Letter from Commandant

Letter from Commandant of Midshipmen
September 2007

Dear Parents,

I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to many of you who have voiced concerns about our food service, and provide you with facts to help bring you up to date on our actions.

First let me say how pleased I am with the start of the academic year. We had a great summer of training, both for the upper-class and our plebes. Classes are in full swing and the fall athletic season has begun. It’s truly an honor to be part of this great institution and it’s heartening to see the dedicated efforts of our midshipmen and my staff as we work to fulfill our mission of producing superb leaders for the Navy and Marine Corps.

The Academy has always been fortunate to have an engaged and supportive group parents. We’re all tremendously proud of the Naval Academy and want to help it move forward to ensure its continued success in meeting the requirements of the Navy and Marine Corps we serve.

My staff and I are setting a course to prepare your sons and daughters to become the best junior officers in the Fleet; officers with competence, character and compassion. To that end, all of us here at the Academy are focused on developing our midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically for the privilege of serving as leaders of Sailors and Marines who volunteered to serve their country in a time of war.

One of our initial priorities was to reinstitute the practice of midshipmen regularly eating meals together in King Hall. Our focus is better aligning the Naval Academy with the Fleet, where our midshipmen will soon serve as leaders. Food service and quality is important in the Navy and Marine Corps. Eating together on messdecks, wardrooms and in ready rooms helps officers, Sailors and Marines develop and maintain the relationships and unit cohesiveness so important to units in the Fleet.

Midshipmen had been eating eight meals together per week, and in mid-August, we increased that requirement to three meals per day, Monday through Friday – 15 meals per week - for the entire Brigade.

Unfortunately, we could have better anticipated the requirement for increased meal quantities which left some midshipmen with inadequate amounts of food. This was unacceptable and we made it a priority to ensure this food distribution issue was quickly resolved.

To address these issues, we have been obtaining instant feedback from midshipmen regarding the quality of food and using their suggestions to improve our level of service. We have encouraged midshipmen - particularly first class midshipmen as leaders - to report problems to our Food Service Team and to their chain of command so corrective action can be taken immediately.

Based on feedback and initiatives, we have taken the following corrective actions:

We have significantly increased rations to meet demand to include additional reserve trays of food standing by for distribution.
We have reviewed staffing and product support to ensure quality for both food and service.
We have increased the presence of management staff in our dining facilities during meals to answer any questions/concerns midshipmen may have during meals.
Finally, we are demanding Positive, Proactive, and Intrusive Leadership at all levels, critiquing each meal to ensure quality and quantity.

On a related note, we’ve also developed a new menu which reflects our goal of providing midshipmen with the proper diet to support both academic and athletic goals and to educate and expose midshipmen to foods that are part of a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle.

Food service and quality is important in the Navy and Marine Corps, and the Superintendent and I are both committed to ensuring that the Brigade receives the best food service available.

I hope this information has helped clarify the points some or you have thoughtfully brought to our attention. I appreciate your support and encouragement.

Thank you,

Captain Margaret D. Klein
United States Navy
Commandant of Midshipmen