</p>
<p>TRIDENT dtd August 31, 2007. </p>
<p>New Brigade Meal Policy Focuses on Unit Cohesion
By MCC(SW) Misty Trent</p>
<p>Just as Navy officers mess together in the ship’s wardroom underway, the Brigade of Midshipmen now attend 15 mandatory meals together each week, thanks to a recent Naval Academy policy change designed to better prepare Midshipmen for the realities of life as a junior officer.</p>
<p>Under the new mandatory meal policy, the Brigade eats all meals together starting with Sunday dinner, through noon meal on Friday. This new program mirrors the way officers dine in wardrooms throughout the fleet.</p>
<p>“Eating together on the mess decks and in the wardrooms helps officers, Sailors and Marines develop and maintain relationships and unit
cohesiveness,” said Commandant of Midshipmen Capt. Margaret Klein.</p>
<p>“It’s about unit cohesion,” agreed Lt. Cmdr. Debra Rogers, Midshipman
Food Services Officer. “In the battlefield, you have to be able to
understand what the other person is going to do. If you know someone in your division gets nervous in certain situations, you know to cover that person when they need help. You get to know each other so intimately it saves lives out there.”</p>
<p>According to Rogers, some of the benefits of the new meal policy may not be obvious right away, but she said it will pay dividends in the long
run.</p>
<p>“Intrusive leadership works,” said Rogers, a prior enlisted Culinary
Specialist. “You need to know daily what your troops are doing - for
training, on liberty, with their family - that all affects the mission.
When one troop has problems, the mission could be compromised.”</p>
<p>Rogers explained that same concept applies within the brigade as well.
When the Midshipmen share meals, it’s also an opportunity to better get to know each other, because it’s common practice for people to talk more freely around the dinner table.</p>
<p>“Midshipmen are under a lot of pressure here, so they keep things in,”
Rogers said. “But when you start asking unrelated questions, like ‘Did
you watch the football game last night?’, they’ll open up. If you sit
back and listen, they’ll tell you things they would never say if you
confronted them directly.”</p>
<p>It’s been more than ten years since the Naval Academy required all
Midshipmen to attend 15 mandatory meals, and the change has presented its own challenges. Rogers compared the situation to a ship sailing for the Straits of Gibralter, and then being ordered to change course to the Suez Canal, saying that the role of officers and senior enlisted is to support and implement changes in policy that may not always be understood.</p>
<p>“You have to be a stakeholder in the new policy,” said Rogers. “If the
commanding officer promulgates new policy, and you tell your troops you don’t agree with it, you start a domino effect.”</p>
<p>Along with the new mandatory meal policy, Midshipman Food Services is unveiling a new menu aimed at providing Midshipmen with a wider variety of healthy choices, shifting the focus from fried foods to baked. While King Hall will still have plenty of “fun” food, the goal is to ensure the Midshipmen have the proper sustenance for their high metabolism. Rogers showed two pre-packaged bowls of cereal of equal size and portion. The first bowl was 230 calories with 26 grams of sugar. The second bowl, part of the new menu, was 170 calories and 6 grams of sugar.</p>
<p>“I’m a certified health nut,” Rogers explained. “Kids like pizza, but
when you’re on the field, that’s not going to sustain you.” </p>
<p>In addition to providing the Brigade a healthier menu, Rogers also plans
to implement four-course Sunday dinners that include soup, salad, a main course, and dessert.</p>
<p>“Food is always a morale issue,” she explained. “Whether you’re in the
field or on a ship, eating an MRE or at a steel beach picnic. Food is
home. When you’re away from home, that’s all you have.”</p>
<p>Rogers and her staff are responsible for ensuring the Brigade eat
quality, healthy meals on a very strict budget, just $6.60 per
Midshipman per day. She ensures that athletes have properly coordinated meals based on specific dietary needs. She has 130 employees who serve on the deck, and another 100 employees doing the preparation and cooking behind the scenes. The first crew arrives at 2:45 a.m. to begin preparation for the 7 a.m. breakfast.</p>
<p>It’s a job she takes very seriously, and she wants to ensure any
problems are addressed immediately. According to Rogers, there was a
problem recently with bad milk. Although the carton indicated the milk
was within its specified dates, there were several complaints. Rogers
had the milk pulled from the tables and replaced with fresh milk. She
then called the manufacturer and addressed the issue.</p>
<p>According to Rogers, while she and her staff are working diligently to
ensure quality food and quality service for the Midshipmen, she needs
leaders within the Brigade to bring potential problems to her attention
and monitor the situation during mealtimes. </p>
<p>“Dinner is served family-style, so you have to say, ‘I’ve taken my
ration, let me pass it on.’ Not everyone does that,” Rogers explained.
“That’s where the Squad leader needs to come in and take control and
ensure everyone gets their portion. That’s the kind of leadership we
need at every table.”</p>
<p>If squad leaders see insufficient or poor quality food at the tables, it
is their responsibility within to bring it up the chain of command.
Just as the division officers look after their Sailors in the Fleet, the
squad leaders must ensure their subordinates are taken care of and
properly prepared to carry out the mission.</p>
<p>Andrea Campbell
U. S. Naval Academy Alumni Association
Manager, Classes, Chapters, Parent Clubs
Distinguished Graduate Award Program
(410) 295-4014
<a href="mailto:andrea.campbell@usna.com">andrea.campbell@usna.com</a></p>
<p>The U. S. Naval Academy Alumni Association - 120 years of service to the
Alma Mater and its alumni</p>
<p>Visit us at <a href=“http://www.usna.com%5B/url%5D”>www.usna.com</a> </p>
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