SAN DIEGO – Ensign Gillian Abel, a native of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, wanted to join the Navy for the experience as a whole and the education opportunities.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
Now, four months later, Abel has the opportunity to learn leadership at the Basic Division Officer Course (BDOC), part of Surface Warfare Officers School San Diego.
“Meeting new people and having resources available at any time to help with areas of being a division officer is a great opportunity for me here,” said Abel.
BDOC is an intensive, 9-week course of instruction designed to provide foundational classroom training to prospective surface warfare officers.
Abel credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Newtown Square.
“I learned the importance of being able to communicate with others and having respect for other around you and having a willingness to learn,” said Abel.
Abel, a 2015 graduate of Marple Newtown High School, is training to become a surface warfare officer.
“I’m going to be a division officer, in charge of sailors in a division on a ship, as well as in charge of all aspects of that division,” said Abel.
The course places emphasis on classroom instruction and Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) simulators, which simulate every class of ship in the U.S. Navy and all their homeports, in addition to many routine ports of call around the world. COVE reinforces concepts in navigation, seamanship, and shiphandling. BDOC also provides instruction on maritime warfare, divisional officer fundamentals, engineering, leadership and damage control.
The mission of Surface Warfare Officers School is to ready sea-bound warriors to serve on surface combatants as officers, enlisted engineers and enlisted navigation professionals to fulfill the Navy's mission maintaining global maritime superiority.
Once service members finish training they are deployed around the world putting their skill set to work aboard Navy ships, such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, amphibious warfare ships, mine warfare ships and littoral combat ships.
There are many sacrifices and goals one must achieve to be selected as a surface warfare officer and Abel is most proud of commissioning as a naval officer after four years in Reserve Officer Training Corps in college.
“Now I get to start my career as a Naval officer, which has been something that I have wanted to become since high school,” said Abel.
Surface warfare has been a part of world history for more than 3,000 years, and the United States has its stamp on that history with actions ranging from the American Revolution to modern day operations at sea around the world.
A key element of the Navy the Nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, 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.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
As Abel and other surface warriors continue to train, they take pride serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy means having a sense of respect for my country and a willingness to take on a new challenge that helps others,” said Abel.
“Meeting new people and having resources available at any time to help with areas of being a division officer is a great opportunity for me here,” said Abel.
BDOC is an intensive, 9-week course of instruction designed to provide foundational classroom training to prospective surface warfare officers.
Abel credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Newtown Square.
“I learned the importance of being able to communicate with others and having respect for other around you and having a willingness to learn,” said Abel.
Abel, a 2015 graduate of Marple Newtown High School, is training to become a surface warfare officer.
“I’m going to be a division officer, in charge of sailors in a division on a ship, as well as in charge of all aspects of that division,” said Abel.
The course places emphasis on classroom instruction and Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) simulators, which simulate every class of ship in the U.S. Navy and all their homeports, in addition to many routine ports of call around the world. COVE reinforces concepts in navigation, seamanship, and shiphandling. BDOC also provides instruction on maritime warfare, divisional officer fundamentals, engineering, leadership and damage control.
The mission of Surface Warfare Officers School is to ready sea-bound warriors to serve on surface combatants as officers, enlisted engineers and enlisted navigation professionals to fulfill the Navy's mission maintaining global maritime superiority.
Once service members finish training they are deployed around the world putting their skill set to work aboard Navy ships, such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, amphibious warfare ships, mine warfare ships and littoral combat ships.
There are many sacrifices and goals one must achieve to be selected as a surface warfare officer and Abel is most proud of commissioning as a naval officer after four years in Reserve Officer Training Corps in college.
“Now I get to start my career as a Naval officer, which has been something that I have wanted to become since high school,” said Abel.
Surface warfare has been a part of world history for more than 3,000 years, and the United States has its stamp on that history with actions ranging from the American Revolution to modern day operations at sea around the world.
A key element of the Navy the Nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, 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.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
As Abel and other surface warriors continue to train, they take pride serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy means having a sense of respect for my country and a willingness to take on a new challenge that helps others,” said Abel.