US Navy’s Top Training Officer Visits Surface Warfare Officers School

US Navy's Top Training Officer Visits Surface Warfare Officers School

The commander of Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) visited the Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport for a familiarization tour March 5.

Rear Adm. Don Quinn assumed duties as commander of NETC in January 2012 and recently toured SWOS and other Newport-area commands that report to NETC. SWOS Commanding Officer Captain Neil R. Parrott hosted Quinn for the familiarization tour.

“We’re glad to have the opportunity to speak face-to-face with Admiral Quinn and introduce him to the talented people working at SWOS,” said Parrott. “The training and education professionals here in Newport are among the best in NETC, and it’s great we can showcase their incredible work for the boss.”

During the tour, Quinn visited SWOS’s various directorates and learned about the SWOS mission: providing a continuum of professional education and training in support of surface Navy requirements that prepares officers and enlisted engineers to serve at sea.

“The demand for exemplary training has never been higher,” said Quinn. “My visit gave me an opportunity to get a solid picture of how the training is accomplished by the professionals at the Surface Warfare Center of Excellence,” said Quinn. “SWOS is doing a fantastic job training our surface warfare officers to support the maritime strategy and enabling the Navy to meet the missions of the 21st century.”

The tour included stops at the Full Mission Bridge (FMB) simulator which simulates every Navy homeport and other ports the Navy regularly visits around the world. The 360-degree view of the FMB provides the student with a realistic virtual environment that cannot be matched by any other trainer utilized by the Navy. Also on the tour were the Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) stations which provide state of the art navigation and shiphandling training for all surface warfare officers and the DDG full-size engineering trainer that provides students with valuable hands-on training of the ships critical engineering systems.

“Our training is the Navy’s asymmetric advantage,” added Quinn. “The ability of our maritime forces to respond quickly to crises and eliminate threats is a direct result of our exemplary training. The technical expertise gained, combined with developed critical thinking skills, gives our Sailors the ability to evaluate what needs to be done to fight and win. This advantage is continuously leveraged in many other missions besides combat. These officers are learning these skills here at SWOS.”

SWOS is responsible for providing a wide range of professional development courses, including the Advanced Shiphandling and Tactics (ASAT), Surface Navigator, and the Department Head Course. SWOS also provides training to newly commissioned ensigns from Officer Candidate School (OCS). The Surface Warfare Officer Introduction Course provides a baseline foundation of knowledge for newly commissioned Naval officers from OCS. The indoctrination course is designed to equip division officers with the fundamental tools needed for a successful first sea assignment by teaching a wide variety of curriculum such as navigation, division officer fundamentals, Navy fundamentals, engineering, ship handling, and maritime warfare. Approximately 400 students graduate from the Division Officer Course each year.

[mappress]
Naval Today Staff , March 09, 2012; Image: SWOS