NSTC Hosts NROTC PCO/PXO Seminar

Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) recently hosted a week of classes and instruction for new Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Professors of Naval Science, new commanding officers, executive officers, staff enlisted members and administrators at the O’Hare Crowne Plaza Hotel July 31-August 08.
More than 50 NROTC active-duty officer instructors attended the annual training held for the new members of the program.
The annual week is a chance to welcome new professors and instructors and introduce them to NSTC and staff personnel. During the training they were presented with tools they can use at their units at colleges and universities around the country.
“The purpose of this seminar is to best prepare our incoming commanding officers, executive officers and officers in charge as they arrive at their NROTC units and the departments of Naval Science to succeed in developing the students, midshipmen, officer candidates and Marines under their charge into warfighters and officers,” said Capt. Chris Adams, the head of NSTC’s NROTC directorate.
Captain Adams and his NSTC staff members covered a wide variety of subjects the new COs and XOs can use and apply at their new commands. They went over the NROTC program and how it is incorporated on a college campus. They discussed curriculum and training and where and how midshipmen can receive further midshipmen training on Navy ships, on Navy bases and with Marine Corps units. They also discussed the NROTC Prep Program where a possible midshipman can attend before arriving at their units. Capt. Adams and his staff went over nuclear accessions, medical programs, legal issues and many other teaching strategies.
“This is a wonderful primer to the program I’m going to teach as well as an introduction to the staff and other PNS officers,” said Capt. Abigail Hutchins, the incoming commanding officer at the University of Minnesota NROTC unit.
Capt. Scott Brunson, incoming commanding officer at the University of Idaho, called the seminar fantastic.
“My level of knowledge (in the NROTC program) was low. I learned a lot and it was great to network with the other incoming officers and NSTC staff members,” said Brunson.
Incoming U. S. Navy executive officer at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Chicago NROTC Consortium, Cmdr. Kevin Francis Riley, called the seminar enjoyable.
“There was a lot of good information. There was a lot of information provided that is going to be important later as I come across the topics discussed,” Riley said.
“The exposure is great. The ability to reference the slides provided is great and the XO Net email blog is fantastic. I am not looking forward to problems, but I feel comfortable that when they arise, I’ll have some tools that I can use.”
NROTC is overseen by Commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), Capt. Craig T. Mattingly and his staff. NSTC oversees 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, including NROTC units at more than 160 colleges and universities; Officer Training Command (OTC) at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island; Recruit Training Command (RTC) at Naval Station Great Lakes, as well as Navy Junior ROTC (NJROTC) and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC).
NROTC was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally and physically.
The program also imbues in them the highest ideals of duty, loyalty and Navy core values in order to commission college graduates as Naval officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the Naval service and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.
For more information on NROTC visit: https://www.netc.navy.mil/NSTC/NROTC/
To see more NSI images and videos click onto the following link to the NSTC Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (dvids) page: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NSTC/.
For more information about NSTC, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/NSTC/