The SWO After Next...
by LT John Callaway
Prospective Surface Warfare Officer ensigns will soon embark on a bold new "train to qualify" regimen prior to joining the Fleet. Revolutionary changes in how the surface warfare community prepares new ensigns will produce surface warfare officers qualified to stand officer of the deck (OOD) and combat information center watch officer (CICWO) duties upon their arrival for their first division officer assignment.
As part of our transformation strategy to the "Navy after next," we should review our basic surface warfare training. As crew size decreases and underway training becomes more focused, demands on surface warriors at sea will increase. The Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS) can help by producing division officers ready to play a role upon arrival.
Pilots go to flight training and learn to fly. Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) Sailors go to Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUDS) and learn special warfare. Marines go to the basic school and learn basic infantry tactics. SWOS also provides a core competency for its students, but I believe we need to shift its focus from providing division officers trained in administration to providing junior warriors.
The "SWOS after next" should become a "field school," where ensigns are trained as ship-drivers and warfighters. It will have to start by changing the name from division officer course to basic surface warfighting, or words to that effect. If we can get our young officers out of the classroom and on to the water, away from PMS boards and into tactics, we will infuse a sense of mission and a feeling of competence that is currently missing in many of our officers reporting to the fleet.
Some surface warfare officers have suggested abolishing SWOS and sending junior officers straight to the Fleet. By spending time at sea rather than in the classroom, junior SWOs would be focused on qualifying. I think this is the right idea, but the wrong environment. A period of development is needed where they can learn the basics without operational pressures and administrative distractions. This is crucial to building our core competency skills. It is also a time to plant the seeds of a surface warfare culture.
A mix of underway time and classroom time on the order of three days underway and two days in class per week would be enough. Getting underway at a gentlemanly hour and returning in time for dinner at home would keep morale and interest high.
Imagine a graduation exercise where newly qualified ensigns drive two squadrons of yard training craft (including the latest trimaran and surface effect ship designs), and maneuver against one another testing the latest in fast patrol boat (FPB) tactics (as directed by the department head course students!) while the Navy Warfare Development Center looks on, finally bringing their boats in for a solo landing at the pier.
To get to that point, the surface warriors-in-training would necessarily have to work on getting under way from the pier, formation steaming, small boat officer qualifications, basic damage control, basic life saving, basic boating safety and basic engineering to name but a few. Curriculum items could also include: FPB/Anti-FPB tactics, craftmaster qualifications, amphibious boat group commander, small boat tactics and asymmetric warfare, electric distribution systems (electric drive), surface ship torpedo defense, visual piloting and navigation, pre-planned responses and special warfare tactics.
The net result may be that our new ensigns get to the fleet with less knowledge of administration. That may be a blessing in disguise as our surface warrior chief petty officers will step up to run the divisions while the ensigns concentrate on becoming better ship drivers and tacticians.
The "SWOS after next" may be a necessary step as minimally manned ships have less time to qualify junior officers.
The goal of the "SWOS after next" should be to provide the fleet with competent ship drivers and warfighters upon their arrival to a ship. Hands-on training at the "SWOS after next" will produce the surface warriors we need.
by LT John Callaway
Prospective Surface Warfare Officer ensigns will soon embark on a bold new "train to qualify" regimen prior to joining the Fleet. Revolutionary changes in how the surface warfare community prepares new ensigns will produce surface warfare officers qualified to stand officer of the deck (OOD) and combat information center watch officer (CICWO) duties upon their arrival for their first division officer assignment.
As part of our transformation strategy to the "Navy after next," we should review our basic surface warfare training. As crew size decreases and underway training becomes more focused, demands on surface warriors at sea will increase. The Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS) can help by producing division officers ready to play a role upon arrival.
Pilots go to flight training and learn to fly. Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) Sailors go to Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUDS) and learn special warfare. Marines go to the basic school and learn basic infantry tactics. SWOS also provides a core competency for its students, but I believe we need to shift its focus from providing division officers trained in administration to providing junior warriors.
The "SWOS after next" should become a "field school," where ensigns are trained as ship-drivers and warfighters. It will have to start by changing the name from division officer course to basic surface warfighting, or words to that effect. If we can get our young officers out of the classroom and on to the water, away from PMS boards and into tactics, we will infuse a sense of mission and a feeling of competence that is currently missing in many of our officers reporting to the fleet.
Some surface warfare officers have suggested abolishing SWOS and sending junior officers straight to the Fleet. By spending time at sea rather than in the classroom, junior SWOs would be focused on qualifying. I think this is the right idea, but the wrong environment. A period of development is needed where they can learn the basics without operational pressures and administrative distractions. This is crucial to building our core competency skills. It is also a time to plant the seeds of a surface warfare culture.
A mix of underway time and classroom time on the order of three days underway and two days in class per week would be enough. Getting underway at a gentlemanly hour and returning in time for dinner at home would keep morale and interest high.
Imagine a graduation exercise where newly qualified ensigns drive two squadrons of yard training craft (including the latest trimaran and surface effect ship designs), and maneuver against one another testing the latest in fast patrol boat (FPB) tactics (as directed by the department head course students!) while the Navy Warfare Development Center looks on, finally bringing their boats in for a solo landing at the pier.
To get to that point, the surface warriors-in-training would necessarily have to work on getting under way from the pier, formation steaming, small boat officer qualifications, basic damage control, basic life saving, basic boating safety and basic engineering to name but a few. Curriculum items could also include: FPB/Anti-FPB tactics, craftmaster qualifications, amphibious boat group commander, small boat tactics and asymmetric warfare, electric distribution systems (electric drive), surface ship torpedo defense, visual piloting and navigation, pre-planned responses and special warfare tactics.
The net result may be that our new ensigns get to the fleet with less knowledge of administration. That may be a blessing in disguise as our surface warrior chief petty officers will step up to run the divisions while the ensigns concentrate on becoming better ship drivers and tacticians.
The "SWOS after next" may be a necessary step as minimally manned ships have less time to qualify junior officers.
The goal of the "SWOS after next" should be to provide the fleet with competent ship drivers and warfighters upon their arrival to a ship. Hands-on training at the "SWOS after next" will produce the surface warriors we need.