Canadian Navy moves ahead with naval school overhaul

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) officialy marked the creation of the reconfigured Naval Training Development Centre (Pacific) and Naval Fleet School (Pacific) as a part of its Future Naval Training System (FNTS) initiative.

The ceremony was held June 6 in Esquimalt.

In 2012, the Naval Training System Transformation initiative was created to design the future naval training system, a system that would be more cost effective, relevant and capable of meeting the changing demands. Since the new design was approved in July of 2015, the RCN has begun the transition to a new training system

According to the navy, the Future Naval Training System will assist in developing RCN sailors, allowing them to operate Canada’s current and future warships. Over the last three years, all naval training elements have been brought together with the aim of increasing the effectiveness and flexibility of the naval training system, while reducing the demand for infrastructure.

Similar ceremonies were held on June 29, 2016, at Naval Fleet School (Quebec) and will be held on July 15, 2016, at the new Campus Atlantic in Halifax.

As a part the modernization efforts, the Commandant of Canadian Forces Fleet School Esquimalt, Commander S.E. Hooper, relinquished command of his former school and assumed command of the newly named Naval Training Development Center (Pacific).

Simultaneously, the Commandant of the formerly named Naval Officer Training Center VENTURE, Commander Todd Bonnar, relinquished command and promptly assumed command of newly named Naval Fleet School (Pacific).

Campus Atlantic (Halifax) will reconfigure the Canadian Forces Naval Operations School and Canadian Forces Naval Engineering School into Naval Fleet School (Atlantic) and Naval Training Development Center (Atlantic). Naval Fleet School (Atlantic) will deliver individual training, with the addition of Submarine Training, while the Naval Training Development Center (Atlantic) will focus on combat, operations, and seamanship training curriculum and courseware development.