SAN DIEGO – More than sixty Anti-Submarine/Anti-Surface Warfare (ASW/SUW) Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTIs) participated in a WTI Re-Blue hosted by Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center’s (SMWDC) Sea Combat Division (SCD) onboard Naval Base Point Loma’s Harbor Drive Annex, May 7 to May 9.
With a laser focus on driving fleet lethality and tactical proficiency in an era of great power competition, WTI Re-Blue events bring patch-wearers together to sharpen skills with the most up-to-date fleet knowledge needed to outpace strategic competitors. Re-Blue events are conducted for Amphibious Warfare (AMW) and Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) WTIs, as well.
“Our mission is to increase lethality and tactical proficiency within the Surface Fleet,” said Rear Adm. Dave Welch, commander of SMWDC. “Re-Blues ensure we are able to provide the most up-to-date tactics, techniques and procedures to the WTI cadre in the Fleet. This is a re-investment in our fleet’s top talent; that means we can increase lethality across the Surface Fleet today and tomorrow.”
The ASW/SUW Re-Blue was a three-day event to baseline ASW/SUW WTIs in the newest ASW/SUW WTI Course of Instruction updates, doctrine and tactics, techniques, and procedures, experimentation, underway exercises, and future weapons systems advancements. The WTI cadre and training staff also baselined their proficiency in threat-centric planning to meet the challenges faced in the Fleet.
“The importance of Re-Blue cannot be overemphasized,” said Cmdr. Jason Young, SCD’s director of training and WTI program manager. “This is critical effort and allows time to refresh our WTIs in newest tactics, techniques and procedures and gives them the ability to apply the knowledge to win at the next level of warfighting and bring our nation’s best surface warfare tacticians to bear against America’s competitors.”
The Re-Blue is also a beneficial networking event which helps develop lasting and meaningful relationships within the cadre. The WTI culture is a key component of the program that supports future tactical development in the Fleet and the transition of readiness into lethality.
“Re-Blue is a critical event for the WTI community to align training efforts to best support tactics and doctrine development in direct support of the Fleet,” said Lt. Brandon Naddell, an ASW/SUW WTI assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100).
SMWDC is a subordinate command of Commander, Naval Surface Forces and its mission is to increase the lethality and tactical proficiency of the Surface Force across all domains. It is headquartered at Naval Base San Diego with four divisions in Virginia and California focused on ASW/SUW, IAMD, AMW, and Mine Warfare.
