On "Faces to Places"

I had quite a bit of feedback today about the salvos Bryan and I traded in the comments of his post yesterday. In particular, Bryan said something that triggered all kind of interesting commentary, and brought the phrase "Faces to Places" in my Inbox several times.

I was off doing things Sailors do when John Morgan called to tell me I was going to come write strategy. How did this happen? Well, Jim Stavridis recommended me--just like he recommended me nine years earlier to the CNO to be his speechwriter, and just as he and Walsh and Pandolfe and Morgan and others like them have always done and continue to do.

Bryan in this example is putting "Faces to Places," putting the right guy in the right place at the right time for the right job. His record and reputation speaks to what a smart move those leaders made in putting him in that position. The question is whether this is the exception or the norm? I don't know, for lateral movements in an organization, I could see where it could be the norm. For promotions though, I wonder if it is the exception? I think there is a discussion lingering in the air on that topic.

While this rarely used phrase, or perhaps buzzword, kept popping up today in my email I was looking at the HA/DR activities of 7th Fleet, and noted Rear Admiral Richard B. Landolt appears to be who is running the show. I had never heard of him before today, and had never read Rear Admiral Richard B. Landolt's biography before today either, but ever since I did I have not been able to shake this phrase "Faces to Places" from my mind. Check this out...

Rear Admiral Richard B. Landolt received his commission via NROTC at the University of Florida where he earned his bachelor's of Arts in Political Science.

He has served at sea aboard USS Morton (DD 948), USS Niagara Falls (AFS 3), USS Cayuga (LST 1186) and USS Roanoke (AOR 7). He commanded USS Ardent (MCM 12), forwarded deployed to Manama, Bahrain, USS Gladiator (MCM 11) and USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) forwarded deployed in Sasebo, Japan. His Major command tour was of Amphibious Squadron 11, also in Sasebo, Japan.

Landolt served two tours on the staff of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a staff planner and subsequently as the executive assistant for Commander, Naval Forces Europe and Joint Forces Command, Naples Italy.

His shore duties include tours at the Bureau of Naval Personnel as head of surface placement (Pers-413) and as a federal executive fellow at the Rand Corporation where he studied NATO policy and Asian Affairs. On the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel (N00K) staff he served as the assistant for long range plans.

He’s been a senior fellow on the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group (SSG XXIV), and deputy director, Expeditionary Warfare Division (N85B) on the Navy Staff.

He assumed duties as commander, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet in Okinawa, Japan in June of 2008.

A graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the Armed Forces Staff College, Landolt also holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunications Systems Management.

Are you kidding me? It is almost as if this mans entire career has been building towards executing at the strategic level a large scale, regional wide humanitarian assistance and disaster response operation, and now that this almost impossible scenario of multiple massive natural disasters across a vast region has arrived, the Navy has the right guy is in the right place at the right time with the right resources?

Pardon my Persian, but that is pretty damn impressive!