Training revolution sees provisional stand-up of NSTC
Rear Adm. Rondeau to lead all initial training for officers and enlisted Sailors
The Navy's Revolution in Training is taking another step forward in the move to produce a more highly trained naval force and offer better support to Sailors. As part of the revolution, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) is being established to align enlisted and officer initial training programs under a single command structure.

Command aligns officer and enlisted accessions training
VCNO establishes Naval Service Training Command

By JOC Rhonda Burke, Great Lakes Public Affairs

The Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael G. Mullen presided over the official establishment of the Naval Service Training Command, Friday, Oct. 31 at Naval Station, Great Lakes.

The Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) aligns all Navy enlisted and officer training accessions programs, consisting of more than 50,000 trainees annually, under a single command structure. The command's mission is to transform civilian volunteers and train them to be the future enlisted and officer professionals of the U.S. Navy. The Naval Academy is the only accession program that will not report to the new command.

"Naval Service Training Command is coming to fruition as a single source. It is the way for us to be unified in our training and focus all of our training efforts to provide opportunity for all Sailors," Mullen said. "Dreams start here (at Naval Service Training Command). We are responsible for giving people the opportunity to achieve their dreams of serving in the United State Navy and giving them great hope for the future," Mullen said.

Rear Adm. Ann E. Rondeau will serve as Commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC). Vice Adm. Alfred Harms, Commander, Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) was the presiding officer at the ceremony. NSTC will report directly to NETC.

"This is the human side of the equation, the Naval Service Training Command," said Harms. "This is a force wide transformation in how we value people. This is another step in the revolution in training. With all training for officers and enlisted under one command we will be able to leverage the strengths of those programs together so that we all walk out the door to the Fleet understanding that we are Sailors, understanding our mission in the U.S. Navy."

Also participating in the establishment ceremony was the Zion-Benton High School NJROTC Color Guard of Zion, Ill., and NROTC midshipmen from both Marquette and Northwestern universities as well as representatives from Officer Training Command, Newport and Officer Training Command, Pensacola.

Rondeau spoke of the commitment required of trainers in the Naval Service Training Command and the responsibility they have for training the Sea Warriors of the future.

"All Sailors will now begin their careers with Naval Service Training Command. We are taking the conn to make the Sailors of America - and thus, the Navy itself," she said. "The Sailor we produce will prove the confidence that has been entrusted to the Sea Warriors that teach."

During her remarks, Rondeau asked representatives for the training commands to recite the Sailor's Creed with her. Among those reciting the creed were: CWO2 David Keller, a student at CWO/LDO School, MIDN 3/C Robert Muchow of NROTC Marquette University, ET2 Larell Atkins, a BOOST student at Officer Training Command- Newport; SR Pete Osyf, a recruit in training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes and CNOCM Bernard Quibilan and MUCS Tracy Ford of NSTC headquarters staff.

Under the new command structure the following training commands report to NSTC: Recruit Training Command (RTC) "boot camp" as well as the Veterans Training Division and the Naval Reserve Accession Course (NRAC) which report to RTC.

Also reporting to NSTC is Officer Training Command, Pensacola, Fla., with the following training programs: Officer Candidate School (OCS), Limited Duty Officer and Warrant Officer School and Direct Commission Officer School and Officer Training Command, Newport, Rhode Island, which includes the following training programs: Officer Indoctrination School (OIS), Chaplain's School, Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST), Naval Science Institute and the Seaman to Admiral-21 commissioning program.

Additionally, all Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) programs at 623 high schools throughout the nation and at DoD Schools overseas as well as all Reserve Officer Training Corps programs (ROTC) at universities and colleges throughout the nation will report to NSTC. Currently, there are 59 Navy ROTC Units and five Department of Naval Science units nationwide.

Each year, nearly 50,000 Sailors will complete initial accession training under the NSTC command programs. Additionally, annually there are more than 6,000 college students enrolled in Navy ROTC Programs throughout the nation and nearly 80,000 high school students participating in Navy Junior ROTC programs, designed to develop good citizenship and scholarship.

OIS Students at Battle Stations
Officer Training Command, Newport, R.I. (OTCN) recently established a Battle Stations scenario similar to the one conducted at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes. Above, students at Officer Indoctrination School participate in a rescue at sea event. Commander Naval Service Training Command Rear Adm. Ann Rondeau recently visited Newport to praise OTCN for their establishment of the evolution.

Battle Stations 21 design is now underway for RTC

By Sally Merritt, Facilities Team Great Lakes

Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) is working on a project for the design and construction of a new Battle Stations 21 facility at the Great Lakes Naval Station, Recruit Training Command (RTC).

Battle Stations is the culminating, capstone event of Navy Basic Military Training. Battle Stations 21 takes the event a step further, creating a first of its kind effort to provide tools to deal with real-life combat scenarios.

The Battle Stations project will provide simulation training to help prepare Sailors to meet the immediate needs of the Fleet and will effectively combine immersive training techniques with "reality-based" Navy training scenarios.

The purpose of the Battle Stations project is to create a flexible and modular learning experience that will provide a comprehensive learning environment for new Recruits. Some of the scenarios include: entering a foreign port, small boat attack, fire fighting, investigate and rescue/mass casualty, flooding compartment, and man overboard.

The intent is to deliver the realism of the high physical and mental stress of "live fire" with lower risk. This event will further reinforce the Navy's core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment while allowing an assessment of skills, knowledge and training as a team.

The NAVFAC design/build contract is scheduled for award in December 2003 with substantial completion by December 2006. The project encompasses Battle Stations, RTC Headquarters and Administration, Recruit Division Commanders School, and the Photography Lab.

Battle Stations is an integral part of the recapitalization efforts underway at Recruit Training Command.

Adm. Vern Clark, Chief of Naval Operations discussed the importance of the Recapitalization program, saying "What is going on here at Great Lakes is a tremendous investment in the infrastructure so that the men and women serving here will have the right tools to create the 21st Century Sailor. We are giving our instructors and our Recruit Division Commanders the kind of tools and facilities that they need to get the job done.

New training command stands up, advances revolution in training

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The Navy's Revolution in Training is marching forward with the establishment of a new command chartered with taking civilian volunteers and training them to become the future enlisted and officer professionals of the U.S. Navy. The Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) officially stood up June 30 and aligns enlisted and officer initial training programs under a single command structure.

Commander Naval Training Center (NTC) Great Lakes Rear Adm. Ann E.Rondeau is now the Commander Naval Service Training Command, and will oversee the critical mission of accessions training. The headquarters will remain at Naval Station Great Lakes, in the Chicago area.

"We are embarking on a new journey that will revolutionize every aspect of how we prepare our new Sailors, officer and enlisted, for the Fleet," said Rondeau. "We will continue to provide the most professional, highest quality training and education as we have in the past. The consolidation of all officer and enlisted initial training and education under one command will give us the unique opportunity to proceed to the next level, to ensure our future Navy is manned by warfighters ready and able to answer any challenge, any threat, anywhere."

NTC Great Lakes has historically managed basic training for enlisted Sailors, including Recruit Training, or boot camp, while staff members at the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) headquarters in Pensacola, have been responsible for officer accessions programs such as the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps and Officer Candidate School.

According to Commander, NETC Vice Adm. Alfred G. Harms Jr., this change is intended to make initial Navy training more effective and efficient by giving a single commander responsibility for curriculum development and resource management for the Navy's initial training programs. The change will also enable the sharing of best practices and allow for the consistent application of training policy across all programs.

"In the past, there was a greater distinction between officerand enlisted training," said Harms. "Today, it is critical that all of our Sailors, both officer and enlisted, are highly educated and afforded the opportunity to develop professionally and personally. In fact, many enlisted Sailors become Naval officers at some point in their careers. It makes sense to have all of our entry-level training experts working together in the same organization."

Under the new structure, the following initial training programs report to NSTC: ·Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. ·Transient Personnel Unit, Great Lakes, Ill. ·Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at colleges and universities throughout the country ·Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at high schools throughout the country, U. S. Territories, and at Department of Defense Dependent Schools overseas ·Officer Indoctrination School, Newport, R.I. ·Navy Chaplain School, Newport, R.I. ·Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST) program, Newport, R.I. ·Naval Science Institute, Newport, R.I. ·Seaman to Admiral 21 program Officer Training Command (OTC) - Pensacola, a new command that will also report to NSTC, was provisionally stood up on February 10. OTC-Pensacola has responsibility for officer accession programs that were previously assigned to the Naval Aviation Schools Command, Pensacola. The programs include Navy Officer Candidate School; Limited Duty Officer and Chief Warrant Officer School; and Direct Commission Officer School.

"Changing the way we do business can be challenging," said Harms. "And we're dealing with some of that as we proceed through this Training Revolution. This is a change that's very good for our Navy and for all Sailors, officer and enlisted. NSTC unites two great teams that will now function more effectively and efficiently, thereby creating a win-win situation for the Navy and its Sailors."

For more information about NSTC, visit their web site at http://www.nsgreatlakes.navy.mil/nstc. For more information about Navy training, visit the NETC Web site at https://www.cnet.navy.mil. For related news, visit the Naval Education and Training Command Navy NewsStand page at http://www.news.navy.mil/local/cnet.

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