services are reduced while in home port, but many services are absolutely necessary if the ship is at anchor or moored in a foreign port. Some of those services might include the following: • Medical/dental • Communications •  M  a  i  l • Messing •     Hotel services (electrical power, potable water, steam, and so forth) Duty Sections Ashore Most, if not all, divisions have duty sections, and they serve a vital function. Duty section organizations are as varied as the commands they serve, and a duty section’s size can range from one person to half the crew. Each division’s situation dictates the type and size of its duty sections. Several points to consider concerning duty section organization are as follows: Duty  sections  are  set  up  to  meet  specific emergency or unique situations that might occur outside  normal  working  hours.  They  are potentially so important that they always require a specially trained crew on board to deal with them. Duty section manning, equipment, and training must cover any situation. Duty sections are the best way of dealing with emergency or unique situations. (Best in their effect  on  the  division’s  primary  mission, manpower use, and crew morale when compared to other ways of handling these situations, such as working in shifts.) Duty section organizations conduct all business through their own chain of command. Duty sections are made up of the minimum number of people needed to handle any situation. When it comes to duty section manning, many commands require a certain percentage of their people to be on board at all times. Minimum manning (if required) and the points just discussed are only some of the factors you must consider when developing the duty section organization to best meet your division’s needs. Your command should have an instruction or a policy that requires a minimum or particular duty section organization, such as five-or six-section duty, to keep a minimum percentage of your people on board at all times. If your command has no policy, you must decide on the duty section organization required to provide  the  services  described  in  your  division’s organization manual. For example, you may decide people are needed to man your division on a 24-hour basis. Duty sections ashore should not be set up to produce work during normal working hours. Ideally, you should not require duty sections to serve as production, night, or weekend crews, except when necessary. If the members of the duty section do not have any emergency or unscheduled work to do, they should spend their time training. Leave and Liberty Schedules Leave and liberty are important to the morale of your division. Make every effort to be consistent with operational and training requirements to make sure your sailors take the leave they have earned. Scheduling leave periods is an efficient way to afford your people the opportunity to take the leave they have earned. Scheduling leave will allow you to control the number of people you have available to accomplish your division’s maintenance, watch standing, and training obligations. Coordination with other divisions and the senior watch officer is important, especially during periods when large numbers of personnel are requesting  leave.  A  knowledge  of  the  following common categories of leave and liberty will help you to determine how to handle individual requests. NORMAL LIBERTY. —Each command sets up guidelines for normal liberty. Many commands permit department heads or division officers to grant liberty at their own discretion. SPECIAL LIBERTY. —Special liberty is granted outside of normal liberty periods for unusual reasons. Several reasons are compensatory time off, recognition for exceptional performance, and personal business not done during normal liberty periods, such as jury duty, court, and voting. ANNUAL LEAVE. —Annual leave is granted in execution  of  a  command’s  leave  program  and chargeable to a member’s leave account. Although an individual is entitled to accumulate leave, requests for leave may be disapproved. Considerations for approval or disapproval of annual leave include the following: ship’s schedule, number of people already on leave, 3-8