The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) earned the Silver Enlisted Surface Warfare Excellence Pennant Aug. 23.

The pennant indicates all enlisted Sailors aboard Kidd between the pay grades of E-1 and E-6 are either enrolled or qualified in the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) program, with zero delinquencies.

"As Kidd left the yards, the command was more than 20 percent delinquent," said Chief Operations Specialist Zachary Hayden, from Versailles, Montana, and the lead ESWS coordinator aboard Kidd. "That number started falling and a snowball effect happened ... people were not just getting qualified to not be delinquent, but qualified because they wanted to."

The ESWS designation signifies that a Sailor has proven their knowledge about various departments on the ship and has acquired an increased understanding of warfighting, mission effectiveness and ship survivability.

"It felt like I made another rank," said Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Johntea Nehls, from Portland, Oregon, and a recent ESWS qualifier. "It was both a great relief and a great success in my career."

Qualifying for ESWS requires Sailors to complete personnel qualification standards (PQS) and be knowledgeable in several aspects of a ship, ranging from maintenance and management systems to damage control and combat systems.

"We streamline out [damage control] qualifications with the ESWS qualifications themselves," says Hayden. "Instead of Sailors going delinquent on either [damage control] or ESWS, we put training for both together. That seems to give personnel a clearer path."

Kidd ESWS coordinators provide qualification training three times a week, while also employing Sailors who are already ESWS qualified to lead space walkthroughs and teach material covered on the board that completes the qualification.

"Walkthroughs really helped me out," said Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Genesis Rodriguez, from Miami. "Getting a visual and seeing where the consoles were and learning their purpose stuck in my mind."

More than 60 percent of eligible Sailors on Kidd have qualified and more than 50 Sailors have received their pin since January 2017.

"Getting this training leads to more than a pin on their chest," said Hayden. "It leads to knowing what to do in an emergency. It leads to an appreciation of other rates. All that together leads to a closer crew and a stronger ship."

Kidd is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations designed to reassure allies and partners, and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region.

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