U.S. Navy photo by FC1 Eric Sosa, AEGIS FC2 Alfarshawn Gill, left, ATRC Instructor, discusses training with Admiral J.C. Harvey, Jr., second from left, FCSN John Bauknecht third from left, FC3 Ciara D. Johnson second from right and FC3 Kyle Thoenen right.

Afterwards, he went to visit the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program and Navy Air and Missile Defense Command (NAMDC) to discuss Fleet systems and training requirements.

During his visit Harvey observed classrooms, training labs and simulators, while taking time to speak with students and Aegis system instructors, who teach the operation, maintenance, and the employment procedures of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) found aboard U.S. Navy Aegis cruisers and destroyers.

‘‘It was very important to me to visit CSCS and ATRC and see firsthand one of our most critical Navy training sites,“ said Harvey.

Since 1984, ATRC has trained Sailors, in the schoolhouse and afloat, for a life and service in Aegis Surface combatant ships to conduct maritime air and missile defense operations around the world.

‘‘Admiral Harvey visited CSCS and ATRC because he wants to have a better understanding of the support and accountability in place for the training configuration and combat skills relative to our people,” said Capt. Stephen Hampton, commanding officer, CSCS. ‘‘The Admiral took his invaluable time today to speak directly with deck plate AWS instructors, students, commanding officers, and department heads to gain better insight to Fleet requirements and the training challenge to meet those requirements. We are challenged by today’s foundational Aegis capability as we buy more complex and more capable systems.”

Today, ATRC strives to improve the quality of training, both in the school and on the waterfront. More than 700 courses for various systems, equipment, variants and baselines are offered. Electronic lesson plans, distance learning, learning resource centers, and simulation training are facilitating Sailors to meet new training challenges and needs of the U.S. Navy.

‘‘It was very valuable to have the Admiral visit and observe the schoolhouse and the challenges we face, as well as sit down with our students,” said Capt. Russ Haas, commanding officer, ATRC.

‘‘The Admiral’s visit was a huge success in terms of improving his understanding of the issues and potential solution sets to meet capability expectations,” said Hampton. ‘‘He wanted deck plate recommendations and a sense of the schoolhouse as he forms his decisions on what choices to make to ensure his fleets’ capability.