Center for Surface Combat Systems Unit (CSCSU) Great Lakes held a ribbon cutting ceremony unveiling a new Voyage Management System (VMS) lab for operations specialist (OS) A School July 26.

CSCSU staff overhauled a space that was previously used for chart plotting and converted it into the new VMS lab. Eight instructors were dedicated to the process working a total 320 man-hours creating the lab that will be used in the training of students to meet fleet VMS requirements.

“The dedication of the staff was highly important in this process,” said Chief Operations Specialist James Rodney, leading chief petty officer of CSCSU Great Lakes’ operations specialist A School. “Without their hard work and determination to finish the lab, it would not have been ready for the implementation of OS Ready Relevant Learning (RRL).”

The benefits of opening the new VMS lab allows us to alleviate lab bottleneck concerns, which can result in lost training time when another class is already in the lab. CSCSU can also raise their annual throughput of students because of the additional VMS lab.

VMS is a computer-based system for navigation planning and monitoring. Its primary purpose is to contribute to safe navigation. The system is designed to increase the situational awareness of watch standers on the bridge and at other shipboard locations where the system is made available.

The VMS user interface consists of one or more computer workstations that are linked via the ship’s network or a Local Area Network (LAN). Multiple workstations and/or remote monitors may be provided, to place a VMS display at any required shipboard location.

The lab is critical to OS “A” students because they are learning about safety of navigation.  The addition of 80 hours of classroom and lab time will ensure VMS certified operations specialist report to their follow on commands better prepared to assist the bridge and combat information center watch teams with safe navigation soon after reporting onboard.

“This lab is a benefit to students because they are provided access to the most up to date VMS lab Great Lakes has to offer with the most current version of VMS,” Rodney said. “It benefits CSCSU because it a tool the instructors can use to better provide training to the students and it alleviates potential bottle necks with classes. It benefits the Navy because every OS “A” student is leaving the schoolhouse with a VMS certification and this helps take pressure off the ships because it will lower the number of personnel they will need to send to VMS school in the Fleet.”

On hand to praise the staff was CSCSU Commanding Officer Cmdr. Richie Enriquez.

“Today’s ribbon-cutting is a significant accomplishment to better prepare our students and support the fleet," Enriquez said. "The new VMS lab allows us to have a dedicated space for the training of our operations specialist and it is vital to implementing OS RRL curriculum. The time put in to ensure our students receive the highest caliber of training shows the professionalism, excellence and pride CSCSU takes in supporting our mission to develop and deliver surface ship combat systems training to achieve surface warfare superiority.”

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