CHAPTER 3
PROGRAMS AND POLICIES
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
1. Explain the programs and policies of Command Managed Equal
Opportunity (CMEO).
A new nation . . . dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal.
—Abraham Lincoln, 1863
The United States Navy has a special set of
moral, ethical, and behavioral standards; those
standards form the foundation of the Navy’s
Personal Excellence Program goals. One of those
goals is the Navy’s commitment to achieving an
environment that supports equal opportunity. The
Navy strives to guarantee equal opportunity and
treatment for all, regardless of race, color,
religion, gender, age, or national origin within
constraints of the law. The Navy does not tolerate
discrimination.
All Navy men and women should strive to
maintain the highest personal standards. They
should create a model environment where the
opportunity to succeed depends only on each
person’s aspirations, abilities, and talents.
The pursuit of an environment free from
discrimination is an element of leadership.
Leaders at all levels of the chain of command are
responsible for creating and maintaining a climate
that fosters equal opportunity. That includes the
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO); the Chief of
Naval Personnel, with assistance by the Human
Resource Management Department; and the fleet
commanders in chief and their chains of com-
mand down through unit commanding officers.
You too, as a petty officer and leader, have
an important role in the Navy’s equal opportunity
(EO) efforts. You should make every effort to
prevent sexual harassment and to enforce EO
among command personnel.
Although EO covers a wide range of day-to-
day practices and routines, you will be involved
in specific areas. Those areas include discipline,
duty assignments, grievance procedures, training
and advancement, and awards and recognition.
COMMAND MANAGED
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY (CMEO)
Command Managed Equal Opportunity
(CMEO) is a program through which the Navy
guides commands in carrying out equal oppor-
tunity. It is a management system that is
responsible to higher echelons but with control
primarily at the command level.
PURPOSE OF CMEO
The purpose of CMEO is to establish the EO
program for each command. CMEO directs the
chain of command to take the following EO
actions:
Create and maintain a positive EO climate
within the command
Identify and resolve EO/sexual harassment
problems and concerns
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