Commanding Officer Readiness Course begins
1/8/2010
by MC1 (SW/AW) Elena Pence
NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) -- Senior Officer Ship Maintenance and Repair Course (SOSMRC) commenced Jan. 4 at Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport, R.I.

Prospective commanding officers (PCOs) and prospective executive officers (PXOs) from around the fleet are attending the five-week course which is designed to improve and help sustain overall ship and Surface Force readiness.

SOSMRC is an updated version of a 13-week course that was offered in the 1980s and 1990s. The course is focused on providing PCOs and PXOs with core knowledge and skills such as damage control procedures and equipment operation, material self-assessment and shipboard safety requirements, to be better prepared for their upcoming command.

"Reestablishing SOSMRC has been a priority for the last 18 months," said Vice Adm. D. C. Curtis, commander, Naval Surface Forces. "In providing leaders with the core knowledge and skills they need to be better prepared for their command tour, the course is reflective of the broader 'Back to Basics' philosophy. We continually refine our processes to find the most effective way to maintain the high level of readiness that is the centerpiece of that philosophy; SOSMRC is one example of that commitment."

According to Cmdr. Dennis Velez, PCO of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), the initial feedback from course participants has been positive.

"The reintroduction of the SOSMRC course to the PCO/PXO curriculum will prove to be invaluable and allow everyone to baseline, recalibrate and 'break the rust free' in the maintenance and operational realm," said Velez. "Although we are in the initial course, the community emphasis and level of instruction is top notch; we are being taught by post major command and post commander command officers who bring experience and perspective to every lecture."

In addition to student feedback, SOSMRC instructors have commented that they believe their efforts will make an immediate impact on the Surface Force.

"The return of SOSMRC will allow the next generation of shipboard commanding officers to be better prepared to materially self-assess their ship," said Capt. Todd Bostock, SOSMRC's senior instructor. "The course is one additional step toward improving the readiness of the surface community,"

During the first four weeks, the training is conducted in individual and team environments that vary in combinations of classroom instruction, lab work, practical application and examination. In the fifth week, the PCOs and PXOs will be aboard a ship either in Norfolk, Va., San Diego, or Mayport, Fla. for their final lessons. They go onboard ships similar to the ones they will soon command. The first SOSMRC has nearly 30 PCOs/PXOs attending and will host approximately 140 students a year.

For more news from Naval Surface Forces, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnsp/.