Safety Theme for Fourth Quarter FY 03

1. THE COORDINATED SAFETY THEME FOR THE FOURTH
QUARTER OF FY03 IS "SETTING THE FORCE". OUR CORPS HAS DEPLOYED
APPROXIMATELY 70,000 MARINES TO KUWAIT AND IRAQ IN SUPPORT OF
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF). AS THEY RETURN, THEY WILL DESIRE AND
DESERVE TO CELEBRATE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS. AS WITH ALL
ACTIVITIES, RISK MANAGEMENT, PLANNING, AND COMMON SENSE WILL PREVENT
A POOR DECISION FROM MARRING THIS WELL-EARNED REUNION.
2. PLANNING FOR THIS RETURN REQUIRES THAT WE CONSIDER ALL THREE
CATEGORIES OF MISHAPS: OFF-DUTY, ON-DUTY GROUND, AND ON-DUTY
AVIATION. OF THESE THREE CATEGORIES, OFF-DUTY MISHAPS PRESENT THE
GREATEST RISK, SPECIFICALLY OFF-DUTY MOTOR VEHICLE MISHAPS. 
RETURNING MARINES ENJOYING POST-DEPLOYMENT LEAVE WILL LIKELY DESIRE
TO DRIVE LONG DISTANCES FURTHER INCREASING THIS RISK. HISTORICALLY,
MOTOR VEHICLE MISHAPS ARE THE GREATEST KILLER OF MARINES, AND TOO
OFTEN, THE CAUSAL FACTORS FOR THESE DEATHS ARE EXCESSIVE SPEED,
FATIGUE, AND ALCOHOL. 
3. THE MISHAP RATE FOR PRIVATE MOTOR VEHICLES DECREASED
DRAMATICALLY DURING DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM BECAUSE THE
MAJORITY OF MARINES WERE DEPLOYED AND THEREFORE UNABLE TO DRIVE
THEIR PMVS. FOR THE SAME REASON, SINCE MARINES BEGAN DEPLOYING FOR
OIF, PRIVATE MOTOR VEHICLE MISHAP RATES HAVE DECLINED. HOWEVER,
AFTER DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM, THE MOTOR VEHICLE MISHAP RATE
INCREASED DRAMATICALLY DURING THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS. OUR CHALLENGE
NOW IS TO PREVENT THE SAME CHARACTERISTIC INCREASE IN MOTOR VEHICLE
MISHAPS AS MARINES RETURN HOME FROM OIF.
4. NOT SURPRISINGLY, ON-DUTY GROUND AND AVIATION MISHAP RATES
INCREASED DURING OIF. FACING AROUND-THE-CLOCK COMBAT OPERATIONS,
MARINES WERE EXPOSED TO FAR GREATER RISKS THAN IN PEACETIME. UPON
RETURNING TO PEACETIME DUTY STATIONS AND RESUMING NORMAL OPERATIONS,
MARINES MUST CLOSELY MANAGE RISK AND ADHERE TO THE SOPS, ORDERS, AND
REGULATIONS DESIGNED TO PREVENT MISHAPS. A RENEWED FOCUS ON THE
BASICS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THIS AIM. "CRAWL, WALK, RUN" IS A PROVEN
WAY OF TRAINING. OIF PROVED THAT WE CAN RUN, BUT TO RESET THE FORCE
SAFELY, MARINES MUST BE ALLOWED TO CRAWL AND WALK AGAIN.
5. SETTING THE FORCE FOR FUTURE CONTINGENCIES REQUIRES PRESERVING
OUR CURRENT FORCE. PRESERVING THE FORCE RELIES ON TWO SUPPORTING
CONCEPTS: RISK MANAGEMENT AND MISHAP ABATEMENT. MARINES FAMILIAR
WITH RISK MANAGEMENT SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS CRITICAL IN BOTH
CONFLICT AND PEACETIME OPERATIONS. MISHAP ABATEMENT MUST BE
EMPHASIZED AFTER A CONFLICT BECAUSE INDIVIDUAL VIEWS ON RISK MAY
HAVE BEEN ALTERED DURING OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. IN CONTINUAL
COMBAT OPERATIONS, AVIATION AND GROUND FORCES WERE REGULARLY EXPOSED
TO FAR GREATER RISKS THAN IN PEACETIME. AS A RESULT, SURVIVING
COMBAT CAN CHANGE AN INDIVIDUAL'S PERCEPTION OF 'RISKY' BEHAVIOR,
AND ACCEPTABLE RISK IN COMBAT IS NOT THE SAME AS IN PEACETIME. 
THERE IS NO POINT IN RETURNING FROM IRAQ TO DIE TAKING A NEEDLESS
CHANCE. 
6. CURRENTLY, OFF-DUTY MISHAPS ARE ARTIFICIALLY AND TEMPORARILY LOW
DUE TO DEPLOYMENT. WE MUST BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT
POST-CONFLICT, OFF-DUTY MISHAPS MAY SPIKE. AN UNHEALTHY VIEW OF
RISK OR DIFFICULT EMOTIONS CAUSED BY THE RETURN AND REUNION PROCESS
ARE SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT CAN LEAD TO A SURGE IN MISHAPS.
7. SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTION WILL UNDOUBTEDLY SAVE LIVES. 
INTERVENTION EMPHASIZES LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY: 
INSTITUTIONALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND PERSONALLY. WE CAN ADD TO OUR
CHANCES FOR SUCCESS BY PROVIDING RISK MANAGEMENT TRAINING FOCUSED ON
POST-DEPLOYMENT RISKS AND BY INSTILLING A CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN
ACCEPTABLE RISK IN COMBAT AND IN TRAINING. WE CAN REDUCE OFF-DUTY
VEHICLE MISHAPS BY SHARPENING DRIVING SKILLS WHILE EDUCATING MARINES
ON PROPER PLANNING, OPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT (ORM), AS WELL AS 
PREDICTABLE MISHAP CAUSAL FACTORS SUCH AS SPEED, FATIGUE, AND
ALCOHOL. THROUGH VENUES SUCH AS THE REQUIRED 4TH QUARTER SAFETY
EVENT, COMMANDS CAN EMPHASIZE ADHERENCE TO ESTABLISHED SOPS, ORDERS,
AND REGULATIONS. INTERVENTION IS A RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL MARINES. 
8. SUMMER SPECIFIC SAFETY INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE
HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS SAFETY DIVISION WEBSITE AT
HTTP://WWW.HQMC.USMC./SAFETY.NSF/. 
9. BE SMART, BE SAFE, STAY ALIVE! SEMPER FIDELIS, W. L. NYLAND,
GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, ASSISTANT COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE
CORPS.