Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, CO of of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC)

11/28/2020
By Megan Eckstein

The Navy’s plans to create tougher advanced-phase training events for surface ships are made possible by improvements in individual-level training for surface warfare officers and sailors, according to the officers that oversee the spectrum of surface training.

Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, the commander of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), described a next phase of advanced training events ahead of surface ship deployments, calling for a Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) 2.0 iteration that would have more combat-focused scenarios and would stress ship crews in a multi-domain fighting environment, he said during the Surface Navy Association’s Virtual Waterfront conference.

The Navy started holding SWATTs just a couple years ago, as an intermediary between single-ship basic training and carrier strike group-level integrated training during a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX). They center around Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTIs) embarking on surface ships and helping teach the crew how to approach anti-submarine, anti-surface, air and missile defense, amphibious or mine warfare tasks.

The WTIs walk the crew through a plan, brief, execute and debrief (PBED) process that the crew is supposed to take with them onto deployment to ensure more well reasoned reactions to the situations they find themselves in. Each SWATT includes at least one live fire event with missiles, as well as gunnery events and simulated attacks on enemy targets.

As a first example of SWATTS getting more complex in the near term, Robertson said, an upcoming SWATT event will call upon a ship to fire its 5-inch guns against a surface target while also shooting a Standard Missile-2 at an air target.

Within a couple years, though, SWATT 2.0 will take on a new look: while still retaining that focus on teaching the PBED process, Robertson said they will also:

  • introduce nighttime events;
  • incorporate live, virtual and constructive training opportunities that are already being featured during COMPTUEX events;
  • remove or make more challenging today’s basic training portion of the SWATT curriculum;
  • increase the complexity of gunnery events;
  • add offensive and maneuver aspects to the “live fire with a purpose” missile shot events;
  • add information warfare components;

and add in a capstone event to the end, which would be an 18- to 24-hour “multi-domain, multi-warfare free play event designed to challenge warfare commanders, unit [commanding officers] and watchstanders alike in stressful conditions.

With the inclusion of assess battle damage and opportunities for integration with shipboard training teams and toughness training, I believe it will be a game-changer for the advanced phase of training,” Robertson said during a pre-recorded video to accompany the SNA Waterfront panel presentation.

Reaching that SWATT 2.0 vision requires several changes, some within his portfolio and some outside.

Inside SMWDC, Robertson said changes are coming to develop more sophisticated WTIs. Right now, integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) WTIs are trained in Dahlgren, Va.; amphibious warfare WTIs are trained at Little Creek, Va.; mine warfare WTIs are trained in Point Loma, Calif.; and anti-sub/anti-surface WTIs are trained in San Diego.

Within the next two to three years, “we’ll bring them all together into one central WTI University here in San Diego. WTI University will still develop the four WTI specialties, but it will serve as a warfighting skills integrator that I view as absolutely critical for dominance in the high-end fight. It will be a state-of-the-art facility located here on the dry side of 32nd Street and will be a true center of excellence that will cultivate innovation and collaboration. This will be another exciting step in the professionalization of the surface warfare community,” he said in the video.

“Building more capable WTIs will be our gateway to delivering increased effectiveness and complexity of our SWATT. SWATT 2.0, as I like to refer to it, is our innovative approach to spiral up the complexity of SWATT to address new threats and to train to new capabilities. SWATT will always remain rooted in tactics, techniques and procedures, TTPs, and led by our extremely capable WTIs. But as WTI University generates even more highly trained surface warfare officers, SWATT will reflect their growing potential to deliver more challenging training,” he concluded.

The Navy’s plans to create tougher advanced-phase training events for surface ships are made possible by improvements in individual-level training for surface warfare officers and sailors, according to the officers that oversee the spectrum of surface training.

Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, the commander of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), described a next phase of advanced training events ahead of surface ship deployments, calling for a Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) 2.0 iteration that would have more combat-focused scenarios and would stress ship crews in a multi-domain fighting environment, he said during the Surface Navy Association’s Virtual Waterfront conference.

The Navy started holding SWATTs just a couple years ago, as an intermediary between single-ship basic training and carrier strike group-level integrated training during a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX). They center around Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTIs) embarking on surface ships and helping teach the crew how to approach anti-submarine, anti-surface, air and missile defense, amphibious or mine warfare tasks.

The WTIs walk the crew through a plan, brief, execute and debrief (PBED) process that the crew is supposed to take with them onto deployment to ensure more well reasoned reactions to the situations they find themselves in. Each SWATT includes at least one live fire event with missiles, as well as gunnery events and simulated attacks on enemy targets.

As a first example of SWATTS getting more complex in the near term, Robertson said, an upcoming SWATT event will call upon a ship to fire its 5-inch guns against a surface target while also shooting a Standard Missile-2 at an air target.

Within a couple years, though, SWATT 2.0 will take on a new look: while still retaining that focus on teaching the PBED process, Robertson said they will also:

  • introduce nighttime events;
  • incorporate live, virtual and constructive training opportunities that are already being featured during COMPTUEX events;
  • remove or make more challenging today’s basic training portion of the SWATT curriculum;
  • increase the complexity of gunnery events;
  • add offensive and maneuver aspects to the “live fire with a purpose” missile shot events;
  • add information warfare components;
  • and add in a capstone event to the end, which would be an 18- to 24-hour “multi-domain, multi-warfare free play event designed to challenge warfare commanders, unit [commanding officers] and watchstanders alike in stressful conditions. With the inclusion of assess battle damage and opportunities for integration with shipboard training teams and toughness training, I believe it will be a game-changer for the advanced phase of training,” Robertson said during a pre-recorded video to accompany the SNA Waterfront panel presentation.

Reaching that SWATT 2.0 vision requires several changes, some within his portfolio and some outside.

Inside SMWDC, Robertson said changes are coming to develop more sophisticated WTIs. Right now, integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) WTIs are trained in Dahlgren, Va.; amphibious warfare WTIs are trained at Little Creek, Va.; mine warfare WTIs are trained in Point Loma, Calif.; and anti-sub/anti-surface WTIs are trained in San Diego.

Within the next two to three years, “we’ll bring them all together into one central WTI University here in San Diego. WTI University will still develop the four WTI specialties, but it will serve as a warfighting skills integrator that I view as absolutely critical for dominance in the high-end fight. It will be a state-of-the-art facility located here on the dry side of 32nd Street and will be a true center of excellence that will cultivate innovation and collaboration. This will be another exciting step in the professionalization of the surface warfare community,” he said in the video.

“Building more capable WTIs will be our gateway to delivering increased effectiveness and complexity of our SWATT. SWATT 2.0, as I like to refer to it, is our innovative approach to spiral up the complexity of SWATT to address new threats and to train to new capabilities. SWATT will always remain rooted in tactics, techniques and procedures, TTPs, and led by our extremely capable WTIs. But as WTI University generates even more highly trained surface warfare officers, SWATT will reflect their growing potential to deliver more challenging training,” he concluded.

For the complete article published by USNI News on August 28, 2020, see the following:

Surface Warfare Training Growing More Complex with Tougher Scenarios

Featured Photo: Lt. Caleb Bekemeier (standing), an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Warfare Tactics Instructor (WTI) assigned to Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), discusses surface warfighting tactics with Chief Electronics Technician Christopher Schmidt, assigned to USS Stethem, during a training opportunity conducted at Combined IAMD and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Trainer (CIAT) San Diego. US Navy Photo