Personnel from Coastal Riverine Squadron 11 (CRS-11) completed their annual Unit Level Training Readiness Assessment (ULTRA) at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Beach, May 29.

The reserve unit trains once a month under the guidance of its command training team.

The annual ULTRA event evaluates the training team's ability to train and certify their unit for deployment.

CRS-11's primary mission is to deploy abroad to protect high-value assets around the world. Seaward, it provides embarked security teams aboard cargo vessels, oilers, and other Military Sealift Command ships, countering pirates by providing an onboard security team. It also provides landward security at the port level.

The training team engages the watch teams in mock missions that are as realistic as possible while still maintaining a safe training environment.

Senior Chief Master-at-Arms Mark Grote is a leading chief petty officer of the training team, and has been training with the unit for the past six years.

"Planning these exercises takes the cooperation of the entire command," said Grote. "Basically what you are trying to do is write a story with pre-planned responses of what should happen at any given scenario."

The scenarios created range from a sniper attack on a military installation to medical emergencies and protecting a primary high-value asset at sea using small patrol boats.

"We create the exercise to give them something to play to, and then as they go through our training events they simulate situations and circumstances that the watch teams would actually encounter in a real-life situation should we actually deploy overseas," said CRS-11 Commanding Officer, Capt. Chuck Lund.

Nine-year Coast Guard veteran, Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Travis Arburua, is the coxswain and boarding officer on a 29-foot Coast Guard Response Boat. His mission in the evolution is to drive his boat as a high-value asset for Navy patrol boats to practice protecting.

"I've done a lot of similar training for the Coast Guard and they seem to use the same tactics that we use for the most part," said Arburua.

Training with the Coast Guard is not unusual for these Navy Sailors.

"We've got a contingent of Coast Guard officers imbedded with our unit," said CRS-11 Executive Officer Capt. Dane Hornado. "They've been an integral part of our team, both officers and enlisted. Historically, this community has forward deployed with our Coast Guard counterparts. There's a lot of overlapping in what we do."

As the training evolution winds down Lund said he feels very confident in his Sailors.

"I think very highly of them," he said. "They are very professional. Yes, we make mistakes, but we dust off and learn from our mistakes because we have a motto: 'There are only wins or learning opportunities.'"

For more news from Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, visit www.navy.mil/.