Kailua Hawaii native teaches LCS training
A 1998 Kalaheo High School graduate and Kailua, Hawaii, native is currently an instructor for the U.S. Navy training Sailors in operating the technologically advanced Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Electronic Warfare Systems.
Cryptologic Technician (Technical) Chief Petty Officer Dean Gushikuma is currently an instructor at the LCS Training Facility (LTF).
The LTF, the first surface warfare training facility to provide integrated bridge and combat systems tactical scenario training for Sailors serving on board an LCS, is operated by the Center for Surface Combat Systems’ (CSCS) learning site Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center (FLEASWTRACEN) in San Diego.
“I’m very excited to be able to instruct and pass on my knowledge to other sailors,” said Gushikuma. “My goal is to help them learn and develop all the skills they need in order to succeed in the fleet.”
Gushikuma teaches a four-week Capstone class which focuses on realistic computer-simulated training scenarios that is the final step in the LCS crew Train-to-Qualify (T2Q) process.
“Sailors serving in the LCS environment demand a higher quantity and quality of training,” explained Capt. Brandon Bryan, FLEASWTRACEN’s commanding officer. “LCS class ships drive a new approach to individual, team, and unit-level training to accommodate the minimum manning and rotational crewing concepts. This new approach drives the need for the shore-centric (T2Q) and Train-to-Certify (T2C) concepts, which rely heavily on high-fidelity shore-based trainers. Our simulators integrate LCS command and control, propulsion control, and bridge control systems to support individual training in a team environment at the basic, intermediate and advanced levels.”
Gushikuma joined the Navy in April 2006 and graduated from Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, eight weeks later.
“I joined the Navy when I was 25,” he said. “I ultimately wanted to better myself and my family. I had friends who joined before me and they told me stories of all the cool things they were seeing and doing and I wanted in. The only regret I have is not joining immediately after I graduated high school.”
Gushikuma arrived to the command after serving four years aboard forward deployed naval forces nuclear aircraft carriers USS George Washington (CVN 73) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) where he was the leading chief petty officer for the electronic warfare division.
“At the LTF, we prepare sailors to execute a wide variety of missions around the world,” Bryan said. “They leave our training facility ready to stand their watch and execute the Navy’s mission.”
Gushikuma is the loving husband to Susie Gushikuma and proud father to Sean and Rylan who reside in San Diego.
Headquartered in Dahlgren, Virginia, the CSCS develops and delivers surface ship combat systems training to achieve surface warfare superiority. CSCS headquarters’ staff oversees 14 learning sites and detachments, located throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, and Japan and manages and operates a Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) training division in Rota, Spain. CSCS provides over 538 courses, awards 114 different Navy Enlisted Classifications (NECs), and trains over 38,000 Sailors a year.
