Adm. Christopher W. Grady, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF), visited Recruit Training Command (RTC) to review a recruit graduation and see hands-on training that is developing and testing recruits on their war-fighting skills before they reach the Fleet, Nov 8 - 9.

Grady toured RTC facilities and observed training now being conducted at the Navy’s only boot camp, including changes to recruit training implemented over the past year to provide more realistic and useful hands-on training to recruits so Sailors leaving RTC can better contribute to fleet readiness and overall force lethality.

He observed ‘reps and sets,’ focused, hands-on seamanship and damage control training which builds foundational skills prior to larger-scale immersive training and evaluations. Grady observed Recruits on watch, a new program where they maintain a 24/7 rotational requirement to prepare them for shipboard duty and which includes no notice drills. From a Force Protection stand-point he observed the greatly expanded marksmanship training, which now includes both simulated training and the full Navy 9mm qualification course of fire.

Grady also toured USS Trayer (BST 21), a 210-foot training simulator based on an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, on which Battle Stations, a 12-hour test of a recruit’s skills in 17 shipboard evolutions is conducted, including fighting fires, stopping floods, handling mooring lines and many other casualties. While Battle Stations has been in place for years, it is now a graded evolution, with significant impact on if a recruit, or an entire division, will graduate.

Grady met with Rear Adm. Michael Bernacchi, commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) and Capt. Erik Thors, RTC’s commanding officer, to discuss overall changes in training as well as Warrior Toughness, a holistic mind-body-soul character development program that builds recruits’ ability to perform under acute and sustained stress. The brief included discussion with the program’s Navy SEAL, Navy psychologist and Navy chaplain team, as well as Recruit Division Commanders who are key to its implementation.

Finally, Grady was the reviewing official for Training Group 1. He spoke to the 862 graduating Sailors and their families.

Grady spoke about the new Sailors, saying, “Over the last eight weeks, they have gone through a transformation from civilian to Sailors. They have proven themselves to be disciplined, dedicated, physically, mentally and spiritually fit and trained in the Sailor basics.” 

Then, addressing the Sailors directly, Grady said “Congratulations, you will forever cherish this important milestone and take pride in what you have accomplished. But remember, the Navy will absolutely need your best in this environment of great power competition.” He continued, “You are a warrior. You must adopt the aggressive fighting spirit of the Navy, taking the fight to our enemies, always seizing the initiative. You must develop and maintain the toughness to take a hit and keep going; to never give up the ship.”

Recruit Training is approximately eight weeks, and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms, firefighting and shipboard damage control along with lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. Approximately 38,000 - 40,000 recruits graduate annually from RTC and begin their Navy careers.

For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/local/rtc/.

NSTC supports 98 percent of initial officers and enlisted accessions training for the Navy. This includes the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) at more than 160 colleges and universities; Officers Training Command (OTC) on Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island; RTC; as well as Navy Junior ROTC/Navy National Defense Cadet Corps at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more information about NSTC, visit http://www.netc.navy.mil/nstc/ or visit the NSTC Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/NavalServiceTraining/.

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For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.