MAYPORT, FL (NNS) – Nineteen Sailors from the Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC) were honored during an All Hands call Oct. 22 for attaining a Navy Afloat Maintenance Training Strategy (NAMTS) certification. Rear Adm. Eric Ver Hage, commander, Navy Regional Maintenance Center (CNRMC) and Naval Sea Systems (NAVSEA) director, Surface Ship Maintenance and Modernization (SEA 21) presided over the ceremony.
The NAMTS program is designed to increase Sailor’s knowledge and proficiency in performing essential shipboard repairs through formal training on various ship systems and equipment to improve a ship’s organic maintenance capability and self-sufficiency at sea.
Through this professional development program, Sailors enter as apprentices and graduate as journeyman in one or more of the 21 established trade disciplines that include everything from Hull, Mechanical & Electrical to Combat Systems. The program builds on Sailors’ existing skills by instilling confidence through hands-on production work, and developing new skills to increase their technical knowledge and repair capability.
While touring the Production Shops, Ver Hage stopped to discuss NAMTS with MM2 Brian Treacy, who is working toward his first NAMTS NEC after checking on board. Ver Hage offered encouragement and reflected on his enlisted days as an Electronics Technician in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, and stressed the importance of NAMTS. “When you go back to sea, the Navy will depend on you to share and apply the expertise you’ve acquired here. When something breaks on deployment and you demonstrate the capability to fix it, your expertise will become an advocate for the NAMTS program.”
“Increasing the self-sufficiency of our ships and Sailors, that’s what this is.” Ver Hage concluded.
Most Sailors at SERMC earn multiple NECs and return to sea to become a force multiplier by training other Sailors on the ability to sustain their systems and equipment while on deployment or engaged in combat.
NAMTS training is available to Sailors on shore duty at Regional Maintenance Centers (RMCs), Intermediate Maintenance Activities or Facilities (IMAs or IMFs), shipyards, aboard tenders, as well as those stationed on ships undergoing extended maintenance availabilities. For more information about SERMC visit: http://www.facebook.com/SoutheastRMC