Iwo Jima ARG, TTGL Learn Critical, Cost-effective Lessons with FST
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS111123-17
11/23/2011
By Lt. Megan M. Shutka, Navy Public Affairs Support Element, Norfolk
NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), completed Group Commander Fleet Synthetic Training (FST-GC), Nov. 17, passing one of the first graded evolutions in the ARG's work-up cycle for its scheduled Spring 2012 deployment.
Iwo Jima ARG is comprised of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 8, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), amphibious dock-landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) and amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21).
According to Capt. Chuck Nygaard, commanding officer of Tactical Training Group Atlantic (TTGL), FST-GC is a two-week combined exercise that includes operational and tactical planning. Planning includes one week in the classroom; the second week consists of execution and is spent aboard ships pier-side.
With synthetic training, Nygaard explained more nations become part of the training coalition to include British, Canadians and Germans. This training coalition occurs without these nations leaving their homeports, saving their navies thousands of dollars in operation costs.
Along with the Iwo Jima ARG, the German Frigate FGS Augsburg (F 214) participated pier-side in Germany, and Sailors from both countries manned their work stations aboard their respective ship, virtually off the same coast of a specific geographic region while viewing the same screens with the common mission of overcoming aggression along coastal regions yet thousands of miles apart in different time zones.
"During world-wide deployments, Germany relies on allies as well and we all have the same training goals for FST-GC," said Cdr. Senior Grade Michael Buss, from the Net Centric Warfare DEU Flotilla 2, who is serving aboard Iwo Jima as the German liaison naval officer (LNO), single point of contact, for the Augsburg commanding officer to the PHIBRON-8 Commander.
"Executing the synthetic training is a win-win for both countries as we learn to work well together in a coalition-led operation, and also experience and overcome the challenges in a real-world scenario covered in the training," said Buss, who has served as the German LNO since 2005 for various exercises conducted by Tactical Training Group Atlantic.
Anyone participating aboard the ships involved in FST-GC would not even notice the difference between at-sea or pier-side training unless they observe the lack of ship rocking or flight deck noise as observed by Buss.
In a period of declining budgets, synthetic training affords units like the Iwo Jima ARG the opportunity to train in a very realistic environment, enabling them to make the most of precious underway training days.
The ARG exercises the same seamanship and tactics that any other ship out at sea would be through FST-GC, but the cost-effective savings is phenomenal for taking advantage of pier-side training including the skills acquired, lessons learned, while transiting a strait aboard a ship, and yet not utilizing one single line handler or tug boat to get underway.
"During FST-GC, the staffs and warfare commanders plan missions, establish and hone working relationships, and iron out important procedures necessary to execute their missions safely and efficiently," said Cmdr. Shawn Duffy, Amphibious Warfare Lead Instructor at TTGL.
"The opportunity to train together in an inport synthetic environment, utilizing the ship's watch teams and equipment, is very valuable as it proceeds to more complex at-sea training in the coming weeks, and eventually culminates in a deployment overseas as a Navy and Marine Corps team," continued Duffy.
The next exercise for the Iwo Jima ARG is Composite Training Unit Exercise, a critical pre-deployment certification milestone with a scheduled deployment in Spring 2012.
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