{"id":29086,"date":"2018-07-10T15:48:40","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T15:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/10\/us-navy-adding-new-training-to-pre-deployment-work-ups\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:13:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:13:52","slug":"us-navy-adding-new-training-to-pre-deployment-work-ups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/07\/10\/us-navy-adding-new-training-to-pre-deployment-work-ups\/","title":{"rendered":"US Navy adding new training to pre-deployment work-ups"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The U.S. Navy is steadily rolling out a new phase of work-ups for carrier strike group and amphibious ready group deployments aimed at boosting its surface warfare skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amphibious assault ship Essex, along with the amphibious transport dock Arlington and dock landing ship Fort McHenry, wrapped up the first East Coast Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training, or SWATT, on June 28. The move is part of a push by the surface Navy to get its sailors back in the mindset of high-end warfare after decades of focusing on counter-piracy and other constabulary missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea is to employ more senior post-command surface warfare officers and a new group of junior officers trained as subject matter experts in specific functions of surface warfare \u2015 dubbed warfare tactics instructors, or WTI \u2015 to train the sailors in the group, similar to naval aviation\u2019s Top Gun program. The instructors are attached to the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center in San Diego, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Various WTIs are trained to focus on mine warfare, amphibious warfare, integrated air and missile defense, and sea combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\t