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Sub force commander eyes changes in officer training
Candidates might visit Groton before beginning intensive classroom work
By Jennifer Grogan Published on 11/1/2008
The commander of the submarine force is considering changing the way officers are trained early in their careers.
There may be a more efficient way to conduct the training between the time officers earn their commission and earn their dolphins, Vice Adm. John J. Donnelly said at the Naval Submarine League's 26th Annual Symposium in McLean, Va., last week.
â€Are there deficiencies today? No, not really, but we might be able to do the same training and achieve the same results in less time,†he said. “We may even save some funds and get officers accelerated to their ships with the same level of knowledge that they have today.â€
After graduating from Officer Candidate School, submarine officers typically begin six months of intense classroom training at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, S.C.
But before they go to South Carolina, Donnelly said it might be worthwhile to send officers to the Naval Submarine Base in Groton for a week to try out the submarine trainers and tour the ships.
â€We'll work them hard for a week but with the fun stuff,†he said. “And that will crystallize in their minds what the sacrifice they're about to make is all for.â€
Officers normally go to the Naval Submarine School in Groton for the Submarine Officer Basic Course after they finish the classroom work in South Carolina and the subsequent training on a reactor at a Nuclear Power Training Unit.
This course is meant to familiarize officers with life underway and teach them about the theory, construction and operation of nuclear-powered submarines. About 350 students graduate annually.
An alternative, Donnelly said, could be to send officers directly to the homeport of their first submarine, instead of to Groton, and let them take a shortened version of the course there.
Officers could receive training specific to their first ship, since homeports have trainers for the classes of submarines kept there, and they could settle into their new homes with their families, Donnelly said.
He emphasized that there are no plans to reduce the number of submariners who train at the Naval Submarine School in Groton. Officers and sailors take courses in Groton throughout their careers.
After the basic course, officers go to submarines to start on their qualifications, eventually earning their dolphins. Donnelly is also thinking about changing the qualification process so officers can drive submarines much earlier.
The day officers pass the test to drive the submarine is often very close to the day they get their dolphins. But to earn this qualification, officers have to learn things that have nothing to do with driving the ship, like strike planning, Donnelly said.
â€We're looking at splitting that out and accelerating the qualification,†he said. “We'll get them on the watch and give them some ship-driving experience. Then the pinning of the dolphins will be three or four months later while they complete those other important tasks.â€
Donnelly floated these ideas at the symposium, but said in an interview afterward that they are “very, very preliminary.â€
â€We look at all of our processes all the time, and it's really my job to try to bring improvement to the submarine force,†he said. “They don't all play out. We may find that there's no change required. It's just one area we're looking at.â€
One personnel change that is more certain is that Donnelly plans to add a new rating, or job, for submariners- information technology.
Sailors who now maintain a submarine's computer network are trained in other areas, like sonar. Working outside their rating means they can be at a disadvantage when it comes to preparation and advancement in their own jobs, Donnelly said.
â€It's not easy to grow a new rating, but we're going to,†he said.
J.GROGAN@THEDAY.COM
Sub force commander eyes changes in officer training
Candidates might visit Groton before beginning intensive classroom work
By Jennifer Grogan Published on 11/1/2008
The commander of the submarine force is considering changing the way officers are trained early in their careers.
There may be a more efficient way to conduct the training between the time officers earn their commission and earn their dolphins, Vice Adm. John J. Donnelly said at the Naval Submarine League's 26th Annual Symposium in McLean, Va., last week.
â€Are there deficiencies today? No, not really, but we might be able to do the same training and achieve the same results in less time,†he said. “We may even save some funds and get officers accelerated to their ships with the same level of knowledge that they have today.â€
After graduating from Officer Candidate School, submarine officers typically begin six months of intense classroom training at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, S.C.
But before they go to South Carolina, Donnelly said it might be worthwhile to send officers to the Naval Submarine Base in Groton for a week to try out the submarine trainers and tour the ships.
â€We'll work them hard for a week but with the fun stuff,†he said. “And that will crystallize in their minds what the sacrifice they're about to make is all for.â€
Officers normally go to the Naval Submarine School in Groton for the Submarine Officer Basic Course after they finish the classroom work in South Carolina and the subsequent training on a reactor at a Nuclear Power Training Unit.
This course is meant to familiarize officers with life underway and teach them about the theory, construction and operation of nuclear-powered submarines. About 350 students graduate annually.
An alternative, Donnelly said, could be to send officers directly to the homeport of their first submarine, instead of to Groton, and let them take a shortened version of the course there.
Officers could receive training specific to their first ship, since homeports have trainers for the classes of submarines kept there, and they could settle into their new homes with their families, Donnelly said.
He emphasized that there are no plans to reduce the number of submariners who train at the Naval Submarine School in Groton. Officers and sailors take courses in Groton throughout their careers.
After the basic course, officers go to submarines to start on their qualifications, eventually earning their dolphins. Donnelly is also thinking about changing the qualification process so officers can drive submarines much earlier.
The day officers pass the test to drive the submarine is often very close to the day they get their dolphins. But to earn this qualification, officers have to learn things that have nothing to do with driving the ship, like strike planning, Donnelly said.
â€We're looking at splitting that out and accelerating the qualification,†he said. “We'll get them on the watch and give them some ship-driving experience. Then the pinning of the dolphins will be three or four months later while they complete those other important tasks.â€
Donnelly floated these ideas at the symposium, but said in an interview afterward that they are “very, very preliminary.â€
â€We look at all of our processes all the time, and it's really my job to try to bring improvement to the submarine force,†he said. “They don't all play out. We may find that there's no change required. It's just one area we're looking at.â€
One personnel change that is more certain is that Donnelly plans to add a new rating, or job, for submariners- information technology.
Sailors who now maintain a submarine's computer network are trained in other areas, like sonar. Working outside their rating means they can be at a disadvantage when it comes to preparation and advancement in their own jobs, Donnelly said.
â€It's not easy to grow a new rating, but we're going to,†he said.
J.GROGAN@THEDAY.COM