The Navy is one of the arms of the armed forces charged with protecting national interests against external aggression. Militaries worldwide are known for their rigid and strict management structures. This purpose of the strictness is to ensure that all members of the forces observe discipline. This paper reviews how the Navy handles planning, leading, organizing, staffing, and controlling functions.
Planning
In management terms, planning refers to the activities undertaken to determine priorities and to allocate resources. Apart from the well-known military leadership style, management scholars also recognize the contribution of the military to the discipline of strategic planning.
Strategic planning arose when militaries found it necessary to develop long-term plans for prolonged military campaigns. In the Navy, several types of plans exist depending on the level of command handling it. Decisions to go to war or to carry out aggressive or defensive maneuvers are made centrally at the highest level of military command.
The approval to go to war is only the first step for military planners. At the high command, military strategists develop engagement options and determine the level of troop deployments needed for specific campaigns. These decisions are then communicated down the ranks for implementation.
The nature of the work of the Navy makes it impossible to use consultative decision-making models. Once the high command issues orders, the lower level officers have no option but to implement the orders. At the unit level, unit commanders have the duty of making tactical plans to achieve the overall aims of a specific military exercise. They make decisions based on the prevailing circumstances to ensure that the soldiers under them fulfill the commands of the superiors.
At the level of the individual soldier, planning is essentially a matter of personal management to ensure readiness for service whenever called upon. Unit commanders may consult with soldiers before issuing orders, just like the high command usually consults with unit commanders before decisions are made, but never after orders are issued.
Leading
While the debate on the difference between management and leadership rages on, it is clear that the military needs leadership as much as it needs management. Leadership usually involves skills like defining a vision, motivating followers, and acquiring resources to meet the demands of the vision. In this regard, the Navy has a formalized leadership structure.
The organizational structure of the Navy is hierarchical. Everyone reports to his or her immediate superior all the way to the top commanders. Top commanders usually do the casting of vision in the Navy. Top commanders usually outline the objectives of a military exercise in addresses to troops. This allows all soldiers along the ranks to understand the purpose of any commands that they receive from the high command.
In addition, it prepares the troops psychologically to participate in the exercise. Soldiers need motivation to ensure that their morale remains high during wars. Morale plays a key role in the operations of the Navy. In this regard, it is normal for senior officers to visit troops who are due for deployment to motivate them. In situations of widespread war, the top Navy commanders regularly visit troops who are due for deployment to motivate them.
The third aspect of leadership in the military is maintaining discipline. No military outfit can exist as a functional unit without discipline. Enforcement of discipline is devolved down the ranks, with superior officers taking charge of disciplinary issues affecting their immediate charges. In severe cases, soldiers face a court-martial if their activities break the military code of service.
Organizing
Organization is a very complex aspect of the management of the Navy. The Navy originally fought only in the water on battleships. Battleships are still a central part of the Navy’s arsenal but the arsenal is now much larger. In fact, the Navy is capable of fighting a full battle without any support from the Army or the Air Force. The Navy has airbases, aircraft carriers, and barracks on the mainland.
The introduction of airplanes to naval warfare arose from the flexibility that planes added to the strategic efforts of battleships. It was easy to send a plane ahead to scout for enemy ships in order to plan an attack. The planes also served as bombers because they could drop bombs on enemy ships with a high degree of accuracy and speed, but will very low casualties.
It takes considerable effort to organize a war effort. Whole industries exist to supply the Navy with the provisions needed to be ready for war at all times. These provisions include armament, and allied equipment. It also includes items such as food, medical supplies, and naval fatigues, among others. The Navy has very many professionals in its ranks.
These professionals include logisticians and statisticians, as well as project management professionals. They form a very important component of naval organization because they ensure that all supplies reach the Navy in time to keep the entire fighting force ready for war.
The organization of the soldiers follows the chain of command. High-level commanders issue orders and the officers down the ranks implement the orders. Each officer plans and organizes his unit by acquiring the supplies needed to execute the orders from the top commanders.
Staffing
Staffing in the Navy is a very critical aspect of its existence. Luckily, the supply of potential candidates always outstrips the demand for them, except during wartime. The last time that there was a huge demand for naval officers was during the Second World War. Since then, it has been possible to join the Navy and later retire without seeing combat. The Navy uses a very strict recruitment process to hire soldiers and other officers.
The Navy receives written requests from interested persons who want to join military service. The recruitment officers then determine which of the candidates that have applied meet the minimum standards for recruitment. It then invites them for a series of evaluations that culminates in recruitment. The stages include a recruitment test, an interview, medical tests, and fitness tests.
These tests ensure that a new recruit has numeracy and literacy skills as well as the physical profile needed for effective service in the Navy. In recent years, it has become necessary to carry out security screening of recruits because of the increased terror activities in the world. The background checks help to deter terrorists from becoming naval officers in disguise.
The process described above covers the recruitment of soldiers. However, the Navy needs a wide range of [professional such as doctors, engineers, and logisticians. The Navy recruits some of these professionals after they have acquired the professional qualifications, and it trains some of them internally. The basic recruitment requirements usually apply with some variations to account for the time spent in other careers.
Controlling
Control is a very critical aspect of management because it ensures that an organization remains in good shape to operate. The main function of control in an organization is to enforce the prudent use of resources. In the Navy, resources that require strict controls include time, armament, soldiers, among others. The control of arms that are in the custody of the Navy is very critical to ensure that all soldiers have the weapons they need, whenever a need arises.
The control of the availability and use of weapons also ensures that the weapons do not fall into the wrong hands. Time is a very precious resource within the Navy and in all fighting groups. The ability to deploy rapidly can mean the difference between averting an enemy attack, and losing a battle. The Navy, as well as other armed forces, has strict time management standards.
The control of soldiers is also a very crucial aspect of management in the Navy. A fighting unit is a group. This makes it susceptible to the negative effects of group dynamics. Therefore, naval officers take time to ensure that soldiers under their charge are disciplined and ready to take orders at all times. The control methods used include placing restrictions on travel, social activities, and general conduct of soldiers both within naval facilities and within the wider community.
Conclusion
The Navy is a very good example of the military leadership style. The cardinal value of military management is efficiency. The five functions of management reviewed in this paper shows that the Navy uses its resources to ensure that it is ready as a unit to respond to any demand for its services.
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