"When things happen in combat, they happen fast," said Rear Adm. John Wade, commander, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC). "It's chaotic and it can be violent."

"The only [things] that we have to fall back on when we're placed under such conditions, are our procedures and our training," Wade continued.

Recalling his time in command of a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan, Wade drew from his experiences illustrating the similarities of combat in both the ground and maritime domains, emphasizing the importance of tactics and training during his presentation at the 29th annual Surface Navy Association (SNA) National Symposium, Jan. 10, in Arlington, Virginia.

Wade highlighted the role warfare tactics instructors (WTIs) play in support of the 2017 Surface Force Strategy, and stated "SMWDC has reached initial operational capability (IOC), and we're already making a difference in the fleet."

He said, "Our most important progress is in our WTI program. This past year we stood up our Anti-Submarine/Anti-Surface and Amphibious WTI programs. We produced 72 WTIs [in 2016], and we now have 125 WTIs in our surface Navy."

Warfare Tactics Instructors

Referring to SMWDC's "tactical center of gravity" during his presentation at SNA, Wade was talking about the tactically-advanced junior surface warfare officers (SWOs), trained by SMWDC to be the best of the best in advanced training and tactical development. They are taught at one of SMWDC's four divisions for 12-19 weeks, specializing in amphibious warfare, anti-submarine/anti-surface warfare, or integrated air and missile defense. WTIs are the engines which enable SMWDC's four lines of effort: Advanced Tactical Training; Doctrine and Tactical Guidance Development; Operational Support; and Capabilities, Assessments and Experimentation.

Pronounced "witty," these officers are force multipliers, mentoring and coaching combat watch teams -- from live-fire missile events to amphibious ready group exercise planning. According to Wade, 84 percent of the current WTI inventory is serving in production tours at SMWDC, Afloat Training Groups, Center for Surface Combat Systems, Surface Warfare Officers School, and other warfighting development centers.

He said, "We'll train approximately 90 WTIs in 2017, and are on track to meet our goal of training 110 WTIs every year, starting in 2018."

Wade also said SMWDC selection boards maintain a selection rate of 75 percent with a focus on quality over quantity.

Advanced Tactical Training

SMWDC expanded its reach with advanced tactical training to the surface fleet in fall 2016. The young command embarked 13 WTIs on six ships to conduct the Navy's first underway Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercise with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in the southern California operating area -- which included several live-fire events for the participating ships.

"Last fall we executed our first cruiser/destroyer SWATT with over 100 events with a crawl, walk, and run methodology," said Wade. "WTIs were on board in all mission areas providing training, and also allotting time in the sequence of events to do debriefs with visual reconstruction tools, courtesy of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona."

Additionally, SMWDC also piloted a Mine Warfare SWATT with mine countermeasures ship USS Gladiator (MCM 11) -- led by the command's Mine Warfare Battle Staff based out of Point Loma, California. The Mine Warfare SWATT yielded a "threefold increase in [Gladiator's] capacity to identify, classify, and neutralize mines," said Wade.

Operational Support

WTI's deployed in late 2016 in support of operational commanders for exercise Valiant Shield. According to Wade, 30 WTIs from all three disciplines trained deployed combat watch teams in support of Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet; Commander, Task Force 70; Destroyer Squadron 15; and ships.

"We now have the capacity for WTIs to get out and support strike group commanders to help, train, prepare, and execute live-fire missile exercises," he said.

Doctrine and Tactical Guidance Development

From SWATT exercises to operational support, WTIs are charged with ensuring high velocity learning is implemented where Sailors, ships, and strike groups can receive immediate feedback, measure progress, and increase proficiency through sets and repetitions. Emphasizing the plan, brief, execute, debrief (PBED) process, WTIs are conducting training based on tactical publications authored, revised, and validated by WTIs.

"We have 170 tactical publications in the surface force that I'm responsible for," said Wade. "In the past year we've introduced and refreshed 23 tactical documents; that's a fivefold increase over the preceding six years."

Capability, Assessments and Experimentation

While WTIs are improving the surface force today, Wade highlighted how they are also involved with generating the requirements for the fleet of the future.

"Our WTIs are involved in wargaming, conducting modeling and simulation. WTIs are involved in the Concept of Operations for [guided-missile destroyer] USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), [the F-35 Lightning II] Joint Strike Fighter, littoral combat ships, and more," he said.

SMWDC was formally established June 9, 2015, at Naval Base San Diego with four individual warfare divisions between Virginia and Southern California. The new command reached IOC in 2016, yet Wade pointed out "we have a lot of work to do. My intentions are to continue to build capacity in 2017 -- not only in quantity, but in quality."

Wade, former commodore and SWO of 26 years, explained how SMWDC is dedicated to holistically improving the Navy as the command maturates past IOC.

"This isn't parochial; if we (SWOs) are better, the aviators are better, the submariners are better, and the information warfare professionals are better," he said. "Sea control cannot be assumed. This is exactly what we need to do to increase our lethality, to increase the tactical proficiency of our force, and to ensure sea control. Ladies and gentlemen, tactics and training really matter."

SNA was incorporated in 1985 to promote greater coordination and communication among the military, business, and academic communities, which share a common interest in naval surface warfare and support the activities of surface naval forces.

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