With the advent of the new fiscal year on October 1, 2004 came a significant change in the relationship of the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance community Active and Reserve components.

Once just a conceptual buzzword, Active/Reserve Integration became reality for Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10 and Commander Reserve Patrol Wing Weapons Systems Trainer Detachments at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Washington, as they merged to form Wing 10s Simulations Department. 

Prior to FY05, the two detachments separately trained and evaluated Combat Aircrews in the 2F87 Operational Flight Trainer, 2F140 P3C Weapons System Trainer, and the 2F179 Anti-Surface Warfare Improvement Program Aircrew Trainer.

CPRW-10 personnel trained and evaluated P3C aircrews from Patrol Squadrons One, 40 and 46 while CRPW personnel provided the same to Reserve Patrol Squadrons 69 and 65.

The integration of these two teams is part of a comprehensive plan to integrate Reserve and Active Duty training and readiness cycles so that the entire MPR community trains and operates to a single standard of performance.

Commodore John W. Dziminowicz, CPRW-10, agreed.

“The integration of our two instructor teams is only the first step in Active Reserve Integration,” he said. “As this process advances, our force will be a more capable and experienced team, resourced to meet our commitments throughout the world.”

The CRPW Detachment is composed of Reserve Full Time Support instructors, one Naval Flight Officer and four Aviation Warfare Systems Operators who will be an integral part of the MPR community’s initiative to implement the Advanced Readiness Program.

ARP is a rigorous 16-day course consisting of 54.5 hours of classroom instruction and 45 hours in the WST, including 10 initial crew certifications/qualifications in the principal MPR mission areas.  ARP instruction will be provided by the CPRW-10 Weapons and Tactics Unit (WTU), which is staffed by Weapons Tactics Instructors (WTI).

Lt. Greg Francioch, the detachment’s Full Time Support Reservist, recently completed WTI training and joins Wing 10 as the first FTS WTI qualified Officer assigned to a Fleet Wing.

Another “first” was recently achieved when MPR Fleet Replacement Squadron and Model Manager (VP-30) Fleet Instructor Under Instruction Team trained AW2 Jamie Powers (FTS) to the Fleet standard for acoustic instructors. She joins an extremely talented cadre of FTS instructors, including AWC Ed Symes (Non-Acoustic), AW1 Barry Fulgham (Acoustic) and AW1 Mike Reistad (Non-Acoustic) that will help form the backbone of the Wing 10 Simulations Department and WTU needed to take on the challenge of taking four (three Active/one Reserve) VP squadrons through the ARP syllabus here in Whidbey Island in the coming year.

These well-trained FTS Instructors will allow the CPRW-10 team to prepare war fighters for deployment anywhere duty calls in today’s volatile and challenging global environment.