#surface warfare officer swo

[rhk111sblog]

You have probably seen this TikTok Video already by Timothy James and how he broke down the supposed “Collision” between the China Coast Guard (CCG) Vessel and a Philippine Vessel. James is a former Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) of the United States Navy (USN), so he knows what he is talking about.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, then this is a Must Watch Video, all Filipinos should go and watch it. I also stitched a second Video of his where he talked a little bit more about the Incident.

Here are the Links to Timothy James’ TikTok Account and Videos:

US Navy Officer shares Thoughts on Collision of Chinese and Philippine Vessels

Timothy James TikTok Account

[cavenewstimes]

Here’s what the Navy is doing to boost SWO retention

Read More Military Times  Retention among surface warfare officers going into department head school is slightly down from last year, but numbers overall remain up as the service has launched several initiatives to keep SWOs in the service longer, according to officials. SWOs have historically departed their community at higher rates than the submarine and aviation communities, and the Navy has…

[nicholassabalos]

The ones that started it all....

Shortly after graduating from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1974....with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Political Science....I wasn’t sure what lay ahead for me, career-wise.

The recent Nation-wrenching resignation of President Nixon, the impending American defeat in Vietnam, and the lingering effects of the Arab oil crisis had sent the American economy into a tailspin. Jobs were scarce for anyone, regardless of education credentials.

After a year of low-paying, unsatisfying, dead-end post-college jobs (sound familiar, college grads?), and passing by these United States Navy recruiting posters every day while commuting in and out of Washington, D.C. by bus....

....I decided to go into the Navy.

My college degree offered me the opportunity (and honor) to enter the Navy as an officer.

The rest is history....and a long, amazing career as a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer....

U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) pin....earned after years of training and on-the-job qualifications....from shiphandling to leadership skills....and worn with deepest pride!

I’d found my calling in life!

Driving warships!

I owe it all to those three iconic (and inspiring) posters seen daily through crowded bus windows!

[phoenixjobs8]

Surface Warfare Officer

ABOUTAmerica’s Navy has the most modern, advanced fleet of ships in the entire world.

Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) are trained extensively to maintain and operate these ships, their crews and their systems.

Providing direction.

Leading by example.Surface Warfare Officers form the backbone of Fleet leadership.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to excel as a leader.

You could serve as Commanding Officer over an elite crew and be an authority in every aspect of your Navy assignments.

Doing any or all of the following:* Directing personnel operations aboard Navy vessels, such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, amphibious warfare ships, mine warfare ships and frigates* Managing shipboard vertical launch systems* Using computer displays and advanced technology in battle and ship defense* Providing support to Navy expeditionary forces, Theater Air Missile operations, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-air warfare, and support and supply missionsRESPONSIBILITIESSurface Warfare Officers are involved in virtually every aspect of Navy missions.

As a SWO, you may be in charge of any number of shipboard operations and activities while at sea, working with or within any of these specialized forces:Aircraft Carrier Forces: Provide and coordinate air, submarine and surface ship defense for aircraft carriersCruiser-Destroyer Forces: Provide ship attack and defensive measures with a wide array of missile and fire power capabilities, providing anti-air, -submarine and -surface warfare supportAmphibious Forces: Embark and transport vehicles, equipment and personnel for amphibious assault operationsCombat-Logistics Forces: Provide combatant ships with fuel, ammunition, food and supplies, and provide repair, maintenance and rescue capabilities through Fleet Support ShipsMine Warfare Forces: Detect, identify and neutralize threats from hostile use of maritime minesYou may also be interested in becoming a Surface Warfare Officer within the prestigious Navy Nuclear community, where you will have the opportunity to work on some of the world’s most powerful nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.WORK ENVIRONMENTAs a Surface Warfare Officer, you will work at sea and on shore, in a variety of environments.

Sea duty could place you aboard ships within the fleet.

Shore duty may involve a tour of duty at the Pentagon; a student assignment at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.; or command and management positions at shore bases and stations around the world.TRAINING & ADVANCEMENTUnless they have already been commissioned through the Naval Academy or ROTC, those pursuing a Surface Warfare Officer position are required to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport, R.I.

Newly commissioned SWOs can expect an advanced training process that includes comprehensive training at sea and ashore.Newly commissioned Surface Warfare Officers will be assigned to a surface ship, leading a team of Sailors responsible for a component of the ship – anything from electronics to weapons to engineering systems.

In this setting, Officers are working toward full Surface Warfare qualification.After completing these initial sea tours, Surface Warfare Officers may be selected to serve on high-level staffs, commands or strategic projects, or they may be selected to work in recruitment.

Promotion opportunities are regularly available but competitive and based on performance.

It’s also important to note that specialized training received and work experience gained in the course of service can lead to valuable credentialing and occupational opportunities in related fields.

The ultimate goal for many: to one day command their own ship.EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIESBeyond professional credentials and certifications, Surface Warfare Officers can advance their education by:* Pursuing opportunities at institutions such as Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) or Navy War College (NWC)* Completing Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) at one of the various service collegesQUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTSA four-year degree from an accredited U.S.

college or university is required to become a Surface Warfare Officer.

There are different ways to become a SWO.

If you’re a high school student or an undergraduate, you can enter through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) or through the U.S.

Naval Academy.

Those already having a degree attend Officer Candidate School (OCS), a 12-week Navy school in Newport, R.I.To be an eligible candidate, you must:* Be a U.S.

citizen* Be at least 19 years of age and no older than 29 at the time of commissioning* Meet the Navy’s physical standardsGeneral qualifications may vary depending upon whether you’re currently serving, whether you’ve served before or whether you’ve never served before.

The post Surface Warfare Officer first appeared on Valley of the Sun Jobs. source https://valleyofthesunjobs.com/other-general/surface-warfare-officer-0a86f5/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=surface-warfare-officer-0a86f5

[usapat]

Following the advice of a Marine Recruiter in 2010, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Caitlyn Strader Navy continues to enjoy her Navy career with her next step ... becoming a surface warfare officer (SWO).

[channelnewswire-blog]

Top Stories 2018: Navy Operations - USNI News

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) as the ship transits the Strait of Gibraltar on Dec. 4, 2018. US Navy Photo

USNI News polled its writers, naval analysts and service members on what they consider the most important military and maritime stories in 2018.

If 2018 made anything clear, it’s that the U.S. Navy noticed the increased Russian submarine activity in the Atlantic and won’t let it go unaddressed.

Much of the U.S. Navy’s major activities this year were focused on the Atlantic Ocean, on NATO allies and partners, and on boosting training and capabilities for great power competition.

This focus on Atlantic operations to push back against Russia was exemplified in the standup of U.S. 2nd Fleet. This Cold War-era command was disestablished in 2011, during a relatively good period of U.S./Russian relations and just ahead of the Obama Administration’s Pivot to the Pacific. Now, though, it’s clear the relationship has gone cold again, and much of the Navy is focused on the Northern Atlantic, the Arctic Circle and other waters not regularly patrolled since the 1990s.

Airman Luis Calderon, assigned to the Fighting Checkmates of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211, secures an F/A-18F Super Hornet to the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) on Oct. 21, 2018. US Navy Photo

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group was the first to venture north of the Arctic Circle in nearly three decades, and it also spent more time in the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap than any recent CSG has. (CVN-75) and its escorts visited Iceland, U.K. and Norway and patrolled the North Sea and Norwegian Sea in the first “Dynamic Force Employment” deployment meant to keep adversaries on their heels by shaking up when and where strike groups deploy.

Part of Truman’s High North operations was the NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2018, which simulated a Russian invasion of Norwegian sovereign territory and the NATO Article 5 response that would follow.

Though much has been made of Russia’s increasing submarine threat in the region, 2018 also showed Russia’s willingness to challenge international law on maritime and territorial claims through their aggression against Ukraine in the Sea of Azov. Though the U.S. Navy cannot patrol the Sea of Azov, it has kept up its routine destroyer and aircraft patrols of the Black Sea – leading to a handful of times when Russian fighters attempted to intercept or buzz American planes.

Less talked about in 2018 was the Pacific or the Middle East.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Decatur, left, and Chinese warship PRC 170, right, during what the US Navy called an unsafe and unprofessional incident in the South China Sea on Sept. 30, 2018. After the Chinese ship came within 45 yards of Decatur, the US destroyer maneuvered to avoid a collision. US Navy photo, obtained by gCaptain.

China continued its aggression in the South China Sea, (DDG-73) and (L14). It also continued a push to install weapons and sensors onto artificial islands in the South China Sea, leading the Navy to disinvite China from the Rim of the Pacific 2018 international exercise.

Though the Pentagon said it would conduct more freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) to push back against aggression and excessive maritime claims – including one this year aimed at Russia in Peter the Great Bay – military leaders also sought to downplay the FONOPS as routine and not worth drawing attention to.

On multiple occasions, the U.S. Navy sent a pair of ships through the Taiwan Strait. The Navy also sent (DDG-89) to sail near Mischief Reef, and (DDG-76) sailed near the Paracel Island chain.

In the Middle East, the Navy operated the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group in the Persian Gulf for the first three months of the year, but the CSG chopped out in late March and another carrier did not arrive until last week.

A Tomahawk land attack missile launched from USS John Warner (SSN-785) as part of the April 13, 2018 strike against Syrian chemical weapon strikes. US Navy Image

Despite the lack of carriers in the Gulf, the Navy still played a major role in the April 13 missile attack on Syrian targets related to researching, storing and employing chemical weapons. Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG-61) and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Laboon (DDG-58) launched a combined 37 Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea, while USS Higgins (DDG-76) fired 23 Tomahawks from the Persian Gulf and Virginia-class attack submarine USS John Warner (SSN-785) launched six Tomahawks from the Eastern Mediterranean. Joining the attack were U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft, as well as aircraft and ships from France and the U.K. The strike was the first time a Virginia-class sub had fired a shot “in anger,” or at an enemy target rather than a training target.

Readiness Recovery

USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) is pulled towards a pier after departing from a dry dock at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan on Nov. 27, 2018. US Navy Photo

Another major theme of 2018 was rebuilding readiness in the surface navy, after 2017’s pair of collisions in U.S. 7th Fleet that killed 17 sailors and highlighted major training, maintenance and personnel management shortfalls.

The Senate Armed Services Committee drafted a list of surface navy reforms that were ultimately included in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. Among the changes implemented were a requirement for surface warfare officers (SWOs) to use logbooks to record their time at sea, much like aviators do to ensure training across all times, weather, types of maneuvers and other factors. The Navy began issuing logbooks and requiring their use in September.

A study this year showed junior SWOs had major gaps in knowledge about basic ship handling and navigation, which led the surface force community to look at changing the SWO career path to include more at-sea time to build proficiency. The fleet continued to implement its own recommendations and those in the FY 2019 NDAA, requesting funds for schoolhouses, training tools and other reforms.

Lt. Kelly Denimarck an Anti-Submarine/Surface Warfare – Warfare Tactics Instructor, conducts a Surface Warfare Advance Tactical Training (SWATT) briefing aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) on June 22, 2018. US Navy Photo

The Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center was active in 2018, pushing the Navy towards preparedness for higher-end warfare. SMWDC conducted the first surface warfare advanced tactical training (SWATT) exercise on the East Coast with the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, bringing the high-end training to the Atlantic fleet for the first time, as well as the first SWATT on the East Coast for carrier strike group escorts. Additionally, the Navy looked for time at sea to conduct other high-end training, such as leveraging the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group’s transit from San Diego to Hawaii as an opportunity to conduct a “Fleet Problems” open-ended live exercise against U.S. submarines and aircraft playing the red force.

Despite the gains made in some readiness areas, ship and aircraft readiness continued to be a challenge. Outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis set an aggressive goal for the military to achieve an 80-percent mission-capable rate for fighters by the end of Fiscal Year 2019, and while the Navy began to look at what it would take to modernize its depots and its maintenance practices, carrier deployments were at a 25-year low as the force reset. Ship readiness challenges were also on display during RIMPAC 2018, when two amphibious assault ships – one in the main Hawaii exercise and one in the California portion – suffered engineering casualties and had to back out of the exercise. And the entire Littoral Combat Ship fleet remained at home in 2018 despite a plan for four ships to deploy to hubs in Singapore and Bahrain.

The readiness challenges throughout the fleet may have contributed to several fatal mishaps this year, including an ensign who was killed during small boat operations in the Red Sea, a young airman apprentice who was killed aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) when he was struck by the propeller of an E-2C Hawkeye, and two aviators who died in an F/A-18F crash off Key West after their jet was flying on a single engine.

The Navy’s top enlisted sailor stepped down in June in the midst of a workplace misconduct investigation. After the Navy first announced that Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Steven Giordano would be taking leave during the investigation, Giordano announced later that day he would retire. Russell Smith, a fleet master chief who was serving as the senior enlisted advisor on manpower, personnel, training, and education issues, was named temporary MCPON; two months later he was given the job permanently.

Around the globe, Adm. Phil Davidson became the new U.S. Indo-Pacific Fleet Command commander, Adm. John Aquilino became the new U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, and Vice Adm. Scott Stearney relieved Aquilino as the U.S. 5th Fleet commander. Stearney died Dec. 1 in an apparent suicide, and Vice Adm. James Malloy was quickly confirmed as the new 5th Fleet commander.

Sailors move the casket of the late Senator John McCain to a horse-drawn caisson after his funeral service at the United States Naval Academy Chapel on Sept. 2, 2018. US Navy Photo

The Navy also mourned the loss of naval aviator legends and influential lawmakers President George H.W. Bush and Sen. John McCain, who both had lasting impacts on the Navy and are both honored as namesakes of current commissioned warships – with McCain officially being added as a namesake this year alongside his father and his grandfather, who are honored by the USS John McCain (DDG-56).

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson kicked off the year with the introduction of his six-pronged approach for creating a “whole” naval fleet, and he ended the year by releasing an updated Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority 2.0 that outlines a plan to achieve that whole fleet.

[wisecollectorofbooks]

I just ranted at my dad over text about this.  Ugh.  This is why I hate NCIS.  Everytime NCIS and JAG interact, they fuck with Harm and Mac.  The backdoor NCIS pilot episodes of JAG were some of the absolute worst episodes of television. Way to ruin the ambiguous but also quite enjoyable ending of JAG, there, guys.

I won’t even get into the complete RIDICULOUSNESS that is 14 years later, Harm has... been demoted? to being the XO of an aircraft carrier.  I was in the Navy for 12 years, 7 of them as an officer, I know of what I speak.  It was already implausible enough that he got to go back to being a pilot for a while, before going back to JAG, but given the storyline of the time, it wasn’t such a bad thing to have him do.  BUT SERIOUSLY.  14 years after being an O-6, you are no longer an O-6. You’ve put on flag rank or you have retired.  You don’t spend several more years as an attorney (or, left the Navy?  What did he do for those apparent 5 years before their engagement ended?), then RETURN, go through Command School and then engineering school, to go off to be the XO of a CVN.  This has nothing to do with his being a pilot - CVNs and bigdeck amphibs like I was on have a SWO and a Pilot alternating XO and CO, because they need the combined aviation and surface warfare experience.  My ship had a helo pilot XO who became CO when our SWO CO’s time was up, and her XO was another SWO.  You don’t just... decide that you want to do this as a restricted line officer, even if you once were a line officer (pilot).

I have friends from the Naval Academy, where I got commissioned through, who are just now, 12+ years after we graduated, getting screened for command once they finish their post-department head shore duty tours.  I have friends who are fighter pilots operating off of carriers who are starting to get looked at as potential carrier command candidates.  They are only JUST putting on O-4, they won’t make O-6 for a decade, at least,, at which point they will have finished their aviation dept head tours, gone through command screening, gone back to training schools for a year or more, and then maybe been selected for an XO billet.  A JAG attorney who never did an aviation department head tour or two, or any of the other expected jobs you need to give you the experience you must have for command... no.  it wouldn’t happen.  ugh.  

Seriously, my 12 years in the Navy ruined me for enjoying a lot of the tv shows of my high school and early 20s years, but I could forgive JAG a lot because I was more invested in the Harm & Mac story/slow-burn.  This... character assassination, and bad storytelling, is what I have always associated with NCIS as a show, from the moment they used JAG to backdoor pilot it.  I’m honestly not surprised that yet again, they’ve managed to damage the memory and, honestly, the open-ended closure, the series finale gave us.  Harm and Mac, no matter who won the coin toss, had earned their happy ending.  Except... no, they didn’t.  They just got a 5 year engagement that fell apart, spent 9 years apart, and Harm apparently went back in time to re-do his Navy carreer that at this point in time he should be happily retired from if he wasn’t at least a 2 Star admiral.  

Why do all the things I used to love keep getting ruined.  This is why I only watch hockey, The Good Place, and the Great British Bake Off these days. 

What’s the actual purpose of stringing us along with Harm and Mac with a coin toss only to f-ck with them 14 years later for no reason?

[southcarolinajobs]

Surface Warfare Officer

ABOUT America’s Navy has the most modern, advanced fleet of ships in the entire world.

Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) are trained extensively to maintain and operate these ships, their crews and their systems.

Providing direction.

Leading by example.

Surface Warfare Officers form the backbone of Fleet leadership.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to excel as a leader.

You could serve as Commanding Officer over an elite crew and be an authority in every aspect of your Navy assignments.

Doing any or all of the following: Directing personnel operations aboard Navy vessels, such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, amphibious warfare ships, mine warfare ships and frigates Managing shipboard vertical launch systems Using computer displays and advanced technology in battle and ship defense Providing support to Navy expeditionary forces, Theater Air Missile operations, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-air warfare, and support and supply missions RESPONSIBILITIES Surface Warfare Officers are involved in virtually every aspect of Navy missions.

As a SWO, you may be in charge of any number of shipboard operations and activities while at sea, working with or within any of these specialized forces: Aircraft Carrier Forces: Provide and coordinate air, submarine and surface ship defense for aircraft carriers Cruiser-Destroyer Forces: Provide ship attack and defensive measures with a wide array of missile and fire power capabilities, providing anti-air, -submarine and -surface warfare support Amphibious Forces: Embark and transport vehicles, equipment and personnel for amphibious assault operations Combat-Logistics Forces: Provide combatant ships with fuel, ammunition, food and supplies, and provide repair, maintenance and rescue capabilities through Fleet Support Ships Mine Warfare Forces: Detect, identify and neutralize threats from hostile use of maritime mines You may also be interested in becoming a Surface Warfare Officer within the prestigious Navy Nuclear community, where you will have the opportunity to work on some of the world’s most powerful nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.

WORK ENVIRONMENT As a Surface Warfare Officer, you will work at sea and on shore, in a variety of environments.

Sea duty could place you aboard ships within the fleet.

Shore duty may involve a tour of duty at the Pentagon; a student assignment at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.; or command and management positions at shore bases and stations around the world.

TRAINING & ADVANCEMENT Unless they have already been commissioned through the Naval Academy or ROTC, those pursuing a Surface Warfare Officer position are required to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport, R.I.

Newly commissioned SWOs can expect an advanced training process that includes comprehensive training at sea and ashore.

Newly commissioned Surface Warfare Officers will be assigned to a surface ship, leading a team of Sailors responsible for a component of the ship – anything from electronics to weapons to engineering systems.

In this setting, Officers are working toward full Surface Warfare qualification.

After completing these initial sea tours, Surface Warfare Officers may be selected to serve on high-level staffs, commands or strategic projects, or they may be selected to work in recruitment.

Promotion opportunities are regularly available but competitive and based on performance.

It’s also important to note that specialized training received and work experience gained in the course of service can lead to valuable credentialing and occupational opportunities in related fields.

The ultimate goal for many: to one day command their own ship.

EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES Beyond professional credentials and certifications, Surface Warfare Officers can advance their education by: Pursuing opportunities at institutions such as Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) or Navy War College (NWC) Completing Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) at one of the various service colleges QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS A four-year degree from an accredited U.S.

college or university is required to become a Surface Warfare Officer.

There are different ways to become a SWO.

If you’re a high school student or an undergraduate, you can enter through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) or through the U.S.

Naval Academy.

Those already having a degree attend Officer Candidate School (OCS), a 12-week Navy school in Newport, R.I.

To be an eligible candidate, you must: Be a U.S.

citizen Be at least 19 years of age and no older than 29 at the time of commissioning Meet the Navy’s physical standards General qualifications may vary depending upon whether you’re currently serving, whether you’ve served before or whether you’ve never served before.

from South Carolina Jobs https://ift.tt/32b5E9K via IFTTT

[thewebofslime]

On Sept. 3, the stealthy littoral combat ship Gabrielle Giffords slipped out of San Diego, carrying a new vessel-killing missile that could transform it into the high tech mauler its inventors always hoped it would become. It sailed for the western Pacific, where rising powers such as China and Russia seek to challenge America’s long control of the sea. Sister trimarin-hulled LCS Montgomery left San Diego three months three months earlier and awaits it, already forward-deployed and operating out of Singapore. The twin deployments to the western Pacific come after the troubled LCS program had been in stand down mode for 19 months as Navy leaders tried to a program plagued by cost overruns, technology glitches and leadership snafus. But this time Gabrielle Giffords carries the new Naval Strike Missile, marking the first time the weapons system has deployed on an LCS. The Raytheon/Kongsberg-made NSM can destroy an enemy ship from more than 100 nautical miles away, hurtling at high subsonic speed while its electronic brain homes in on its target. That’s about 30 nautical miles farther than the published range of the Harpoon missile it replaces, officials say. And it’s so precise that sailors can pinpoint where it will spear into a vessel, such as blowing apart an engine room or decapitating a bridge. Navy leaders declined to talk on the record about the what this missile means for potential foes overseas, but they’ll whisper that the NSM’s longer range complicates matters for adversaries. They now have to worry about where all U.S. ships, great and small, are located because of the reach of the weapons systems on them. Sign up for the Navy Times Daily News Roundup Don't miss the top Navy stories, delivered each afternoon Subscribe The Naval Strike Missile, the Navy's new over-the-horizon anti-ship missile. (Kongsberg) Combined with the MQ-8C Fire Scout, an over-the-horizon surveillance and targeting drone that achieved its initial operational capability in June, the one-two LCS punch of snooping robot helicopter and lethal missile promises to put out-ranged enemy warships in peril. During a Sept. 11 telephone interview, Cmdr. Eddie Rosso — the Montgomery’s Blue Crew commanding officer — seized on the Fire Scout’s capabilities, especially its maritime search radar, day and night intelligence sensors and proven duty as a communications relay for a network of U.S. warships. Montgomery recently concluded what Pentagon officials say are highly successful exercises with the Royal Thai Navy and the maritime or air forces of five other nations in the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea, where China has exerted territorial claims its neighbors contest. Rosso called the return of the new and improved LCS to the western Pacific a “tangible sign of the U.S. commitment to the maritime security of the region.” His boss, Capt. Matt Jerbi, the commander of Destroyer Squadron 7, pointed to an increased number of sailors, civilian workers and contractors ashore in Singapore to maintain not only the Montgomery but “multiple forward-operating LCS.” An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle conducts flight operations on June 27 alongside the Freedom-class littoral combat ship Milwaukee in the Atlantic Ocean. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anderson W. Branch/Navy) An LCS hasn’t prowled the western Pacific since Coronado left the region in late 2017 to return to its San Diego homeport after a year and a half forward-deployed in Singapore. It was a tour that highlight both the ugly past dogging the littoral combat ship program and its tantalizing promise. On its maiden cruise to the western Pacific, Coronado broke down and had to spend a month undergoing repairs in Hawaii. By then, five of the eight littoral combat ships delivered to the Navy had suffered expensive mechanical casualties, with investigators blaming bad designs, shoddy maintenance, leadership failures and poorly-trained crews for many of the problems. Conceived during President George W. Bush’s administration, the LCS was envisioned as a cheap, speedy, nimble, sparsely-manned warship that relied on robots to wage war along shallow shorelines that the Navy’s beefier guided-missile destroyers couldn’t enter. In an era of counter-insurgency warfare, the LCS seemed like a perfect platform to sneak SEALs or Marines ashore or eviscerate “swarm boats” attempting to attack a flotilla. The promise of new plug-in technology also seemed to offer the ability to install innovative software shortly after Silicon Valley created it. To the program’s proponents, LCS could become a minesweeper one day and a submarine killer a few weeks later, depending on which equipment module and crew members were being switched out. But by late 2016, the LCS had morphed into a punching bag for lawmakers who began writing off the program as a $12.4 billion boondoggle. Instead of replacing the mothballed fleet of venerable Oliver Hazard Perry-class of sub-hunting frigates or the aging Avenger-class minesweepers, critics kvetched that the under-gunned LCS was just a fat and pricey corvette. Critics blasted the program for the long delays in delivering the mine countermeasure and anti-submarine modules and fretted that an LCS wouldn’t be able to hit an enemy before receiving a death blow that its sensors and weapons couldn’t block and its small crews couldn’t mend. Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Kerri Corcoran, assigned to the Independence-class littoral combat ship Montgomery, prepares to throw out a line while a tug boat comes alongside Montgomery to escort her into Davao City for a scheduled June 29 port visit. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tristin Barth/Navy) But Coronado’s triumphant return to San Diego turned some heads. Although mechanical gremlins bedeviled its journey west, its forward-deployed tour in Singapore was largely uneventful and trip east was boring. The deployment stressed the warship’s crew and technology, but the Navy reported better fuel mileage than they anticipated, high reliability with its weapons and equipment glitches that could be fixed in days, not weeks. Coronado also practiced how it might fight in the future, lurking in atolls to ambush an enemy, then scooting at high speeds to new hiding places. Destroyer Squadron 7′s Jerbi told Navy Times that the trimarin terror’s “shallow draft, high speeds and tailored mission packages make it well suited to operate in the littoral areas of the Indo-Pacific region.” In 2015, Coronado successfully test-fired the NSM — the missile now being carried to China’s doorstep. That seemed to fit then-Vice Adm. Tom Rowden’s concept of “distributed lethality,” a way to use networked surface vessels, submarines and aircraft — including an anticipated fleet of drones — to spread out over large areas to knock foes off their feet. Constantly invoking the mantra “if it floats, it fights,” Rowden, the man at the helm of Naval Surface Forces, saw the globe’s oceans as a vast chessboard, where he could use littoral combat ships as pawns capable of killing kings. While the tactical trials played out at sea, Rowden ordered sweeping reforms to the rest of the LCS fleet. He wanted to change the way crews are trained and to find the right level of staffing and maintenance to keep the warships afloat. On Aug. 26, shortly before the vessel left San Diego, Vice Adm. Richard Brown, the commander of Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, visited the littoral combat ship Gabrielle Giffords. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alex Millar/Navy) Rowden was replaced as the Navy’s “SWO Boss” in early 2018 by Vice Adm. Richard Brown. His successor expanded the reforms, continuing the stand down but predicting it would pay dividends later. A little more than a year before Gabrielle Giffords left California, Brown told Defense News that once the LCS deployments started, they weren’t going to stop. He declared the trimarans Montgomery and Giffords would exit for the western Pacific first, followed by the mono-hulled Detroit and Little Rock departing the East Coast. Following the Rowden and Brown reforms, the LCS fleet was divided between the two coasts: the steel mono-hulled versions of the LCS go to Florida’s Naval Station Mayport while aluminum-hulled trimarin warships like Gabrielle Giffords and Montgomery head for the Pacific. Over the past 14 years, the Pentagon has purchased 35 of both types of LCS, part of a push to get to a 355-ship Navy. The first four LCS that were built have been designated as training platforms. The Navy took delivery of the 17th LCS, the Indianapolis, in June. Although military leaders have asked Congress to begin shifting LCS funds to buy a future frigate — a project called FFG(X) — by 2034 the Navy expects to still man 34 littoral combat ships. The crew of the littoral combat ship Billings brought the ship to life during its Aug. 3 commissioning in Key West. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Marianne Guemo/Navy) Partly that’s because the Pentagon and key Congressional leaders see the maturing LCS program as a possible hedge in case the FFG(X) runs into its own delays. But it’s also because the LCS remains a relatively cheap alternative to other U.S. warships. The last trio of LCS vessels was procured for about $523.7 million each, about 30 percent the cost of an Arleigh Burke-class warship, according to the Congressional Research Service. And they rely on fewer crew members, which also cuts expenses. The Pentagon has called for about half of the littoral combat ships to be forward-deployed at any given time, serving tours that last as long as two years overseas. When the LCS fleet builds to 24 warships, that likely means three in Singapore, another trio at other western Pacific ports, and maybe seven more in Bahrain, where they can patrol the volatile Persian Gulf. Before the reforms overseen by Rowden and Brown, the Navy envisioned a three-crew-for-two-hulls rotation plan, but they scrapped that. Gabrielle Giffords, Montgomery and other littoral combat ships now use two crews for each vessel. Sailors fly out to the western Pacific to switch out the crews, which maintains a high tempo of operations for the warships without burning out personnel. Or, as Capt. Jerbi put it, a rotational deployment to the 7th Fleet, using a Blue/Gold crew structure, “allows the ship to remain operating forward for longer durations than traditional deployments.” Admiral: LCS will hunt drug smugglers The LCS will pick up a mission held by Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates until 2015. By: Geoff Ziezulewicz Packed with weapons and sensors with longer ranges and increased lethality, the presence of a meaner and more dependable LCS promises to free up destroyers and cruisers for more important missions, but defense analysts also see them as part of a larger push to better match capabilities with rising Pacific powers. They point to ongoing Navy’s efforts to field the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial refueling drone to hike the speed and range of the service’s mainstay aircraft, now that Chinese ship-zapping ballistic missiles make it riskier for U.S. carriers to operate in the region. “It’s great that the Navy is doing these improvements, but it’s very incremental,” said Bryan Clark, a retired submarine officer and analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. "It has been a decade since the Navy said: ‘Hey, we need to start an unmanned aircraft program of some kind, and we need put better anti-ship missiles on our ships.’ “And here we are, 10 years later, and the MQ-25 is still making its way toward fielding, which won’t happen for several years, and we’re finally deploying a ship with a better anti-ship cruise missile. So kudos to the Navy for doing it, but this is emblematic of the problem the [Department of Defense] has in making the shift toward new ways of fighting. "It just can’t get out of its own way to field a new capability in under a decade.”

[georgemcginn]

U.S. Navy Navy Live Update

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Time Well Spent 01/29/2018 07:58 PM EST

By Adm. Bill Moran Vice Chief of Naval Operations I recently completed an energizing trip to Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS) in Newport, Rhode Island, to get a…

[nicholassabalos]

I can relate….

                             Tales from a brand-new Seenager*....

SUBIC BAY, Republic of the Philippines (March 21, 2019) -- United States Navy Ensign Alexander Mobilia, watches the sunset from the stern of his mine countermeasures ship USS Pioneer (MCM 9)....where he serves as Communications Officer....while moored alongside the almost-iconic Alava Pier.**

The warship is making a port visit to Subic for a few days of rest, recreation and repairs....before continuing on it’s assigned duties while deployed for several months to these far reaches of the world from home.

                                            *          *          *          *

The sunsets over Subic Bay are routinely magnificent....as the sun sinks into the South China Sea behind the Zambales coastal mountains....and Mt. Balingkilat, literally the “Mountain of Thunder”.

I’ve watched probably 100 or more sunsets from this very pier....

That was me standing there back in the Spring of 1978....a 23-year-old Ensign in the U.S. Navy....assigned to my first warship, the huge guided-missile cruiser, USS Chicago (CG 11), as Electronic Warfare officer....and to learn how to “drive” a warship....and become a fully-qualified Surface Warfare Officer (SWO). (Pilots fly airplanes....SWOs drive warships.)

I was stationed aboard this massive cruiser....and learned to drive a ship here aboard USS Chicago (CG 11)....when this photo was taken on March 14, 1978. We were on our way back to our homeport of San Diego, CA (and the most wonderful place I’ve ever lived) at the end of a 7-month deployment overseas to the Pacific and Indian Oceans....and it seems like only yesterday.

                                           *          *          *          *

                                                    April 2, 2019

That was all 41 years ago!

All of sudden, today, I reach (in American society, at least) seniority (age 65).

(Hey....wait just a minute! MY PARENTS are 65! Not me!)

(Actually, we’re currently arranging my Mom’s upcoming 90th birthday celebration....and the largest family reunion since my Dad’s funeral at age 74 fifteen years ago.)

So, as some say, I’ve now progressed in life from Infant....to Child....to Teenager....to Adult....and, now, to Seenager. (<<I love that term, just introduced to me by a treasured friend!)

From what I’ve observed....I do believe Child returns at some point in my future. (The ”far future,” I can only hope!)

So, goody....here come those promised “Golden Years” -- challenging, intimidating and fascinating all at once!

Actually, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have several mentors, each nearly a generation my senior....as well as my awesome Mom, of course....who have quietly shown me how to do it right!

But, oh, to be standing back there on the stern of my proud American warship....the warm and fragrant tropical air draped over the bay....another inspiring sunset painting the almost-otherworldly skies....

....so far from home, yet so at-home....

....so proud, and, yet, so humbled....

....the world at my doorstep.

I guess I’m now at the porch doorstep to the back yard! :)

                                          ___________________________

>>Top photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Mortensen, USN

                                          *          *          *          *

*Oh, and what’s a Seenager (like ME now!)? How about this....

"I am a Seenager (Senior Teenager). I have everything I wanted as a Teenager, only 50 years later. I don’t have to go to school or work. I get an allowance every month. I have my own pad. I don’t have a curfew. I have a driver’s license and my own car. The people I hang out with are not scared of getting pregnant. And they do not use drugs. And I don’t have acne. Life is great!" – Source unknown

                                          *          *          *          *

** Several posts before this one, I wrote about Alava Pier and the memories it rekindles for so many “WESTPAC Sailors” -- the hundreds of thousands who have deployed on American warships to the Western Pacific over the decades....in times of both war and peace.

CLICK HERE for that post.

[alarmist-nonsense]

“For nearly 30 years, all new surface warfare officers spent their first six months in uniform at the Surface Warfare Officer’s School in Newport, Rhode Island, learning the theory behind driving ships and leading sailors as division officers. But that changed in 2003. The Navy decided to eliminate the “SWOS Basic” school and simply send surface fleet officers out to sea to learn on the job. The Navy did that mainly to save money, and the fleet has suffered severely for it, said retired Cmdr. Kurt Lippold.”

[hudsonespie]

GAO: Navy Needs to Overhaul Career Model for Surface Warfare Officers

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report suggesting that changes are needed in the century-old model that guides the careers of the U.S. Navy's surface warfare officers (SWOs). After navigational errors led to two back-to-back collisions involving American destroyers in 2017, Congress instructed GAO to examine how the Navy trains and retains the officers who run its surface vessels. The Navy conducted its own study and identified deficiencies in the SWO career path and staffing policies, and it made changes to improve these areas.

GAO looked deeper: examining retention statistics, it found that SWOs are likelier to leave the Navy than their colleagues in the submarine, aviation and special warfare communities. Female SWOs are especially likely to depart, with 88 percent leaving the Navy within 10 years of starting their careers. This attrition rate comes with a cost: the Navy spends more than $630,000 on each SWO over the span of their first eight years of service, and that investment is lost when an individual departs. 

Part of the attrition rate may be attributable to an oversized pool of junior officers. The Navy commissions nearly twice the number of SWOs needed to fill its junior officer ranks, and this can limit training opportunities aboard ships. Between 2017-2021, the Navy needed an average of about 950 ensigns per year, but it commissioned about 1750. This pattern has persisted for at least the past 20 years, according to GAO. 

The oversupply of junior officers is intended to compensate for a low retention rate through the eight-year mark, when the best performers are promoted to department head. But it leads to crowding on the bridge: last year, for example, the destroyer USS Mustin had 18 trainees to fill six billets. In practice, this increases the competition for limited training opportunities to qualify as ship drivers, according to GAO. The U.S. Navy's internal reviews have reached the same conclusion - that "the long-term practice of over-commissioning junior SWOs has directly contributed to declining SWO readiness."

In addition, most SWOs told GAO's investigators that they would rather have a specialized career path. The Navy is unique in its practice of training every SWO to work in every shipboard department. Aboard French, Italian, Japanese and British warships - and on U.S. Navy submarines and U.S. Coast Guard cutters - operations officers work in the operations department and engineering officers work in the engineering department, with regard to the specialized knowledge required for each role. Not so for SWOs, who typically rotate through multiple departments and ship classes throughout their careers. This arrangement has been in place since 1899 and has been only slightly adjusted over the decades. 

Based on survey results, GAO estimated that 65 percent of SWOs believe that a switch to specialized SWO career paths would best prepare them for their duties, compared with just 16 percent who believe that the current generalist model is best. In particular, the respondents said that they would be better able to attain (and keep) mastery in a given department if they did not have to switch back and forth, and that specialization would help to retain technically-capable officers who are not bound for the Commanding Officer role. (Further, about half reported that they do not want to become a CO.)

"Although the U.S. SWO career path has a goal of developing proficient Commanding Officers, a significant number of SWOs do not want to become ship Commanding Officers—an option not currently available to senior U.S. Navy SWOs—and junior SWOs reported higher overall likelihood of retention with specialized career paths, including in a path that does not provide the opportunity to command a ship," GAO concluded. 

The agency recommended that the Navy should follow up with a thorough review of the 120-year-old career model, starting with retention rate data. 

from Storage Containers https://maritime-executive.com/article/gao-navy-needs-to-overhaul-career-model-for-surface-warfare-officers via http://www.rssmix.com/

[srilankaguardian-official-blog]

US-Lanka Defence Relations: Rear Admiral Travish’s Visits to SWOS ( Photos)

US-Lanka Defence Relations: Rear Admiral Travish’s Visits to SWOS ( Photos)

(February 1, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) RADM Travis Sinniah, Sri Lankan Navy Eastern Commander, visited Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS) last month for an office call with SWOS Commanding Officer, CAPT Scott Robertson, and addressed Surface Commander Course and Department Head students in Mullen Auditorium. Here are a few photographs provided by the SWOS.

The Surface Warfare…

[phoenixjobs8]

Surface Warfare Officer

ABOUT America’s Navy has the most modern, advanced fleet of ships in the entire world.

Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) are trained extensively to maintain and operate these ships, their crews and their systems.

Providing direction.

Leading by example.

Surface Warfare Officers form the backbone of Fleet leadership.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to excel as a leader.

You could serve as Commanding Officer over an elite crew and be an authority in every aspect of your Navy assignments.

Doing any or all of the following: Directing personnel operations aboard Navy vessels, such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, amphibious warfare ships, mine warfare ships and frigates Managing shipboard vertical launch systems Using computer displays and advanced technology in battle and ship defense Providing support to Navy expeditionary forces, Theater Air Missile operations, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-air warfare, and support and supply missions RESPONSIBILITIES Surface Warfare Officers are involved in virtually every aspect of Navy missions.

As a SWO, you may be in charge of any number of shipboard operations and activities while at sea, working with or within any of these specialized forces: Aircraft Carrier Forces: Provide and coordinate air, submarine and surface ship defense for aircraft carriers Cruiser-Destroyer Forces: Provide ship attack and defensive measures with a wide array of missile and fire power capabilities, providing anti-air, -submarine and -surface warfare support Amphibious Forces: Embark and transport vehicles, equipment and personnel for amphibious assault operations Combat-Logistics Forces: Provide combatant ships with fuel, ammunition, food and supplies, and provide repair, maintenance and rescue capabilities through Fleet Support Ships Mine Warfare Forces: Detect, identify and neutralize threats from hostile use of maritime mines You may also be interested in becoming a Surface Warfare Officer within the prestigious Navy Nuclear community, where you will have the opportunity to work on some of the world’s most powerful nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.

WORK ENVIRONMENT As a Surface Warfare Officer, you will work at sea and on shore, in a variety of environments.

Sea duty could place you aboard ships within the fleet.

Shore duty may involve a tour of duty at the Pentagon; a student assignment at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.; or command and management positions at shore bases and stations around the world.

TRAINING & ADVANCEMENT Unless they have already been commissioned through the Naval Academy or ROTC, those pursuing a Surface Warfare Officer position are required to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport, R.I.

Newly commissioned SWOs can expect an advanced training process that includes comprehensive training at sea and ashore.

Newly commissioned Surface Warfare Officers will be assigned to a surface ship, leading a team of Sailors responsible for a component of the ship – anything from electronics to weapons to engineering systems.

In this setting, Officers are working toward full Surface Warfare qualification.

After completing these initial sea tours, Surface Warfare Officers may be selected to serve on high-level staffs, commands or strategic projects, or they may be selected to work in recruitment.

Promotion opportunities are regularly available but competitive and based on performance.

It’s also important to note that specialized training received and work experience gained in the course of service can lead to valuable credentialing and occupational opportunities in related fields.

The ultimate goal for many: to one day command their own ship.

EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES Beyond professional credentials and certifications, Surface Warfare Officers can advance their education by: Pursuing opportunities at institutions such as Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) or Navy War College (NWC) Completing Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) at one of the various service colleges QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS A four-year degree from an accredited U.S.

college or university is required to become a Surface Warfare Officer.

There are different ways to become a SWO.

If you’re a high school student or an undergraduate, you can enter through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) or through the U.S.

Naval Academy.

Those already having a degree attend Officer Candidate School (OCS), a 12-week Navy school in Newport, R.I.

To be an eligible candidate, you must: Be a U.S.

citizen Be at least 19 years of age and no older than 29 at the time of commissioning Meet the Navy’s physical standards General qualifications may vary depending upon whether you’re currently serving, whether you’ve served before or whether you’ve never served before.

source https://valleyofthesunjobs.com/teaching-education/surface-warfare-officer-f7dce7/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=surface-warfare-officer-f7dce7

[usapat]

More than 250 Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) midshipmen and Seaman to Admiral-21 officer candidates from 93 colleges and universities around the country chose the first ships of their Navy careers. Ship selection is one of the most significant events for these midshipmen and officer candidates as they take their first step toward joining the U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) community in the fleet.