R 191500Z MAR 98 ZYB
FM CMC WASHINGTON DC//CMC//
TO ALMAR
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UNCLAS //N01700//
ALMAR 106/98
MSGID/GENADMIN/MWRSPTACT CMC(MW)//
SUBJ/QUALITY OF LIFE, GOOD ORDER AND DISCIPLINE, AND TRANSFORMATION//
RMKS/1.  THIS ALMAR DISCUSSES OUR QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) EFFORTS,THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO GOOD ORDER AND DISCIPLINE, AND HOW THESE ARE LINKED TO OUR TRANSFORMATION PROCESS.  IN READING THIS MESSAGE,LEADERS WILL RECOGNIZE THE REQUIREMENT FOR AN IMMEDIATE REVIEW OF LOCAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT GOVERN THE MANAGEMENT OF BACHELOR ENLISTED QUARTERS (BEQ), AS WELL AS A RE-EVALUATION OF OUR ATTENTION AS LEADERS TO THE ACTIVITIES OF OUR MARINES AND SAILORS DURING NON-WORKING HOURS.
2.  DAILY WE RECEIVE MESSAGES REPORTING INCIDENTS OF IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR BY A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR MARINES.  ALCOHOL ABUSE IS ALMOST ALWAYS A COMMON DENOMINATOR.  FOR THE MOST PART, THESE INCIDENTS OCCUR DURING NON-WORKING HOURS, ON BASE, AND IN OR NEAR OUR BEQS.  THERE ARE A SMALL NUMBER OF MARINES WHO ARE UNDER THE MISTAKEN IMPRESSION THAT DIFFERENT STANDARDS OF CONDUCT EXIST ONCE
WE TAKE OFF OUR UNIFORMS AT THE END OF THE DAY.  THEY ARE WRONG!
3.  OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS WE HAVE INVESTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
IN BARRACKS CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION, EQUIPMENT, AND OTHER QUALITY
OF LIFE (QOL) IMPROVEMENTS AS OUTLINED IN OUR QOL MASTER PLAN.
WHILE WE ARE COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF OUR
ENLISTED MARINES, WE MUST ESTABLISH POLICIES THAT REINFORCE -- NOT
HINDER -- OUR COMMITMENT TO DEVELOP WARRIORS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.
4.  CONSEQUENTLY, OUR FOCUS OF EFFORT IS THE 110 THOUSAND FIRST TERM
MARINES, MOST OF WHOM LIVE IN OUR BEQS.  WE DEVELOP THESE MARINES BY
PRESENTING CHALLENGES -- WHERE SUCCESS DEPENDS ON TEAMWORK AND
COHESION -- THAT LEADS THE INDIVIDUAL MARINE TO SUBORDINATE
SELF-INTEREST TO THE NEEDS OF THE UNIT.  PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT
POLICIES NOW FOCUS ON KEEPING MARINES TOGETHER THROUGH MOS-PRODUCING
SCHOOLS TO THE OPERATING FORCES TO ENHANCE UNIT COHESION -- AND IT'S
WORKING!  A CRUCIAL NEXT STEP REQUIRES OUR LEADERS TO SUSTAIN THEIR
MARINES' DISCIPLINE, VALUES, AND DEDICATION TO THE CORPS DURING
THEIR OFF DUTY HOURS.  MENTORING OUR YOUNG -- NOT ONLY IN
WARFIGHTING SKILLS, BUT ALSO RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT -- IS CRITICAL TO
THEIR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH.
5.  THE TOURING OF BARRACKS BY LEADERS DIDN'T GO AWAY WHEN WE MOVED
OUR MARINES OUT OF THE SQUAD BAYS AND INTO NEWER BARRACKS.  WHILE
INDIVIDUAL, TWO, OR THREE-MAN ROOMS OFFER MARINES MORE PRIVACY, THEY
ARE STILL GOVERNMENT QUARTERS SUBJECT TO OUR STANDARDS OF APPEARANCE,
CLEANLINESS, AND SUPERVISION.  THEY MUST BE ROUTINELY INSPECTED BY
OUR LEADERS.  THIS STARTS WITH OUR NCOS, BUT DOES NOT STOP WITH THEM.
6.  WITH THESE THOUGHTS IN MIND, COMMANDERS WILL ESTABLISH POLICIES
THAT:
    A.  ASSIGN MARINES TO BEQS AND BEQ ROOMS SO THAT UNIT INTEGRITY
IS MAINTAINED.  WE BUILD COHESION BY KEEPING OUR MARINE TEAMS
TOGETHER, BOTH BY ASSIGNING THEM TO THE SAME UNIT AND BY ASSIGNING
THEM TO THE SAME BEQ/FLOOR/ROOM.  WHERE BARRACKS OCCUPANCY GOALS,
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, AND PROXIMITY CHALLENGES PRESENT SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEMS IN ASSIGNMENT BY UNIT, THEN COMMANDERS  WILL USE THEIR GOOD
JUDGMENT CONSISTENT WITH MY INTENT.  BUT MY INTENT IS CLEAR:
COHESION!
    B.  ALLOW RESPONSIBLE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION BY STRICTLY ENFORCING
AGE LAWS, BY PLACING LIMITS ON AMOUNTS THAT CAN BE MAINTAINED IN BEQ
ROOMS, AND BY DEFINING SPECIFIC PARAMETERS GOVERNING CONSUMPTION OF
ALCOHOL IN BEQ ROOMS AND COMMON AREAS WHERE UNDERAGE PERSONNEL ARE
PRESENT.
    C.  CLEARLY ARTICULATE VISITATION PROCEDURES -- TO INCLUDE
MEANS TO MONITOR -- BY MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER.
    D.  GIVE CLEAR GUIDANCE ON BEQ ROOM DECOR.  I EXPECT MARINE
QUARTERS TO BE CLEAN, ORDERLY, AND PROFESSIONAL IN APPEARANCE.
    E.  ENSURE THAT DUTY NON-COMMISSIONED AND STAFF NON-COMMISSIONED
OFFICERS, OFFICERS OF THE DAY, AND MEMBERS OF INTERIOR GUARD
MAINTAIN A VISIBLE PRESENCE AND ARE WELL AWARE OF PROCEDURES
ENSURING TIMELY INTERVENTION IN CASES WHERE GOOD ORDER AND
DISCIPLINE ARE BREACHED.  THIS IS PARTICULARLY CRITICAL DURING
WEEKENDS, HOLIDAYS, AND WHEN THE MAJORITY OF THE COMMAND IS DEPLOYED
OR TRAINING AWAY FROM THE GARRISON.
7.  I WANT MARINES TO UNDERSTAND THAT, AS MARINES, THEY ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR APPROPRIATE APPEARANCE AND DEMEANOR, AND WILL BE
HELD ACCOUNTABLE.  I ALSO WANT TO REMIND MARINE LEADERS, AT ALL
RANKS, THAT PREPARING MARINES TO WIN BATTLES IS AN ALL INCLUSIVE
EFFORT -- A STEWARDSHIP -- THAT GOES FAR BEYOND THE TRAINING DAY.
TRANSFORMATION IS THE GOAL.  BY IMPLEMENTING THE POLICIES IN THIS
ALMAR, WE WILL TAKE ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS THAT GOAL.
8.  THIS ALMAR SUPERSEDES WHITE LETTER 8-93 AND ALMAR 164-92.
9.  C. C. KRULAK, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.//
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