All 14 Center for Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) learning sites and detachments located throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, and Japan gathered for their annual strategic off-site meeting, hosted by CSCS Unit Great Lakes, onboard Naval Station Great Lakes, Jul. 10-12.

The strategic off-site meeting provided commanding officers (COs) and officers in charge (OICs) an opportunity to discuss current training initiatives and the future of surface combat systems training.

CSCS Commanding Officer, Capt. Frank Castellano, led the three-day event.

"Our objective was to discuss our training process," Castellano explained. "This included new initiatives such as Distributive Surface Training Advanced Virtual Environment (STAVE)-Combat Systems (CS): The future of combat systems training delivery for ships and shore. We also provided updates in regards to our Block Learning (BL) / Ready Relevant Learning (RRL) initiatives, Program Objective Memorandum (POM) efforts, Strategic Rating Reviews (SRR), and 52 infrastructures that we maintain throughout the domain. Most importantly, this off-site gave us all a chance to come together from across the CSCS domain and interact with each other."

CSCSU Great Lakes Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Scott Dancer, hosted over 45 attendees and provided a two hour in depth tour of his schoolhouses.

"This is where surface combat systems training begins," Dancer said. "My staff and I provided the opportunity to see firsthand how we train over 8,000 enlisted Sailors a year in the basic skills to correctly maintain, operate, and if necessary, fight our surface ships."

During the tour, the group observed Surface Common Core (SCC), Apprentice Technical Training (ATT) for eight enlisted rates, and "A" and "C" schools.

The off-site also included overviews from CSCS Headquarters' department heads and sites and detachments, new technology initiatives and curriculum development plans, a command master chief roundtable, a knowledge management summary, and an open forum to discuss training needs.

CSCS Executive Director, Ms. Robin Zapert, provided an update on the domain's mission, vision, and goals as well as administered a series of working groups focused on identifying and removing barriers to achieving the CSCS vision.

"To support our vision, 'to be an agile, adaptive, innovative organization that leverages technologies and techniques to train surface Sailors across a global fleet for combat operations', we must develop and executive goals as an organization," Zapert explained.

"Our three essential goals are [1] develop and revise training to be agile, adaptive, and innovative, [2] structure, organize, and resource CSCS domain to optimize performance and create a culture that adapts to change, and [3] foster collaborative relationships with internal, external, and international organizations to leverage resources and ideas that enhance our training capabilities. As the leader in surface combat systems training, CSCS must lead and these goals will help us to achieve this with each Sailor we train."

As the off-site concluded, Castellano reemphasized CSCS' mission to his COs and OICs.

"Our mission is to develop and deliver surface ship combat systems training to achieve surface warfare superiority," he said. "Bottom line - we are here to train our future fleet. Improving surface warfighting readiness is our ultimate goal."

CSCS headquarters' staff oversees 14 learning sites and detachments, located throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, and Japan and manages and operates a Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) training division in Rota, Spain. CSCS provides over 538 courses, awards 114 different Navy Enlisted Classifications (NECs), and trains 37,400 Sailors a year. CSCS delivers specialized training for Officer and Enlisted Sailors required to tactically operate, maintain, and employ shipboard and shore-based weapons, sensors, and command and control systems utilized in today's Navy.

For information on the Center for Surface Combat Systems, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/cscs/

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