Great Lakes Illinois - Friday August 12, 2022: Sailors are some of the most highly-trained people on the planet, according to Navy officials, and this training requires highly-dedicated instructors, staff and support.
At Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), staff oversee 98 percent of new Navy Accessions, including Recruit Training Command, Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, and Officer Training Command, ensuring officers and sailors enter the fleet tough, disciplined, courageous and trained in five warfighting competencies – firefighting, damage control, seamanship, watchstanding and small arms handling and marksmanship.
Seaman Recruit Kamal Anderson, a native of Port St. Lucie, Florida, with hometown ties to Jamaica, is serving as a sonar technician. He is a 2019 Fort Pierce Central High School graduate. He joined the Navy four months ago.
As a sonar technician, Anderson is responsible for underwater surveillance and the upkeep of various weapons systems on a submarine. “I joined the Navy to broaden my opportunities in life and to be something that my family would always be proud of,” said Anderson.
Anderson uses skills and values similar to those found in both Port St. Lucie and Jamaica to succeed in the Navy. “One of the most important values that I learned from my hometown is to never give up and to always have grit,” said Anderson.
NSTC’s mission is to transform volunteers into naval service professionals by instilling and reinforcing enduring core values, knowledge, and skills to prepare them for the fleet.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.
According to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, four priorities will focus efforts on sailors, readiness, capabilities, and capacity.
“For 245 years, in both calm and rough waters, our Navy has stood the watch to protect the homeland, preserve freedom of the seas, and defend our way of life,” said Gilday. “The decisions and investments we make this decade will set the maritime balance of power for the rest of this century. We can accept nothing less than success.”
Serving in the Navy means Anderson is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our national defense is important because it gives ships safe passage against enemies around the globe,” said Anderson. Anderson and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.
“I’m most proud of being a part of the 900 Division class that hosted our boot camp graduation,” said Anderson. As Anderson and other sailors continue to train and perform the missions they are tasked with, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy. “Serving in the Navy helps me provide a good structure in life for my daughter,” added Anderson. “I’m setting an example as a role model and ensuring that she grows up in a safe world.”
By Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach