The International Surface Warfare Officers School (ISWOS) graduated students from the Joint Maritime Tactical Development and the Division Officer course, Dec. 2, at the Admiral Michael Mullen Auditorium.

Twenty-one students from the countries of Argentina, Bulgaria, Columbia, Indonesia, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, Peru, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, and Qatar successfully completed their international courses.

Retired Vice Adm. James Wisecup, the director of CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) Strategic Studies Group 35, was the guest speaker for the day's event.

"You are at the point in your careers where you need to decide what your leadership model is going to be," said Wisecup. "I cannot overstate the importance of leading by example -- I guarantee the crew is watching, and they are smart."

Lt Cmdr. Lida Cooper, the director of international training at SWOS and the master of ceremonies for the event, offered more insight into the importance of these programs.

"We strive to provide our students with a valuable and memorable experience, fostering international cooperation through the sharing of knowledge," said Cooper. "These classes provide the students with the theoretical and tactical instruction necessary to perform their duties in combined operations at sea."

The International Division Officer Course provides junior officers, O-1 to O-3, with the ability to execute watch station duties aboard surface warfare ships. Highlighted are basic systems, interdependence, and interaction, including a foundation in surface combat systems, operational concepts, basic seamanship skills, and engineering.

The International Joint Military Tactical Development (JMTD) course provides warfare specialty officers, O-3 to O-4, with the tactical development skills required to support a joint force commander or naval component commander in a multithreat environment. This course stresses joint maritime planning and uses wargaming in order to assimilate air, surface, and submarine platforms into an effective fighting force.

ISWOS continues to forge maritime partnerships through classroom and training device instruction emphasizing fleet missions as they apply to individual international countries.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy/, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy/.

For more information about Surface Warfare Officers School, visit http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/swos/ or http://www.facebook.com/SWOSCOLCOM/.

For more news from Naval Education and Training Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.netc.navy.mil/ or http://www.facebook.com/#!/NavalEducationAndTrainingCommand/.