NAVY RESTRUCTURES TRAINING ARM TO TACKLE COMPLEX MARITIME CHALLENGES

In an increasingly complex maritime environment, the missions that the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) undertakes are becoming more multi-faceted and integrated.

And its training and doctrine development system must be able to match this pace of change.

Given this backdrop, the RSN is continuing its training transformation journey with the setting up of the Maritime Training and Doctrine Command (MTDC).

The new command will cater to a full range of the RSN's training requirements.

Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng said this at the MTDC's inauguration ceremony held at Changi Naval Base's (CNB's) Victory Hall on 12 Jul.

In his address to about 200 MTDC staff, RADM Ng said that MTDC will enable the RSN's training system to be adaptive and responsive as it "fuses operational learning with our doctrines and training curricula".

"MTDC will ensure that our people are well-trained and committed to delivering enduring success for the RSN," he said.

MTDC is home to the newly-formed Naval Military Expert Institute (NMI), the Doctrine and Readiness Group (DRG) and Headquarters (HQ) MTDC. It is based in CNB.

At the ceremony, the MTDC's predecessors - Naval Training Command, Institute of Maritime Operations & Systems and Naval Warfare Group - were stood down.

As the central agency for training in the RSN, MTDC's responsibilities include developing training systems to keep in step with the new capabilities and operating concepts that will be introduced to the Navy.

It also acts as a bridge between the operational units and the training institutes so that lessons learned and key takeaways from the frontline can be quickly communicated to and learned by those in training.

HQ MDTC, for example, will look at what is taught and how it is being taught to ensure that training remains progressive and relevant.

The DRG will develop doctrines and train naval staff for the full range of maritime missions that the Navy undertakes - from warfighting to maritime security.

They will also act as an independent party to make sure that training standards remain high through audits and inspections.

The NMI will focus on deepening the military domain expertise of naval staff. This is significant as about 70% of naval staff are Military Experts (MEs).

The new institute will help MEs realise their full potential and equip them to make better use of sophisticated naval systems and handle complex operations, said Commander MTDC Colonel (COL) Gerald Heng.

"MTDC will nurture competent, confident and committed naval professionals for the 3rd Gen RSN, and will play a key role in ensuring high readiness levels for the RSN operational task forces and task groups," he added.

To this end, close to 1,100 naval staff are expected to go through courses conducted by NMI's seven specialised schools annually. These courses will prepare and develop naval MEs to take on higher-grade appointments in areas such as combat and engineering.

The schools include the Weapon Systems School, the Naval Wargaming Simulation Centre and the Platform Technology Systems School (PTSS).

Each of these schools is headed by a Commanding Officer (CO) of ME6 grade. These COs - also known as the Vocation Advisory Authorities (VAAs) - will provide direction for the vocation and develop the military experts in the vocation.

For ME3-2 Jake Tan, who is an instructor in PTSS, the formation of MTDC is very much welcomed because it now includes VAAs.

"In the past, we did not have COs for the specific skill-sets; now we do. They have over 20 years of experience."

"I'm definitely looking forward to engaging them. With their experience and knowledge, it's going to help us sharpen our skills," he said.