NEWPORT, R.I. – Rear Adm. Pete Garvin, commander, Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), visited Naval Station Newport, Feb. 23.
Garvin met with staff at Center for Service Support (CSS), Surface Warfare Schools Command, Officer Training Command Newport, and the U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy (SEA), all part of the MyNavy HR Force Development team. NETC Force Master Chief Matthew Harris accompanied Garvin and participated in the engagements.
“It is always invigorating to connect with our Force Development shipmates, who are the foundation of our Navy’s success in training and delivering highly skilled, combat ready warfighters,” said Garvin. “Newport is a critical location for Navy training. Whether preparing future officers, developing our senior enlisted leaders, or training our surface warfare community and administration and mission support personnel, what happens day in and day out here in Newport is absolutely vital, especially taken in context with the current era of strategic competition.”
Garvin and Harris participated in awards ceremonies to recognize military and civilian employee achievements and joined in all-hands calls, discussing the Force Development strategic plan and Garvin’s
commander’s intent for how the Force Development team delivers the next generation of warfighters to the fleet through modernized systems, infrastructure and innovative concepts enabled by the latest advances in learning science and enabling technology. They shared the latest progress with
Ready Relevant Learning, the Navy’s long-term investment in improving individual Sailor performance and enhancing fleet readiness with three major components that address the when, how, and where the Navy trains Sailors.
At CSS, the staff provided updates on how the Navy Instructor Training Course (NITC) has been revised to incorporate
Warrior Toughness (WT), so that instructors throughout the NETC domain continue to build on the skills that Sailors are learning in boot camp at Great Lakes and taking with them to the fleet. NITC trains future instructors in the application of basic instructional techniques and strategies, preparing Sailors to serve as entry-level instructors at training activities around the world.
“Warrior Toughness combines elite performance preparation skills with psychological and spiritual readiness techniques to enhance the toughness of our Sailors, so that the Navy’s warfighters are ready to fight and win against any adversary, wherever and whenever the Nation calls,” said Garvin. “This set of skills developing toughness in the mind, body and soul is all part of our Culture of Excellence and the development of a lethal warfighting force.”
In place at Recruit Training Command since October 2018, the WT curriculum is now incorporated across all Navy accessions at Officer Training Command Newport, the U.S. Naval Academy and the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. Learning centers throughout the NETC/Force Development domain are at varying stages of incorporating WT skills into “A” school training.
“With Warrior Toughness, our Sailors are better prepared to respond to stressful situations with a Warrior Mindset,” said Harris. “Ensuring our future instructors are ready to do their part in continuing to develop Sailors with this mindset is a great next step.”
At SEA, Garvin and Harris reinforced how SEA contributes to the NETC/Force Development strategic plan and supports fleet readiness. They encouraged alignment with the chief of naval operations’ call to action for every Navy leader to “
Get Real, Get Better.”
“As leaders, we all need to continually self-assess, self-correct, and look for ways to innovate and improve,” said Garvin. “We need to apply our proven leadership and problem solving best practices and empower our people to achieve exceptional performance. A lot of that happens on the deckplates, and our Chiefs Mess, as always, is uniquely positioned to use a learning mindset to be transparent, be courageous, build trust and experiment often to find the best solutions.”
While in Newport, Garvin also took the opportunity to meet with Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, president of the U.S. Naval War College (NWC), to exchange ideas on current issues and the future of training and education where NETC’s and NWC’s missions intersect.
NETC’s mission is to recruit and hire talented civilians, deliver training and education to transform civilians into Sailors and distribute accession Sailors to the fleet to maximize readiness and ensure mission success; to provide specialized training and educational tools to advance the personal and professional development of Sailors throughout their career; and serve as sole claimant for individual training and education and as the principal advisor to the chief of naval operations and commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command on training and education related matters.
For more information about NETC, visit the command’s website at
https://www.netc.navy.mil/ and follow MyNavy HR: