Photo By Clinton Beaird | Lt. Kelly Murphy (left) receives her Amphibious Warfare (AMW) Warfare Tactics...... read more read more
Seven Amphibious Warfare (AMW) and Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTIs) graduated together at Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) Headquarters in San Diego September 18, 2020.
SMWDC selects top-talent junior Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) to become qualified as expert surface warfighting tacticians, WTIs, in one of four warfare areas – IAMD, AMW, Anti-Submarine Warfare/Surface Warfare (ASW/SUW), or Mine Warfare (MIW).
Warfare area pipeline training typically occurs at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va. for AMW, Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Va. for IAMD, Naval Station San Diego for ASW/SUW, and onboard NATO school Ecole de Guerre des Mines (translates as Naval Mine Warfare School), located in Oostende, Belgium for MIW. In the past WTI candidates completed a 2-week Instructor and Tactics Course (I/TC) in San Diego before conducting warfare area pipeline training, but that sequence changed for these newest WTIs.
“We purposefully changed the order of training for these two [AMW and IAMD] WTI courses of instruction, with the WTI candidates completing their warfare area pipeline training and then we brought them together here in San Diego to conduct ITC prior to graduating,” said Cmdr. Howard Fielden, SMWDC deputy director of operations and training. “By changing the order of training we were able to cover more advanced material during ITC and better connect WTIs from multiple warfare areas.”
Within a few years, SMWDC will open WTI University onboard Naval Station San Diego. WTI University is where all WTI candidates – AMW, IAMD, MIW and ASW/SUW – will receive their foundational training, complete a majority of their warfare area pipeline training, and complete a more demanding ITC before graduating together. Some elements of the warfare area pipeline will continue to be completed outside of San Diego, but most of the training will be completed together in San Diego.
The newest AMW WTIs are Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Peeples, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Pavlik, Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Missel, Lt. Loera William, and Lt. Kelly Murphy. The newest IAMD WTIs are Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Bartholomeaux, and Lt. Emily Hornberger.
“The past 17 weeks of training were humbling,” said Bartholomeaux. “The additional challenges that COVID-19 presented forced SMWDC and AEGIS Training and Readiness Center [ATRC] staff to adapt, and they did an amazing job delivering the quality curriculum expected from this course of instruction. I am honored to join the WTI cadre of surface warfighting experts, and I look forward to further honing my own skills while increasing fleet readiness during advanced tactical training events.”
SWOs interested in professional growth and development with opportunities to increase the Fleet’s readiness and lethality can email the WTI program managers at SWO_WTI@navy.mil.
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2020 17:17 |
| Story ID: | 379920 |
| Location: | NAVAL STATION SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 392 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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