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Fleet ASW Focuses on Fleet Training

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS040914-06
Release Date: 9/14/2004 1:32:00 PM

By Journalist 2nd Class Jessica B. Davis, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Fleet Anti-submarine Warfare Command (FLTASWCOM) began training its Sailors and civilians in June to integrate the antisubmarine warfare (ASW) concept, readying them to take this expertise to the fleet later this year.

All training and assessment team members from FLTASWCOM are required to go through the 10-week course, teaching them to combine air, sea and submarine warfare tactics.

"We've used a number of different venues for our training program," said Capt. Steve Johnson, director of training and acting chief of staff for FLTASWCOM. "We've brought in a variety of experts, developed some of the curriculum ourselves. We've used opportunities to visit different installations, ships, aircraft and submarines, and we've sent people to sea to observe exercises."

The FLTASWCOM team members are taught about oceanography, sonar, tactics, resource management, surface ships, submarines and aircraft, as well as the systems of foreign submarines.

"I think the importance of this training is to make sure that everyone coming through the training is up to speed on how to integrate the three warfare areas - air, sea and submarine," said Senior Chief Sonar Technician (SS) Robert Palek, assessment team member for FLTASWCOM.

Palek is one of 35 other people who recently finished the training and will take qualification boards before going to the fleet.

"I'm enjoying the training," said Palek, a native of Titusville, Fla. "I'm learning something new every day."

The students are first experts in a specific ASW area, either aircraft, surface or submarine. The training teaches them the main ideas in the other two areas and gives them the skills to integrate all three major aspects of ASW together.

"In order to be the operational center of excellence, our personnel have to be credible," said Johnson. "They have to have a level of knowledge that gives them the requisite status that they need to teach and evaluate other Sailors in the fleet."

According to Johnson, such training is important, as ASW is part of the Navy's overall mission.

"The U.S. is a maritime nation, and the core of our maritime mission is to be able to move around the world's oceans independently, operate and carry out the mission of our national military," he said.

"Anti-submarine warfare is a uniquely maritime mission," Johnson added. "As a maritime nation, we're required to operate when and where the president and our national policy and strategy tell us to operate. In order to do that, we need to conduct effective ASW to be able to conduct our overall mission of (forward) presence, power projection or whatever that mission may be."