CHAPTER 5
WEAPONS EXERCISES
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completing this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
1. Discuss the personnel training and fleet exercises necessary to test personnel and
equipment readiness.
2. Identify the publications that contain antiair warfare, antisubmarine warfare, and
antisurface warfare exercises.
3. Describe the naval gunfire support qualifications process.
4. Describe the documentation required during missile-firing exercises.
INTRODUCTION
TRAINING AND EXERCISES
This chapter discusses how combat systems/wea-
pons personnel are trained, certified, and qualified.
All ships have certain operational capabilities that
provide invaluable training for the ship’s combat sys-
tems/weapons teams.
Operational ships are in a competitive cycle con-
trolled by their type commander (TYCOM). During
each cycle, a ship is required to complete many
graded exercises and inspections and to maintain
qualifications in designated capabilities. All these re-
quirements apply toward the department and ship
battle efficiency “E” awards. Proficiency in these
graded requirements is a result of preparation and ex-
tensive training. The survival of any ship in any hos-
tile encounter is directly related to the proficiency
and training level of its crew.
As a Fire Controlman supervisor, you will be
responsible for ensuring that your division is fully
capable of completing all required combat systems/
weapons exercises.
The complex interrelationships between combat
systems/weapons elements, compounded by the nor-
mal attrition of personnel, require that combat sys-
tems/weapons training programs be developed and
practiced to maintain a high state of personnel read-
iness.
Combat systems/weapons personnel readiness is
sustained through frequent gunnery, missile, elec-
tronic warfare, and combat information center (CIC)
exercises. This includes a continuing program of in-
dividual and team training consisting of (1) ship and
fleet operational training exercises, (2) training pro-
grams and simulators/stimulators, and (3) test pro-
grams and procedures.
OPERATIONAL TRAINING EXERCISES
Ship and fleet operational training exercises are
designed to meet a variety of training objectives. The
basic exercise objective is the demonstration of the
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