When we drive a ship, we learn to steer by both the magnetic compass and the inertial navigation system. The magnetic compass always points toward “true north,” based on the Earth’s gravitational field. It’s a relatively unchanging constant that the ship can reliably steer by. The inertial navigation system, on the other hand, is calibrated internally and drives the ship’s motion. In general, these two references — magnetic and inertial — are aligned, or at least close enough that any difference, known as deviation, can be corrected.
For 45 years, I followed my magnetic and the Navy’s inertial compasses and found them aligned with the organization I served, first as an active-duty officer, then as a government contractor and finally, as a government civilian employee, across a total of six administrations. There were deviations, yes, but overall, my personal course and the course of the organization remained relatively coherent.
However, over the past six months, I found my magnetic compass — guided by the core values of honor, courage and commitment, and my own fourth value of respect — increasingly out of alignment with the inertial course changes I observed within the Defense Department under the current administration. I witnessed policies that erased historical records based on a loosely defined “DEI purge” and diminished the contributions of minority service members and veterans, as well as policies seeking to dismiss portions of the DOD community, including civilian federal employees and transgender service members.
I sent a weekly five-bullet email to an anonymous Office of Personnel Management (OPM) address detailing my “accomplishments,” knowing that a false word or omission could lead to dismissal. More importantly, I saw the stress, lack of sleep, random layoffs and an atmosphere of fear among my peers where political affiliation increasingly overshadowed technical competence and experience.
I watched colleagues — veterans, military spouses, scientists and researchers — systematically driven out of jobs they loved without remorse or empathy. I watched the prohibition of “celebration” months, ties cut to mentoring and support organizations, all as I tried to apply corrective measures to stay aligned with the organization I love — but ultimately, I realized I could no longer maintain my course toward true north while remaining in step with the department’s current direction. Seeing good leaders and organizations censured or fired simply for standing on long-held principles was not only disheartening; it cut against everything I believe.
I did not take the Delayed Retirement Program (DRP) because, according to that policy, the billet I occupied would automatically be eliminated if I did. I could not in good conscience be complicit in cutting a safety-related billet which was specifically created after the U.S. Fleet Forces’ comprehensive review as a corrective action for the root causes of two collisions that took the lives of 17 sailors in 2017. Ironically, the current Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) policies implemented in the name of “efficiency” will likely lead to that billet’s elimination anyway, or at a minimum ensure that it stays gapped indefinitely. As with any decision, there will be consequences; good people will be disadvantaged, but they will stand up and speak out when they can; they will also continue to support the fleet because they care.
May 31 was my last day in government service. I am proud of my accomplishments and even prouder of the shipmates and colleagues who have served — and who have been treated with shameless disregard. Like many, I remained silent for a time out of self-preservation. But I can no longer carry that burden, nor ask my family to carry it with me. For what it’s worth, I’m sleeping much better these days.
One thing I have learned in 45 years of naval service: The forces of nature will always overcome mankind’s meager attempts to defy them. There are thousands of superb active-duty and civilian public servants who don’t have the flexibility that I have; they will bite their tongue and persevere. These counterproductive and unnecessary policies will come and go. Much damage has already been done, but hopefully the focus will shift, as it should, to Navy Secretary John Phelan’s priorities that he articulated to Congress this week: strengthening shipbuilding and the maritime industrial base; fostering a warfighter culture that is adaptive, accountable and innovative; and improving the health, welfare and training of sailors and Marines and their families. The Navy will find true north again and persevere. I am certain of it.
Dr. John Cordle is a retired Navy captain with 30 years of active-duty service. He commanded the destroyer Oscar Austin and the cruiser San Jacinto. On active duty, he earned a Bronze Star, the Navy League’s John Paul Jones Award and the BUMED Epictetus Award for Innovative and Inspirational Leadership. He was recently recognized with a Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his work in Human Factors.
