Naval Reserve Officers Corps (NROTC) midshipmen from across the United States will undergo a new "Sea Trials" initiative designed to build their proficiency in critical warfighting skills and evaluate the effectiveness of their training.

Nearly 170 1st Class midshipmen will take part in the 10-day training at either Newport, Rhode Island, June 3-11 or Jacksonville, Florida, June 17-25.

In 2015, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) partnered with the United States Naval Academy (USNA) to develop the Professional Core Competencies (PCC) manual, which sets the requirements for all officer accessions training curriculum for midshipmen and officer candidates.

The PCCs place requirements on officer accessions training commands to implement curricula that develops officers' knowledge, comprehension, application, and demonstration of six core competencies including Naval Orientation and Officership, Leadership and Ethics, Seapower and Naval History, Programs and Policies, Technical Foundations and Naval Warfare, and Seamanship and Navigation.

The Sea Trials curriculum is an economical way to maximize the mandated high yield training opportunities within a condensed timeframe, and provide midshipmen a chance to test their mettle prior to advancing to their next phase of training.

Throughout the 10 days, midshipmen will be trained in firefighting, damage control, watchstanding, seamanship, navigation, force protection, and swimming along with physical fitness and military inspection by NROTC staff. At the culmination of Sea Trials, midshipmen must pass a final exam to demonstrate their proficiency to advance in training and readiness to serve in the Fleet.

Their final exam is Battle Stations, which is modeled similarly to the crucible exams at Officer Candidate School (OTC) and Recruit Training Command (RTC) Battle Stations, and consists of an all-day graded evolution in all the skills they have acquired as individuals and as a team. Failure to pass Battle Stations and complete Sea Trials will impact a midshipman's progression through NROTC training.

Sea Trials run in conjunction with Summer Cruise and help better align the officer training curriculum to meet the objectives of the PCCs, and develop naval warfighters with character and professional competence for the Fleet.

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The NROTC program is supported by the commander of Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), Rear Adm. Mike Bernacchi and his NSTC staff at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. NROTC was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally and physically. The program also imbues in them the highest ideals of duty, loyalty and Navy core values in order to commission college graduates as Naval officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the Naval service and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.

NSTC supports 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's Citizenship Development program. NSTC's support also includes RTC, the Navy's only boot camp also at Naval Station Great Lakes, the NROTC program at more than 160 colleges and universities, OTC at Newport, and Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more information on NROTC visit: www.nrotc.navy.mil/

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

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