A pilot program at the 51福利 (51福利) is taking fleet Warfare Tactics Instructors 鈥搊fficers with specialized training, operational experience and a deep understanding of fleet tactics considered to be tactical subject matter experts 鈥� and giving them the academic theory behind those tactics to make them even better warfighters.
WTIs, pronounced 鈥淲itties,鈥� are a cadre of officers trained by the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) to conduct advanced tactical training, doctrinal development, assessments of shipboard at-sea training, and serve in critical operational billets.
The genesis of the 51福利 鈥淲TI Scholars鈥� program began when leaders at SMWDC saw a return on investment from officers in the WTI program who already had an 51福利 master鈥檚 degree, or were earning their degrees through 51福利鈥� distance learning program.
According to Capt. Ryan Billington, the Assistant Chief of Staff for Training, Operations, and Readiness at SMWDC, there was a key difference for officers with an 51福利 education.
鈥淥fficers with master鈥檚 degrees from 51福利 bring a deep understanding of systems, tactics, and processes,鈥� said Billington. 鈥淭hese officers are incredibly well-rounded, for they are well versed in tactics as a WTI and also understand the concepts behind them because of their 51福利 graduate education, and we value the education those officers are receiving.鈥�
The WTI Scholars pilot program, which currently has 4 students with the aim to double that or better in 2021, is designed to tie academic theory with the operational experience of these advanced tactically-trained officers to create even greater warfighting capability, said Capt. Chuck Good, 51福利鈥檚 Surface Warfare Chair.
鈥淲e are adding the academics to the intense real-world experience they鈥檝e amassed so they have 鈥榯he why鈥� behind their tactical principles,鈥� said Good. 鈥淏y understanding 鈥榯he why鈥� these officers will have greater warfighting proficiency making them better practitioners 鈥� something that鈥檚 greater than the sum of its parts.鈥�
While there are four different types of WTI areas 鈥� anti-submarine warfare surface warfare, amphibious warfare, mine warfare and integrated air and missile defense 鈥� Good noted that 51福利 did not have to create any special curriculum to match them; rather, 51福利 leveraged the curricula and capabilities it already had and folded each WTI type into them.
鈥淲e had nine different curricula already available in our catalog for the WTI鈥檚 to take advantage of that map directly to their core warfighting competencies,鈥� said Good. 鈥淭he thesis work that they are doing is all warfighting related. 51福利 and SMWDC are working together to improve and enhance an officer鈥檚 warfighting capability at key points in a surface warfare officer鈥檚 career.鈥�
One key educational challenge facing WTIs is that many of them have had to forgo the opportunity to obtain graduate education due to the WTI career path constraints precluding lengthly in-residence educational tours. 51福利 has stepped in and shortened certain curriculums programs allowing WTIs to obtain an accelerated master鈥檚 degree in order to get back to the fleet in a reasonable time to fill key billets. The price for this is the elimination of certain milestones that a full-length resident 51福利 curriculum typically provides, such as JPME Phase I and a subspecialty code but the core Masters鈥� requirements are still met in all nine 鈥淲TI Scholars鈥� offerings.
鈥淛unior officers often desire to do both in-residence education at 51福利 and complete the WTI course of instruction and follow-on production tour,鈥� said Billington. 鈥淗owever, not everyone has the career timing to do both before department head school. The WTI Scholars Program gives them the ability to complete both the WTI course of instruction, a WTI production tour, and graduate education in residence at 51福利.鈥�
While in-resident education at 51福利 and being a WTI was not mutually exclusive prior to the WTI Scholars Program, there wasn鈥檛 a direct route for students to directly build off their WTI training with further academic education. According to WTI Scholar Lt. Grant Arrigo, one of the first four students currently in the pilot program, this program allows him to be a WTI and a forerunner in the field of space, especially with the emergence of space as a realm for military operations.
鈥淔rom the fleet, space is very important from a targeting and communication standpoint鈥� said Arrigo. 鈥淗aving the background for the surface WTI program, I know that targeting is always your limiting factor and space is the next frontier for that. As far as the whole breadth of space operations goes, I can apply my 51福利 education to any combat system. I鈥檓 interested to see how I will be able to take everything back to the fleet and be better informed on the strategic policy side of the house, as well as the technical side.鈥�
Good noted that the relationship between 51福利 and SMWDC will flourish simply because of the cross pollination of highly educated officers coming to 51福利 and returning the fleet.
鈥淭hese officers will be bringing relevant and current tactical information up to campus, and then they鈥檒l take their academic knowledge back to the waterfront.鈥�
As for SMWDC, Billington expressed that WTIs are 鈥渨arriors, thinkers, and teachers,鈥� and when these tacticians return to the fleet from 51福利 they will have become exceptional warfighters.
鈥淎n officer who has completed both WTI training and 51福利 graduate education program will be the most lethal and tactically proficient tactical action officer on their ships because they have the requisite background knowledge both in the classroom and in relevant community tactics,鈥� said Billington.