The Ground Training Wing
- Under Transformation
By WGCDR Nige Sainsbury (Commanding Officer GTW)
The GTW team
The Ground Training Wing (GTW) began operating under a revised organisational structure on 19 October 2009. The changes to the organisation are significant, with a focus on ensuring that GTW is structurally optimised to meet the current and future ground training needs of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Phase One
The initial phase involved putting in place an optimal restructure of the Wing—a major and significant task that is now completed. It marks the first part of a two-phase plan to optimise GTW as a training organisation.
Phase Two
This final phase has now begun and involves a comprehensive review of a number of the internal processes and mechanisms that GTW currently uses to go about the business of training. The intent of reviewing these processes and mechanisms is to achieve one of the following:
- validate its ongoing appropriateness or requirement
- improve it, or
- develop and adopt a new approach or idea.
The review is aligned with the RNZAF Strategic Goals and has the potential to deliver numerous benefits—in terms of overall effectiveness and efficiency—to the Wing and wider RNZAF. The body of work is ambitious and challenging, but will transform the way GTW operates.
Watch this space!
Summary of New Structure Changes
An MU2 Mitzu
The Logistics Training Squadron (LTS) has been formed as one of the two ‘training’ units within the Wing (alongside CRTS):
- Some internal renaming of individual Flights and a reshuffle of their make-up has occurred to reflect their functional outputs.
- Support Training Flight training functions have moved across to be a part of LTS.
- Aeronautical Training Squadron and Electrotechnology Training Squadron (ETS) have been disestablished and replaced by LTS.
- Support Training Squadron has been disestablished.
- the East Gymnasium Section and staff have moved under Operational Support Wing control.
Training Support Squadron (TSS) has been formed as the ‘enabling’ unit of the Wing:
- headed by the former Training Standards Officer as Officer Commanding
- comprises all the specialist cells:
- Psychologists
- Training Design
- Training Evaluation
- Training Recovery, and
- Instructional Development Unit.
Command and Recruit Training Squadron (CRTS) has had a number of internal Flight changes, both in name and function/focus. Additions to the unit include:
- Joint Services Physical Education and Recreational Training School (from STS), and
- Air Security Trade Training (from ETS).
GTW Headquarters now consists of:
- Commanding Officer
- Executive Officer, GTW Training Plans and Test Bank
- Command Warrant Officer, and
- GTW Coordinator.