By Kayla Good, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO – A 2006 Frank W. Cox High School
graduate and Virginia Beach, Virginia native is serving in the U.S.
Navy with Afloat Training Group San Diego.
Lt. Kelly Kolterman is a surface warfare
officer with the training group operating
out of San Diego, California.
As a Navy surface warfare officer she is responsible for the administrative
offices as well as ensuring all sailors travel requirements are prepared correctly.
“I like the sailors at this command,” said Kolterman. “My
impact to the sailors is important because I am responsible for molding them
and making them leaders for the future generations.”
The training
group provides dynamic training to Navy and Coast Guard sailors to ensure a
combat ready force capable of performing a broad spectrum of missions,
according to Navy officials. Special emphasis is placed on preparing ships'
training teams, special evolution teams and watch teams to institutionalize the
onboard capability to sustain and improve combat readiness throughout an
employment cycle.
“I like that this job
allows me to ensure the trainers are prepared to
meet mission requirements,” said Kolterman.
Afloat Training
Group San Diego strives to keep sailors’ warfare expertise sharp by maintaining
professional knowledge and skills through a robust training program of
installations and factory training, technical symposiums, informal training and
self-study. By maintaining a group of subject matters experts in different
warfare areas, they prepare ships to be missions ready.
"It’s amazing to hear our sailors’ stories,” said Capt. James Storm, commander of Afloat Training Group San Diego.
“Some of them are working on their PhDs and others are working on their first
degree. I’ve met sailors who grew up in extreme poverty, and now they own their
own home here in Southern California. Serving here at Afloat Training Group is
considered a career enhancing tour because these sailors are recognized
experts. They lay the foundation for successful deployments.”
According to Navy officials, approximately 355 sailors
make up the training group making their jobs highly specialized in
order to
keep each part of the command running smoothly.
As a member of
the Afloat Training Group San Diego, sailors prepare ships to deploy. Kolterman
explained they are building a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes. The
trainers know how important it is for the Navy to maintain and uphold
war-fighting capabilities to continue their success on the world’s oceans.
“To me, serving in the Navy means empowering the future by keeping our Navy strong and successful,” added
Kolterman.