CHIPS Articles: Aegis Ashore Team Trainer Pilot Class Graduates

“Today’s graduation is the result of years of development efforts on behalf of all of the trainer and curriculum developers,” said Mr. Mike Kroner, Deputy Director for CSCS’ Technical Support Directorate. "This pilot course has been a great opportunity to validate those efforts and ensure the watch teams have the skill sets necessary to execute their mission in Romania."

The AATT was funded by the Surface Warfare Resource Sponsor, OPNAV N96 and developed by the Surface Warfare, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA 21) Surface Training Systems (STS) Program Office (PMS 339) and Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD).

The AATT facility is located onboard Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex in Gallery Hall. The trainer houses a mock-up of the shore-based Aegis Combat Information Center (CIC) and Communication Center and hosts a complete replica of the tactical warfighting, communication and information technology systems resident at the host nation in Europe.

The concept behind Aegis Ashore dates back to September 2009 when it was determined that more capable Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) was required to defend U.S. deployed forces, their families, and allies in Europe.

“President Barack Obama declared that the U.S. would pursue a phased adaptive approach to missile defense in Europe to employ technology that is proven, cost-effective, and adaptable,” said Mr. Brian Deters, Director of Technical Support for CSCS. “Since shipboard Aegis Weapons Systems have defended America's interests onboard Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers for decades, Aegis Ashore became the Navy’s solution. Aegis Ashore is the land-based version of this combat system, leveraging the latest technology developed for the U.S. Navy's most advanced warships as well as the experience of highly-trained Sailors.”

AATT is operated by CSCSU Dam Neck under Capt. Leonard Remias and AATT director Mr. Larry Sharp. Supporting Sharp is a cadre of full time industry partner instructors and maintainers. The permanent staff is augmented by a rotating pool of instructors provided by CSCS Det Norfolk resulting in optimal manpower utilization throughout the course of instruction.

The complete AATT course of instruction is comprised of an eight-week training pipeline; a five-week basic phase conducted by CSCSU Dam Neck, a one-week qualification phase conducted by ATG Norfolk, and a two-week certification phase conducted by TACTRAGRULANT.

During weeks one and two, CSCS instructed students on basic system capabilities and limitations, theater operational procedures, console operator familiarization, and BMD mission planning.

“Due to the diversity of rates, backgrounds and varying levels of BMD experience, our entire team was eager to begin ‘base lining’ and the CSCS cadre did not fail to deliver,” said AATT student Lt. Daniel Rayburn. “We began with the history of BMD and ended with a detailed overview of command and control infrastructure effectively conveying all critical concepts and processes.”

During weeks three through five, the watch team executed a series of increasingly complex tactical team scenarios, flexing the extensive capabilities of the new high fidelity trainer while turning the students into a cohesive tactical team.

“The quiet is occasionally broken by routine reports, casualty response procedures and engagement statuses culminating in a well-rehearsed rapid-fire report ‘off-ship,’” commented Rayburn. “The seemingly relaxed demeanor gives no indication as to the intensity of the battle being waged as wave upon wave of simulated ballistic missiles are systematically detected, assessed and engaged by the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System (AAMDS).”

After the five-week basic phase, the crew completed their BMD Qualification (BMDQ) administered by ATG Norfolk. Following a successful BMDQ, TACTRAGRULANT supervised the execution of a BMD Exercise (BMDEX), in coordination with theater ballistic missile defense assets, as a capstone to the AATT course of instruction.

Lt. Cmdr. Matt Langley, the TACTRAGRULANT military lead for Aegis Ashore, who recently served as Sixth Fleet’s BMD Upper Tier Coordination Officer (UTCO), said he enjoyed being part of the pilot course and was glad to offer his recent EUCOM experience.

“Aegis Ashore Romania is another step in the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) which brings greater capabilities to United States European Command (EUCOM) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),” he added.

Cmdr. Andrew Carlson, AAMDS Romania’s commanding officer, discusses the importance of the delivered training.

“The training provided to the inaugural watch team for Aegis Ashore Romania established a solid baseline for operation and tactical employment of this new capability and will prove to be pivotal in the development of our Sailors to deploy in the European theater,” he said. “We will be ready to execute the President's initiative to provide BMD for our allies and partners in the region.”

Capt. Bill McKinley, CSCS’ commanding officer, discussed how AATT is a great example of how technology is improving the U.S. Navy’s ability to train Sailors while saving both time and money. “AATT allows us to train, qualify, and certify our Sailors so when they arrive in Romania they are immediately prepared to contribute,” he said. “This represents the next evolution in combat systems training and sets a clear standard for what we should strive to achieve in our future training endeavors.”

The Center for Surface Combat Systems mission is to develop and deliver surface ship combat systems training to achieve surface warfare superiority. CSCS headquarters’ staff oversees 14 learning sites and provides almost 70,000 hours of curriculum for close to 700 courses a year to more than 40,000 Sailors. The training center uses a ix of blended learning comprised of instructor-led classes, hands-on labs, simulation and computer-based training.

Visit us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Center-for-Surface-Combat-Systems/1480366868885239?ref=hl