A long time ago, in a cubicle far away, a staffer created Total Quality Leadership. The CNO looked at it and saw that it was good.
But the Sailors grew restless and said, “This will not last.†Staffers told them, “Hold your tongues. TQL is forever.â€
But alas, TQL was smitten. This was the dawn of the age of Task Forces.
TQL begat Task Force Excel and the five-vector model. The CNO saw that it was good too, and behold, the program prospered. But the Sailors grew restless again and said, “This too will not last…for it is TQL in a different wrapper.†But staffers said, “Task Force Excel is forever.â€
Task Force Excel begat Task Force Uniform, and it was good. Sailors were clothed in blue/gray camouflage and would never have to tuck in again.
Task Force Uniform begat Task Force Web, and it was good, although no one understood it. Wise people speaking in strange tongues deciphered the codes, bringing Technology to the Sailors.
Though the product of their toil may be fleeting, these Task Force warriors are to be praised. For it has been said that only fools are satisfied with mediocrity. All that we hold worthy was won by those who dared to try. So before you cast stones at the Task Forces of the future, take pause. Cast instead your eyes on today’s Navy and you will see that it is very good, and better than it was.
In the days to come, there will be new Task Forces, like Task Force Life/Work (TFLW). The life/work balance of TFLW staffers will be thrown asunder as they search for the right life/work balance for Sailors. Others will be drawn in as new Task Forces are created.
Only the wise ones know what the future holds, but one thing is certain. The (task) Force will be with you. Always.
