Joint Civilian Orientation Conference 93 Visits Naval Special Warfare Sailors

Forty business and community leaders visited Naval Special Warfare Group (NSWG) 1 at the Silver Strand Training Complex in Coronado, Calif., on Oct. 27 for an immersive tour of Naval Special Warfare as part of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) 93.

Participants received an up-close look of Naval Special Warfare organization and operations, allowing participants to understand how NSWG-1 effectively mans, trains, equips, develops, deploys, and sustains Naval Special Warfare forces in support of combatant commanders around the world.

“I gained a new appreciation for the difficulty of their training and their mission,” said Thomas J. Shattuck, a JCOC participant and the global order program manager for the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House. “I learned a lot about the pivot to more maritime missions, and I found that to be very enlightening.”

The JCOC 93 cohort began their visit by touring the headquarters of a West Coast-based SEAL Team, learning about the team’s storied history and heritage. They then met with members of a SEAL team squad and interacted with Sailors while receiving an overview of some of the equipment and weapons they operate with during training and deployment.

Participants also received an overview of NSWG-1’s human performance program. Comprised of strength and conditioning training, sports medicine, performance psychology, performance nutrition, and research and technology as it relates to human performance, the program uses a holistic approach to align resources for optimal performance and recovery.

With the U.S. Special Operations Command’s mantra of “humans are more important than hardware,” advanced programs like these increase Naval Special Warfare’s operational readiness and capability.

The tour concluded with a visit to the NSWG-1 combat training tank where naval commandos train to conduct high-risk combat diving evolutions. The force is placing a renewed emphasis on missions that only Naval Special Warfare can do on, under and above the sea. The combat training tank improves the training and readiness of Sailors to carry out highly complex undersea missions.

JCOC is the Department of Defense’s (DoD) oldest and most prestigious public liaison program. Established in 1948, it is the only Secretary of Defense-sponsored outreach program that enables American business and community leaders to have an immersive experience with their military.

Participants are guests of the Secretary of Defense and attend briefings by senior military and civilian officials at the Pentagon. They also gain firsthand experiences through operations and interactions with troops and military leaders throughout the United States. The program provides participants a better understanding of the rewards and challenges faced by our Service members – both on and off the battlefield, by educating them on DoD roles and missions by personal observation of military operations. In turn, JCOC participants share their experience and knowledge with the American public to help strengthen the civilian-military relationship.

Since 1962, Naval Special Warfare has been the nation’s premier maritime special operations force – a highly reliable and lethal force –ready to conduct full-spectrum operations, unilaterally or with partners, in support of national objectives.

For more news from Naval Special Warfare Command, visit https://www.facebook.com/NavalSpecialWarfare or https://www.nsw.navy.mil/