SurFor plans more ‘back to basics’ training

[unhappycamper]

Line handlers aboard the amphibious command ship Blue Ridge hold the phone and distance line connected to the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Walter S. Diehl during an underway replenishment.


SurFor plans more ‘back to basics’ training
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 17, 2010 6:11:43 EDT

Surface sailors can look for new rounds of training that top officials hope will cement the progress they say the fleet has made in keeping ships and equipment in fighting shape.

Naval Surface Forces commander Vice Adm. D.C. Curtis ordered the fleet to get “back to basics” in 2008, after an embarrassing series of bad inspections and an early waterfront tour that found sloppy ships and sailors. By late last year, the fleet had made great strides in remastering its core skills, Curtis wrote in a message to the fleet, so this May he began a new campaign: “All ahead full.”

The fleet is lengthening its introductory training for new surface warfare officers; rolling out a “university” for maintenance and material management, or 3M; and even adding small numbers of sailors to crews that had been pared back when commanders unveiled “optimal manning.”

These and other changes are having a positive effect, Curtis wrote in a May 11 message:

“The good news is that we continue to see positive trends in 3M inspections. Last year, 41 ships completed 3M assessments and 40 certified on their first attempt. This year, we are nine for nine to date.”



unhappycamper comment: I suspect the reason the US Navy is starting to take care of their equipment is because the money spigot is running dry. Especially when you consider the new USS Gerald R. Ford (aircraft carrier) costs somewhere around $40 billion dollars as opposed to the $11 billion number they have been telling us.

Imagine that. A $40 billion floating target. Who woulda thunk?