Lt.j.g. Shamaal Fletcher sends off his surface warfare officer pin into the Norwegian Sea as part of his pinning ceremony aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), Sept. 20, 2022. US Navy Photo
Over the last year, the Navy surveyed 2,500 officers on the highs and lows of a surface warfare career. The results surprised no one. Read More
The following is the Government Accountability Officer June 17, 2021 report, Navy Readiness: Actions Needed to Evaluate and Improve Surface Warfare Officer Career Path Read More
Fire Controlman (Aegis) Chief Petty Officer Michael Schwemmer (front) and Lt. Nick Marmureanu, an Integrated Air and Missile Defense Warfare Tactics Instructor and the Fire Control Officer assigned to USS Stockdale (DDG 106), conduct Combat Information Center training on April 3, 2021. US Navy Photo
The surface navy community is rolling out a new way to track and assess sailors’ experience and proficiency in combat skills – with the promise that commanders could tailor future training and build better watch bills – through a new Surface Warfare Combat Training Continuum (SWCTC) effort that is wrapping up a pilot program and will hit the fleet this summer. Read More
Chief Intelligence Specialist William Buller video records pre-aim calibration (PAC) fire maintenance on MK-45 MOD 4 5-inch 62 caliber lightweight gun aboard USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) on July 7, 2020. US Navy Photo
The Navy’s plans to create tougher advanced-phase training events for surface ships are made possible by improvements in individual-level training for surface warfare officers and sailors, according to the officers that oversee the spectrum of surface training. Read More
Lt. Caleb Bekemeier (standing), an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Warfare Tactics Instructor (WTI) assigned to Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), discusses surface warfighting tactics with Chief Electronics Technician Christopher Schmidt, assigned to USS Stethem, during a training opportunity conducted at Combined IAMD and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Trainer (CIAT) San Diego. Bekemeier returned to SMWDC last week after mentoring the crew of USS Freedom (LCS 1) at-sea during Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) – a SMWDC led exercise that increases the lethality and tactical proficiency of the surface force across all domains. US Navy photo.
The Navy’s advanced surface warfare exercises have been deemed mission essential and are moving forward amid coronavirus-related restrictions, demonstrating the surface navy’s dedication to improving its skill, the head of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) told USNI News. Read More
Naval Aircrewman (Operator) 3rd Class Ethan Mehring, assigned to the “Skinny Dragons” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 4, conducts flight operations aboard a squadron P-8A Poseidon aircraft during an during an anti-submarine warfare mission over the Mediterranean Sea, Feb. 19, 2020. VP-4 is currently forward deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations and is assigned to Commander, Task Force 67, responsible for tactical control of deployed maritime patrol and reconnaissance squadrons throughout Europe and Africa. US Navy photo
NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA, ITALY – An increasingly sophisticated reconstruction and evaluation team is giving sailors in NATO’s ongoing Dynamic Manta anti-submarine warfare exercise almost real-time feedback that helps them learn from any mistakes they make each day instead of waiting weeks or months for corrections. Read More
Ens. Micah Burge, from Branson, Mo., views a monitor in the bridge of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG-54) in 2019. US Navy Photo
The surface navy is taking a serious look at how it trains individuals and watch teams in maritime warfighting skills, taking a similar approach to the recent effort to bolster navigation, shiphandling and seamanship skills, the head of the surface force told USNI News. Read More
A Mk 18 Mod 2 is submerged from the stern of FSG Kronsort during experimental Mine Countermeasure (MCM) operations. Their experimentation objectives include collecting performance measurements in an operationally relevant environment for future improvements to systems. US Navy photo.
ABOARD USS MOUNT WHITNEY, IN THE BALTIC SEA – As the U.S. Navy undergoes a major transition in how it conducts mine warfare, it had the chance to test out its newest tools during BALTOPS 2019 alongside European partners who are mine warfare experts. Read More
Lt. Lisa Malone, a warfare tactics instructor (WTI) assigned to the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Canter (SMWDC), provides tactical training to officers aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during a group sail training unit exercise on May 9, 2017. Group sail is the first step in the Theodore Roosevelt’s integrated training phase and aims to enhance mission-readiness and warfighting capabilities between the ships, air wings and the staffs through simulated real-world scenarios. US Navy photo.
ABOARD USS BUNKER HILL AND USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT – Three years after the conception of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center, the Warfare Tactics Instructors that have come out of SMWDC are making a tangible difference in how surface ships conduct their missions, leadership from the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group told USNI News. Read More
