Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Nardel Gervacio | 180718-N-ZK021-0052 NEWPORT, R.I. (July 18, 2018) (from left) Adm. Christopher W....... read more read more
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Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command met with students and faculty during a visit to Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS), July 18.
Adm. Christopher Grady’s visit included all-hands calls, Q&A sessions, and a tour of SWOS facilities.
During the all-hands call with SWOS staff members, he discussed a variety of topics such as dynamic force employment, great power competition, current concerns in the fleet and the future of the Navy.
“What I took away from Adm. Grady’s talk was an explanation of the dynamic force employment model that the [secretary of defense] has talked about,” said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Quinn, of Abington, Pennsylvania, and lead diesel engineering instructor at SWOS.
The dynamic force employment model requires the military to be operationally unpredictable, while maintaining strategic predictability.
“He explained how it translates into what we’re doing today as far as naval operations go,” said Quinn. “It’s interesting to see a big bold concept turn into nuts and bolts and how we’re going to do it.”
Grady then opened the floor to questions before touring the facilities. Stops included the Full Mission Bridge, a 360-degree environment that simulates every Navy homeport and frequented naval ports around the globe, as well as Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) stations that provide state-of-the-art navigation and ship handling training for all surface warfare officers.
“We demonstrate exactly what we’re doing in order to keep up with the fleet requirements,” said Navigation, Seamanship and Shiphandling Director Bud Weeks, commenting on the staff’s dedication and progress SWOS is continually making to improve training.
Grady ended the visit by holding a second all-hands call with students assigned to SWOS.
He spoke about the importance of being as technically proficient as possible, along with developing managerial and leadership abilities, before they head back to the fleet.
“What I appreciated the most is that he discussed littoral combat ships [LCS],” said Lt. Jay English, of San Diego. “The fact that he’s talking about LCS and future plans of the Navy is exciting. When you have this type of visit, it’s good to leave invigorated and excited about what you’re going to do in the future.”
Grady, a native of Newport, Rhode Island, assumed command of U.S. Fleet Forces Command on May 4.
Headquartered in Newport, Rhode Island, and overseeing nine learning sites worldwide, SWOS readies seabound Sailors to serve on surface combatants as officers, enlisted engineers, and enlisted navigation professionals to fulfill the Navy’s mission to maintain global maritime superiority.
For more information about Surface Warfare Officers School, visit
http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/swos/ or http://www.facebook.com/SWOSCOLCOM/.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2018 15:31 |
| Story ID: | 285142 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 172 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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