Twenty senior foreign students from Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity (NETSAFA) Foreign Students toured Training Support Center (TSC) and Learning Sites (LS) as part of a scheduled visit, Sept. 10.

“The purpose of the visit was to demonstrate the training used at TSC and LS, exposing international students to modern navy training methods and modalities to include interactive courseware training, electronic classrooms, labs, simulation, etc., and also to include Navy Military Training/Lifeskills training,” said Brian Casey, contract instructor/course coordinator for NETSAFA International Training Center. “This benefits the students through being able to apply lessons learned to training and education in their own countries.”

Participants from 13 different countries, including Estonia, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kosovo, Slovak Republic, Republic of Macedonia, Poland and Seychelles met with TSC, Center for Surface Combat Systems Unit (CSCSU) Great Lakes and Surface Warfare Officers School Unit (SWOSU) Great Lakes for lunch at the galley prior to the tour.

From there, they toured Center for Surface Combat Systems Unit (CSCSU), where they viewed gunner's mate 'A' school's Fire Arms Training Simulator and electronics technician/fire controlman 'A' school's T1 RADAR partial task trainer.

“We recognize that diversity is what drives improvement at CSCSU,” said Cmdr. Ricardo Enriquez, commanding officer of CSCSU Great Lakes. “Opportunities available through the MPT&E (Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education) course, facilitate programs for allied nations to attend our courses of instruction. This allows an exchange of ideas and information that goes beyond just a conversation. While attending the courses, these guests award us the opportunity for our Sailors to work alongside them, studying together, embracing each other's time honored traditions and strengthening our international relationships. This gives us a leading edge towards the innovation and camaraderie that can only come from working directly with our allies.”

At SWOSU Great Lakes, they viewed the training facilities of Basic Engineering Common Core (BECC). 

BECC balances computer-based training with hands-on labs, instructor-led classroom training with realistic simulations creating an integrated learning environment. They also visited the LPD 17 Maintainer Course, where students gain knowledge and skills to maintain engineering control systems in the fleet.

“It’s an excellent opportunity to share our U.S. Navy’s MPT&E best practices with our international partners, so they can take our decades’ worth of experience and adapt the training models to improve their forces' technical skills,” said Cmdr. Terrance Patterson, commanding officer of SWOSU Great Lakes.

The day ended with a tour of the student indoctrination’s life skills training. Sailors arriving on board from boot camp attend the training before any rate-specific courses. Subjects taught in the course cover sexual assault intervention, military pay and entitlements, healthy relationships, navigating stress, operations security, banking and financial management service, and responsible alcohol use.

“The ability to share information between our allies helps us to be the best at training the world's greatest Navy,” said Capt. Mark Meskimen, commanding officer of TSC Great Lakes. “We enjoyed their visit, which was aimed at developing camaraderies between our branches of service and these great military leaders from other countries.” 

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