Fraternization Policy

Fraternization is an unacceptable form of conduct and will neither be condoned nor tolerated. We, as 3rd Fleet, will maintain the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and conduct for our military members and civilian employees to assure proper performance of duties and enhance public trust.  Fraternization violates those standards and undermines our good order, authority, and high unit morale.

Fraternization is the term traditionally used to identify personal relationships between Service Members of any rank, grade, or gender which compromise the chain of command, result in appearance of partiality, or otherwise undermine good order and discipline.  It applies to all relationships that contravene our customary bounds of acceptable senior-subordinate relationships.  Although most commonly applied to officer-enlisted relationships, fraternization also includes improper relationships and social interactions within our officer community and within our enlisted community.  Fraternization is defined as:

  1.  Personal relationships between officer and enlisted that are unduly familiar and do not respect differences in grade or rank;
  2. Personal relationships between Chief Petty Officers and junior personnel, both assigned to the same command, that are unduly familiar and do not respect differences in grade or rank; or
  3. Personal relationships between officer members or between enlisted members that are unduly familiar, do not respect differences in grade or rank, are prejudicial to good order and discipline, or are of a nature to bring discredit upon the naval service.  Prejudice to good order and discipline or discredit to the naval service may result from, but are not limited to, circumstances which:

Call into question a senior’s objectivity;  

Result in actual or apparent preferential treatment;  

Undermine the authority of a senior; or  

Compromise the chain of command.


Our chain of command will be used to resolve instances of fraternization at the lowest possible level within the command.  Supervisors will ensure that all instances of fraternization are dealt with swiftly, fairly, and effectively.


J. F. G. Wade

Updated: June 7, 2024