By Lt. Brianna Frazier, SMWDC AMW Division Public Affairs
JOINT EXPEDITIONARY BASE LITTLE CREEK-FORT STORY (NNS) — Graduates of the Amphibious Warfare (AMW) Warfare Tactics Instructor (WTI) program participated in the inaugural AMW WTI re-blue event at the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center’s (SMWDC) AMW Division on board Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va., from Jan. 8-10.
The event focused on SMWDC AMW WTI initiative since its inception in 2016.
The event provided WTIs with an updated AMW WTI curriculum review; highlighting how the course has grown from a twelve-week pilot into a fifteen-week course of instruction.
The course now includes a two-week “Battle Problem” that synthesizes all course material, allowing students to execute their newly developed skills in a tactical planning environment.
WTIs in attendance also discussed AMW Division’s role throughout Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercises, and updates to AMW related doctrine and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP), which include the soon to be released update to the dual Navy and Marine Corps Ship-to-Shore Movement publication.
“Amphibious Warfare is a complex fight,” said Rear Adm. Dave Welch, commander of Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC). “Having top-notch officers dedicated to mastering this warfare area is critical to the future of our Navy. The WTI program is a great provider of quality instruction and Fleet support to ships and staffs, ensuring they remain tactically proficient and able to execute the mission.”
SMWDC Re-Blue events provide a venue to bring together WTIs with their warfare community and divisions – which include AMW, Anti-Submarine/Surface (ASW/SUW), Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) and Mine Warfare (MIW) – to exchange lessons learned, doctrine, and TTP updates from the Fleet while building camaraderie within the cadre.
“This event signifies the importance of the growth of SMWDC’s AMW Division; and SMWDC as a whole,” said Capt. Darren Nelson, SMWDC’s AMW division director. “Re-blues allow us to maintain the pulse of the Fleet and get valuable feedback from the graduates of the program. The discussions held this week will directly contribute to future fleet support and further curriculum development and refinement.”
Surface Fleet leaders at all levels and in any fleet concentration area interested in fleet outreach from senior SMWDC staff and WTIs can email the WTI Program Managers at [email protected] to arrange a visit. Ship visits include a discussion of the SMWDC mission and how SMWDC provides support to ships at an individual and enterprise level, and how junior officers are supporting this significant effort.
SMWDC is a subordinate command of Commander, U.S. Naval Surface Forces, and is headquartered at Naval Base San Diego with four divisions in Virginia and California focused on IAMD, ASW/SUW, AMW, and MIW.
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