Tactical Training Group, Atlantic

Commander, Tactical Training Group Atlantic
TTGL logo
Active	c. 1981
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Navy
Type	Fleet
Role	Atlantic Fleet Integrated/Advanced Training
Part of	U.S. Fleet Forces Command
Garrison/HQ	NAS Oceana, Dam Neck Annex, VA
Commanders
Current commander	CAPT S. C. Howard

Commander, Tactical Training Group, Atlantic (TTGL or TACTRAGRULANT) through COMSTRKFORTRALANT supports Strike Group staff training throughout the Fleet Readiness Training Plan (FRTP) continuum and supports the attainment of training objectives, stressing war fighting core competencies, planning, information flow, decision making and tactical skills in all warfare/mission areas for east coast deploying Carrier Strike Groups, Amphibious Ready Groups and Independent Deployers. Additionally, at-sea lessons learned, best practices, and tactical shortfalls are incorporated into deploying staff training events.

History

Tactical Training Group, Atlantic was established on May 1, 1980 as part of a Navy-wide training continuum to improve awareness of and proficiency in advanced tactics across the surface, aviation, and submarine warfare communities. TACTRAGRULANT is unique in the Atlantic Fleet, in that it is the only instructional and tactics evaluation facility involved with every level of maritime warfare training for deploying Strike Groups.

From its modest beginning 23 years ago, with a teaching cadre of six officers conducting ten classes a year, and occupying spaces at the Atlantic Fleet Combat Training Center, TACTRAGRULANT has grown to a staff of 35 officers, 70 enlisted, and 65 supporting civilian personnel. Officers serving as principal instructors and department heads all have recent Strike Group experience, most having come directly from operational Commanding Officer or senior staff fleet billets. With this exceptional caliber of professional expertise, TACTRAGRULANT conducts over 300 training events and courses each year, ranging in tactical complexity from a two-week Joint Maritime Tactics Course aimed at senior Strike Group officers, and shorter specialty classes in specific mission areas such as Tomahawk, Maritime Supremacy Operations, Oil Platform Defense, and Common Tactical Picture management, to an extended, four-day pierside Fleet Synthetic Training (FST) event involving multiple Strike Groups and their associated Warfare Commanders, as well as Joint and Coalition participants.

Representatives from TACTRAGRULANT are instrumental in the observation and evaluation of all major Second Fleet training exercises, both in port and at sea, and are in continuous liaison with all Atlantic Fleet commands involved in tactics development and evaluation to ensure the most current tactics, techniques and procedures are the cornerstone of all training events and curricula.

Students attending our principal courses are almost exclusively senior officers en route to Command, key Strike Group Staff billets, as well as CTF 20, Sixth, and Fifth Fleet units. There are few operational commands in the Atlantic Fleet that do not receive training in some form from this facility. Each year, over 6000 officers and enlisted personnel receive advanced tactical training through TACTRAGRULANT.

In 1986, when Admiral Train Hall was dedicated, the first installation of the Enhanced Naval Wargaming System was installed which permitted a full range of naval tactical gaming from individual student instruction to simulation of large scale fleet operations. ENWGS is designed such that gaming can be accomplished wholly in-house or linked with other major gaming centers at the Naval War College in Newport, RI or our sister training command in San Diego, CA. Through various Navy and Joint training networks, coupled with voice connectivity, TACTRAGRULANT can now distribute and export advanced training scenarios to ships and training facilities worldwide using Joint Simi Automated Force (JSAF).

Since its inception and in direct response to the changing tactical environment, TACTRAGRULANT has evolved from a schoolhouse offering several core competency courses to a command involved in every aspect of the Fleet Readiness Training Plan for all Atlantic Fleet Strike Groups, as well as a reachback resource during training and deployed operations. Further included are expanded at-sea training and evaluation responsibilities directly supporting Commander, Strike Force Training Atlantic. In the past several years, TACTRAGRULANT has greatly expanded its throughput and curriculum to meet key training initiatives in support of the CNO’s transformational warfighting/training vision. These recent initiatives, including a fully operational TFCC and Warfare Module Training Facilities, and expansion of the FST program along with the full spectrum of Warfare Commander courses, continue to have a significant and direct impact on maintaining the Combat Readiness of our Navy’s Strike Groups.

Mission Statement

Provide valued training to Carrier Strike Groups, Amphibious Readiness Groups, Marine Expeditionary Units and Independent Deployers in order to conduct maritime missions across the range of military operations. Will leverage our training and mentoring team to conduct simulation and live training to provide ready warfighters to plan and execute Naval missions to support Joint Force Commanders and Fleet Commanders.

Previous Commanders

CAPT D. T. Cannell	May 80 – Jun 83
CAPT T. R. Kramer	Jun 83 – Oct 85
CAPT P. C. Nelson	Oct 85 – Jun 88
CAPT W. F. Story	Jun 88 – Jun 91
CAPT D. M. Armstrong	Jun 91 – Jun 95
CAPT R. H. Coon	Jun 95 – May 97
CAPT H. B. Tallent	May 97 – Jun 98
CAPT L. V. Kester	Jun 98 – Sep 98
CAPT G. C. Brown	Sep 98 – May 99
CAPT D. C. Rollins	May 99 – Aug 99
CAPT R. Y. Weber	Aug 99 – Jun 00
CAPT P. D. Squicciarini	Jun 00 – Jun 03
CAPT R. T. Williams	Jun 03 – Dec 04
CAPT M. C. Nesselrode	Dec 04 – May 06
CAPT L. R. Parent	May 06 – Apr 08
CAPT E. J. Quinn	Apr 08 – Jul 09
CAPT R. W. Brown	Jul 09 – May 11
CAPT J. C. Nygaard	May 11 – Mar 12
CAPT R. G. Lineberry	Mar 12 - Jul 13
CAPT S. C. Howard	Jul 13 - Present