The Naval Academy Brigade of Midshipmen is an organization that operates as a cohesive, self-sufficient entity within the academy. While there is oversight from the commandant and his staff, the first class midshipmen assume leadership roles over their peers, providing them with valuable leadership practice prior to being commissioned.
The term “striper” refers to a first class midshipman in a leadership position within the brigade who wears gold bars (stripes) as collar devices. These devices indicate their level of responsibility, with more bars denoting a higher position of responsibility.
There are two sides to the striper program, said Midshipman 1st Class Jonathan Monti, brigade commander. One side is working with the brigade chief of staff who runs the honor program, operations and safety. This includes coordinating resources and logistics for special events and ceremonies, as well as public affairs.
The other is working with the brigade executive officer, who is directly responsible for all unit commanders and subsequently the performance and individual care of all midshipmen, ranging from uniform issues to absenteeism.
Any first class midshipman can apply for a striper position.
“The company commander announces that if anyone is interested in any of the striper positions beyond the company level, to submit a one-paragraph summary on what position they are interested in and why,” said Monti. “This is then routed up to the company officer and senior enlisted leader who filters the applicants based upon their performance.”
Each company’s midshipman commander, officer and senior enlisted collaborate to choose the best 30 to 60 candidates to move on to the battalion level board, where they are interviewed by the battalion officers and enlisted leaders.
“They grill you with questions about how to improve the current policy. This is a tough question since they are the ones making and enforcing the policy,” said Monti.
They ask questions to push the mids in different directions, forcing them to think quickly, he said.
The board members choose five to ten candidates to move up to the final board, consisting of 15 to 20 people, including company and battalion officers, the top senior enlisted advisor and the deputy commandant.
To succeed at this level, candidates must articulate while overcoming fear and distraction, said Monti.
“They try to unnerve you. They already have it pre-planned who is asking what, so a lieutenant may ask you a question from one end of the table, so you'll face him to answer. At the same time there is a commander at the other end who you cannot ignore.”
“The board is a wealth of experience fused into a conference room that takes a good critical look at the records to come up with the best candidates for each position,” said Marine Major Travis B. Wells, the performance officer who overseers both the Midshipmen Conduct and Aptitude for Commissioning programs.
Monti, who served as brigade training sergeant and had some insight on how the boards operate, prepared for his questioning by anticipating tough questions and envisioning himself as a board member.
“Regardless of how many stripes you wear, every first class midshipman should regard themselves as an officer, because in a few months, you will be thrust into that position and you will be required to lead in the real world using what you have learned here,” said Monti.
“This place is definitely a leadership laboratory,” said Wells. “People show up here with a lot of leadership potential. They may have leadership skills based upon the first 18 to 20 years of their lives, but when they come here it's a process to foster those skills and nurture their potential to produce effective leaders to send out into the fleet for the Navy and the Marine Corps.”
