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| HMAS Hobart, 1st of the Hobart class (AWD) Destroyers |
The AWD Alliance successfully completed its final Training Readiness Review last week with a presentation to a panel which included strong representation from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The completion of this review is a major milestone for the program as it signifies agreement from the RAN that the program is ready to commence training.
The Alliance’s commitment to training for the AWD program is evidenced through the investment that has been made to date. Together, Defence and the Alliance have invested $100m on facilities, training equipment, computer-based training and course design, which is a significant package of work.
Not only is this investment in training quantified in dollar value, it is also evident through the team’s enthusiasm for the task. For the Support System IPT Training Team, this review was an opportunity to demonstrate the depth of expertise that exists within the Alliance, as well as the extensive body of work that has already been produced to help train the Navy’s future crew.
This was demonstrated by the level of completion of work within the training scope. For example, by the end of this month, the team will have developed 65 of the total 66 courses required by the Navy to train their crew on the AWD capability.
Additionally, the full range of products now in place include fully equipped classrooms with installed training equipment, through to powerpoint slides and computer-aided training packages that will be used by instructors in each course. Ultimately, this includes everything that is required to conduct planned courses for the future AWD crew.
Panel members from Defence were impressed with what they saw. “This has been one of the best of the many reviews I have attended, which was conducted by a very professional team, the system is in place to deliver,” said panel member CDRE Steve Hughes.
Ultimately, the success of this review is due to the culmination of efforts from a number of teams across the Alliance, including the Combat Systems and Test and Activation teams, as well as the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group Program Office and the RAN training organisation.
The Alliance has also gained valuable experience through this activity through the training of non-crew members such the Test and Activation team and instructors who are now looking forward to commence training with the future crew.