An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


News Stories

Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic

SURFLANT Waterfront Self-Sufficiency Symposium Concludes

by Lt. j.g. Caroline Leya, SURFLANT Public Affairs
16 August 2021
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK (Aug. 11, 2021) Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, left, presents a CNO Gold Disk Awards Program payment to Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kwayon Sconiers, assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). Sconiers was a Fiscal Year-20, 4th Quarter awardee for the CNO Gold Disk Awards Program, highlighting Sailors who excel in the 2M repair field. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jacob Milham)
SURFLANT Self-Sufficiency Symposium
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK (Aug. 11, 2021) Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, left, presents a CNO Gold Disk Awards Program payment to Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kwayon Sconiers, assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). Sconiers was a Fiscal Year-20, 4th Quarter awardee for the CNO Gold Disk Awards Program, highlighting Sailors who excel in the 2M repair field. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jacob Milham)
SURFLANT Self-Sufficiency Symposium
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK (Aug. 11, 2021) Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, left, presents a CNO Gold Disk Awards Program payment to Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kwayon Sconiers, assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). Sconiers was a Fiscal Year-20, 4th Quarter awardee for the CNO Gold Disk Awards Program, highlighting Sailors who excel in the 2M repair field. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jacob Milham)
Photo By: MC2 Jacob Milham
VIRIN: 210812-N-GN815-0654
After a three-day slate of self-help lectures, discussions and events, the Naval Surface Force Atlantic (SURFLANT) Waterfront Self-Sufficiency Symposium concluded at Naval Station Norfolk, Aug. 13.
 
The objective of the event, which began Aug. 11, was to educate and enable Sailors to use readily-available ship resources to complete common repairs and maintenance. The learning process aims to educate and encourage a continuous advancement of warfighting and sustainment capabilities. Notable features included presentations led by subject matter experts, and information booths on different engineering and technology concepts. Seminars and discussion panels on several maintenance topics rounded out the symposium’s offerings.
 
SURFLANT Commander, Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, addressed attendees on the opening day of the event and presented $5,000 checks to commands assessed as demonstrating a high degree of self-sufficiency.
 
“If something’s important to you, you’ve got to incentivize it,” he said, before announcing the awardees. “In the future of warfare, self-sufficiency is going to be more important than ever.”
 
Command leadership, department head level and above, attended the event on the first day. The focus of subsequent days was geared towards chief petty officers and junior Sailors. Gas Turbine Systems Technician 1st Class Dalton Talley, of Surface Warfare Schools Command (SWSC) Norfolk, took advantage of the event to promote SWSC’s Engineering Learning Site classes and emphasize how important teaching hands-on repair skills is to self-sufficiency.
 
“Deployments can be as long as seven months or more sometimes,” he said. “We don’t want to have to rely on outside assistance to be able to fix our own equipment. In our courses, we break down equipment over and over again. This gives Sailors the ability to, for example, fix a gas turbine themselves without having to wait months on end to pull into port, interrupting a mission.”

SURFLANT Assistant Chief of Staff for Readiness and Assessments, Capt. David Fowler, praised the work of event participants in making the three-day gathering a success.
“I’m grateful to all the presenters, panel members and vendors who have helped to highlight the critical initiative of self-sufficiency on the waterfront,” he said. “I’d like to extend a special thank you to the remarkable junior Sailors who have taken the time to share their experience and knowledge with us here, and who keep our ships going every day.”
SURFLANT mans, trains and equips assigned surface forces and shore activities, ensuring a capable force for conducting prompt and sustained operations in support of United States national interests. The SURFLANT force is composed of nearly 80 ships and more than 30 shore commands.
 
For more SURFLANT news and photos, visit facebook.com/SURFLANT, www.surflant.usff.navy.mil, and Twitter - @surflant.
 
 
Navy.mil  |  Navy.com  |  Navy FOIA  |  DoD Accessibility/Section 508  |  No Fear Act   |  Open Government  |  Plain Writing Act  USA.gov  |  Veterans Crisis Line  |  VA Vet Center  |  FVAP  |  DoD Safe Helpline  |  Navy SAPR  |  NCIS Tips  |  Privacy Policy  |  Site Map  |  Contact Us   |  988 Helpline
 
Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic  |  1751 Morris Street  |  Norfolk, Virginia 23511-2808
Official U.S. Navy Website
Veteran's Crisis Line