (as I call them), but the impact you can make will make those the minority of the days/weeks. It will likely be the most professionally challenging tour you’ve had, but also the most rewarding. You might not realize how rewarding it has been until it is over.
If you are up for the challenge, apply.
Joint Senior Medical Leaders Course (JSMLC) – 29 JUL-02 AUG 2024 – Open for Registration
WHO: Senior O-5s to O-6s with a high probability of being named as Joint Task Force, JTF senior medical leader, or occupy a senior medical planning position in a joint environment.
WHAT: Joint Senior Medical Leaders Course (JSMLC).
WHEN: 29 Jul-02 August in person event.
WHERE: NCR/Falls Church VA (DHHQ).
HOW: Self-nomination; submit a service nomination request through the DMRTI JKO Community Page; Nominations due by 28 May 2024.
OTHER: There are currently no registration fees for this course. Funding will be obtained through your unit/command.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A five-day, classroom only course designed to enhance medical leaders.
· Enhance knowledge of operational medicine, joint policy and doctrine, interagency coordination, major contingency operations, and stability operations in preparation for future roles as JTF Surgeons and their senior staff.
· Reinforce and expand our warfighting capabilities and promote a discussion of a variety of issues senior leaders will face in an operational medicine setting.
· The course will be conducted through presentations by senior leadership, discussions of current issues, trends, and lessons learned, along with a table-top exercise. Course participants will leave the course with increased knowledge of joint medical operations, policy and doctrine, and interagency efforts in preparation for future senior medical positions within a Combatant Command.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Education-and-Training/DMRTI/Course-Information/Joint-Senior-Medical-Leaders-Course
· Courses are available on JKO and listed here:
NOMINATION PROCESS:
1. Log onto Joint Knowledge Online
2. Enter the DMRTI Community Page.
3. Complete the form and submit.
4. You will be notified approximately 45 days from the course start day only if you were selected or placed on an alternate list.
5. If you were not selected, you will need to complete another service nomination request for a later course.
6. Service nomination requests will close 60 days from the course start date and the link will be disabled.
Brain Injury Awareness
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
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MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/APR//
SUBJ/BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS//
REF/A/BLAST INJURY RESEARCH COORDINATING OFFICE WEB//
REF/B/DODINST 6055.01/21APR2021//
REF/C/SECNAVINST 5100.10L/09APR2021//
REF/D/ASR(R) MEMO/04NOV2022//
REF/E/DEPSECDEF MEMO/08JUN2022//
REF/F/WARFIGHTER BRAIN HEALTH WEB//
REF/G/OPNAVINST 3591.1G/01JUN2021//
REF/H/MCO 3570.1C/30JAN2012//
REF/I/DOD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE WEB//
NARR/REF A IS THE BLAST INJURY RESEARCH COORDINATING OFFICE WEBSITE AT
https://blastinjuryresearch.health.mil/.
REF B IS THE DODINST 6055.01, DOD SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH (SOH)
PROGRAM.
REF C IS THE SECNAVINST 5100.10L, DEPARTMENT OF NAVY SAFETY PROGRAM.
REF D IS THE ASD (READINESS) MEMORANDUM, INTERIMN GUIDANCE FOR MANAGING BRAIN
HEALTH RISK FROM BLAST OVERPRESSURE.
REF E DEPSECDEF MEMORANDUM, COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN FOR
WARFIGHTER BRAIN HEALTH.
REF F IS THE WARFIGHTER BRAIN HEALTH WEBSITE HUB AT
https://health.mil/military-health-topics/warfighter-brain-health.
REF G IS THE OPNAVINST 3591, SMALL ARMS TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION.
REF H IS THE MCO 3570.1C, RANGE SAFETY.
REF I IS THE DOD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE AT
https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Centers-of-Excellence/Traumatic-
Brain-Injury-Center-of-Excellence.
RMKS/1. This message reinforces the Department of the Navy's commitment to
safeguarding our personnel by raising awareness of brain injuries and
establishing a process of improvement for treatment and management of
operational activities that may risk brain injuries.
2. After several decades of combat operations and warfighter-related
research, we continue to learn that some injuries are difficult to diagnose.
Unlike other types of injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) may not
manifest immediately, and exposure to multiple blast overpressure or impacts
may have a cumulative effect that we are only now understanding. We are
modifying operational procedures to minimize the risk to warfighters. The
science regarding these exposures and impact thereof is evolving, but waiting
on definitive answers is not an option.
3. As we are learning, TBI may occur from impacts to the head as well as
exposures to explosions, blast overpressure, or from the operation of various
weapons systems. All of these events may contribute to injuries in a
multitude of ways (impulse noise, blast overpressure, body accelerations, and
whole body vibration). These exposures may occur in combat, operational, and
training environments. The Department of Defense (DoD) Blast Injury
Coordinating Office site, shown in reference (a), is a good resource of
information that supports the Services. In the training environment, it is
critical we maximize weapons proficiency to enhance our readiness and limit
unnecessary exposure. References (b) and (c) require the identification and
control of hazardous exposures. Reference (d) identifies blast overpressures
of four pounds per square inch as a level of concern and directs the Services
to keep exposures to as low as reasonably achievable. The Services currently
accomplish this level of exposure through increasing stand-off distance from
blast events and limiting the time and number of exposures.
4. Reference (e) identifies symptoms and shows that early intervention is
paramount in preserving the health and readiness of our personnel. Resources
for identification of symptoms are available at reference (f). We must renew
our awareness and vigilance in protecting our Sailors and Marines from brain
injury threats. Additionally, it is also important to emphasize the entire
DoD, Navy, and Marine Corps assets in the medical, occupational health, and
medical research communities remain fully committed to working together to
minimize the risk of brain injury to Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
5. Commanders and Commanding Officers:
a. Incorporate brain injury awareness into your command's safety and
health programs and emphasize the importance of brain injury prevention,
identification, and treatment.
b. Ensure range protocols comply with the limits defined in references
(f) and (g).
c. Ensure safety offices are identifying hazardous exposures from unit
level operations and assessing control measures as required in references (a)
and (b).
d. Ensure medical departments are aware of symptoms and interventions
for brain injuries and resources available from references (h) and (i).
e. Discuss brain injury awareness during unit level safety events.
Additional resources are available at reference (g).
6. All personnel shall:
a. Exercise caution and minimize unnecessary exposure. If exposed and
not actively engaged in developing proficiency, take action to minimize
exposure. This may be as simple as taking a couple of steps back.
b. Be mindful of symptoms of potential brain injuries in oneself and
others.
c. Report suspected brain injuries to medical department and chain of
command.
d. Strict adherence to established tactics, techniques, and procedures
is critical to ensure exposures are controlled or minimized.
7. It is the responsibility of every Sailor, Marine, and civilian to
minimize potential brain injuries. By staying vigilant and being proactive,
we enhance our collective ability to protect the mission and the safety of
our personnel.
8. Let this serve as a reminder that preventing and treating brain injuries
is not a one-time effort but a continuous commitment. Our success relies on
the diligence of every Sailor, Marine, civilian, and contractor in
safeguarding or operational capability. Together, we can maintain a secure
environment that ensures the accomplishment of our mission objectives,
maximize readiness, and minimize exposure to ensure the safety of our Nation.
9. I encourage you to learn more and take advantage of the excellent
resources available in designated references which are aggregated on the
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Safety webpage
(https://www.secnav.navy.mil/eie/Pages/default.aspx) under Blast
Overpressure.
10. Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy.//
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CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 