The commanding officer has issued the following guidance on safety:
The foremost goal of our safety program is the preservation of our Marines and Sailors. Secondarily, but also of critical importance, is the preservation of our equipment. A MEU brings a unique capability to our Nation's defense planners. As one of only a few select number of expeditionary Marine Air Ground Task Forces (MAGTF), it is vital to the national defense that the health of our personnel and the maintenance of our equipment remain in the highest state of operational readiness. We must not do the enemy's job for them by carelessly injuring ourselves or damaging our equipment through negligence or indifference. Each member is a vital part of the team and high equipment readiness enables us to more effectively accomplish our missions. The nature of training for MAGTF combined arms warfare is that it is inherently dangerous business. However, the bottom line while training is that there is no mission or task worth carelessly endangering the life of a Marine or Sailor.
Rules, regulations and standard operating procedures within the Marine Corps stem from years of operational experience and lessons learned, let's not relearn old lessons. It is foolish to knowingly ignore or circumvent established directives. Our mission is too important, and our Marines and Sailors are too valuable to abandon proven, effective and safe methods of operation. We cannot eliminate risk; therefore, we will manage the level of risk through leadership, professionalism, and by employing Operational Risk Management in all facets of our daily activities, both on and off duty.
In many cases, urgency is the rationale used to deviate from standard operating procedures. In some cases there is a genuine belief that "we can't afford to do things by the book ... it takes too much time." In other cases, ignoring the rules is just an excuse to do something the easy way. There will often be a sense of urgency; do not let this drive you to cutting corners. Careful adherence to proven standard operating procedures will continue to serve us well in all circumstances.
If you see an unsafe practice or a dangerous situation developing, you must take the initiative and stop it immediately before harm is done. If you are being pushed outside of the established guidelines while performing your job, it is incumbent upon you to inform your chain of command. There is a Suggestion Box at the entrance to the CP where you can drop an anonymous note and reflect your concerns. You can also talk to the MEU Safety Officer, Staff Sergeant Rodriguez, the Executive officer, the Sergeant Major, or you can come directly to me. If you have a smarter, better, or safer way to conduct business, I want to know.
Col. Scott D. Campbell
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
Commanding Officer