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 As part of the Sea Warrior initiative, U.S. 2nd, 3rd and 5th Fleet command master chiefs (CMCs) toured the Persian Gulf with focused interest in the Sailors' current mission requirements and the training they received before their deployment to perform that mission. They focused on issues ranging from personnel turnover coming off deployments, to helping to ensure ships had time to send personnel to the proper training while in port for various mission requirements. "The goal is for training to become more aligned with the evolving mission requirements Sailors are becoming more accustomed to seeing when deployed to the 5th Fleet AOR (Area of Responsibility)," said Chief of Naval Operations-directed Command Master Chief (CNOCM) (SS) Don Kultti, U.S. 2nd Fleet CMC. CNOCM (SW/AW) Kelly Schneider sent out an e-mail in June requesting input from all chief petty officers operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet. "One of the things we need to put energy into is making sure every command's issues regarding training, equipping and manning are understood, and that we are fully abreast of what the requirements are," said Schneider. "When you have that many chiefs tasked with providing one input, that is a substantial amount of input." Schneider said he received 710 responses from a variety of different platforms and commands operating on the ground. After receiving the responses, Schneider invited his 2nd and 3rd Fleet counterparts to the Persian Gulf so they could see firsthand the issues brought up in the e-mails. One area in which CNOCM (SW) Terry Etherton, 3rd Fleet CMC, was interested was asking Sailors how the Fleet Response Plan has affected their ability to train between deployments and if any improvements could be made. Schneider said that many issues are brought up in lessons learned and during turnover between strike groups, but said, "The true core of what's missing is that you aren't hearing every issue from the deckplates and hearing what the chief petty officers are saying regarding their needs for proper training, equipment and manning." Kultti was concerned with standardized training being given to every Sailor individually rather than giving the right amount of training to achieve the desired proficiency. "If a person has proven experience in a particular area, it is more important to spend the time with those Sailors who need the extra time and attention to gain the same level of proficiency," said Kultti. The CMCs also focused on new mission areas and whether the commands were receiving the proper logistical requirements for those missions, as well as the training to go along with the required equipment. "All of those areas have significant effect on the Navy's future readiness and our ability to deploy ships with Sailors ready to accomplish their mission – whatever it may be," said Kultti. "It's about matching a Sailor's training with the Navy's expectations." The CMCs are now following up the feedback they learned from the Sailors by funneling the information into the training areas that future strike groups will receive before deploying. "All 710 inputs have now been vetted – meaning every one was looked at, verified to be valid, and sent to the appropriate command as input. Training issues went to NETC, policy issues went to OPNAV, etc.," said Schneider. "The trip reaffirmed that we have a lot of Sailors and Marines that are doing great things in what is often a very hot and potentially dangerous environment," said Etherton. "We need to ensure they have the proper equipment and tools for our Sailors to do their jobs. Having the right tool to do the job is a very important quality of work issue." "We are responsible for training the Sailors we lead – that also means we're responsible to let the Navy know when the training is not as perfect as it should be," said Schneider. "Leadership in our Navy should be responsible for providing fleet input on ways to do things better, especially in our operating fleets. Our most important asset is our Sailors and we have a responsibility to ensure that they are as ready as they can be before going into harm's way." Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion. Copyright 2012 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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