Joint, Combined Training Increases Interoperability with Partner Nations

Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS) and the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) conducted a joint field training exercise March 6 at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

The training was the first time NAVSCIATTS and WHINSEC worked together in a joint effort. Students represented 24 different partner nations.

"It's a phenomenal opportunity for two organizations that have been doing security cooperation for years to come together in joint efforts enhancing their skills and expertise by bringing a number of countries together to execute training pertinent to the challenges that we all face," said Col. Felix L. Santiago, commandant, WHINSEC. "It's truly remarkable to see that this training is able to make a difference when folks return to their countries and implement the skills in mitigating the threats."

NAVSCIATTS and WHINSEC schoolhouses train international students in maritime and ground-based operations respectively. Both have particular strengths in cultural sensitivity and bilingual instructor cadre language capabilities enabling students to focus more on training and less on language barriers.

"At the beginning, training was difficult because all the countries were not used to working together, but in a couple of days, our confidence has become better and at the end we work very well together," said Lt. Estuardo Antonio Carbaoluna, Guatemalan Navy, WHINSEC student.

"The experience of working with all the students from all the countries and to take procedures and security tactics and new knowledge is important."

WHINSEC and NAVSCIATTS students will use the training to support U.N. peacekeeping operations, interdict drugs and capture drug runners, respond to disasters and ultimately help save lives.

"The way of the future is we are moving toward combined, joint and even interagency operations, so what we see is the NAVSCIATTS and WHINSEC students get to broaden their horizons, and they get to see challenges here that they will see in combat or peacekeeping," said U.S. Army Capt. Brad Miller, chief, special operations division, WHINSEC.

Providing technical training to partner nation security force students improves individual skills, enhances overall readiness and improves partner nation maritime security force interoperability with U.S. forces.

"The students get a unique opportunity to work in a multinational environment, often the first, but likely not the last time, for many of the students," said Cmdr. Bill Mahoney, commanding officer, NAVSCIATTS.

"The demand for maritime focused training – especially in riverine and littoral environments - is growing exponentially.

"Combatant commanders, embassy security assistance officers and theater special operations commands are increasingly looking for training opportunities like NAVSCIATTS to train their partner nations. NAVSCIATTS recently added an additional in-resident English semester (eighty seats) to meet the growing demand from international partner countries."

His command transitioned to fall under Naval Special Warfare Group 4 Feb. 1 to further operationalize the school's mission and improve the lash-up between NAVSCIATTS riverine and littoral training with the State Department's and U.S. Special Operations Command's goal to build partner nation maritime capability.

"NAVSCIATTS is in unique in many ways. We're the only command in the Navy that exclusively trains international students, and our location on Stennis Space Center provides superb riverine and littoral training for our students to work in this maritime environment. They'll leave here with an increased ability to build their nations small craft capacity," said Mahoney.

The training is closely aligned with the Navy's maritime strategy of increasing security and alliances in waterways across the world.

"I think WHINSEC as well as NAVSCIATTS have become a strategic tool and is significant to what we do, not only in our hemisphere but throughout the world as long as we have institutions like this that can enhance skills, foster security cooperation, and build relationships and partnerships," said Santiago.


R.J. Stratchko (NNS)

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