The Virginian-Pilot 
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, March 19, 1995                 TAG: 9503190041
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A10  EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: NEW LONDON, CONN.                  LENGTH: Short :   46 lines

COAST GUARD LOOKS TO RESTRUCTURE TRAINING OFFICER-TRAINING WOULD MOVE TO NEW LONDON, CONN.

The Coast Guard is considering consolidating all officer-training programs at its academy in New London, making it the site of the service's leadership development, officials said.

Adm. Robert E. Kramek, the service's commandant, told officers in a ``State of the Coast Guard'' address last week that he wanted New London to be more than just a home for the Coast Guard Academy, according to Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Pat Philbin.

``The concept is that New London would be looked at as the leadership development center for the Coast Guard,'' Philbin said. ``Obviously, with the synergy between leadership development and education, it's a good fit.''

Four training commands would be moved to New London: the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, Va.; a chief warrant officers indoctrination course now taught at a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla.; and a chief petty officer course and quality management leadership school from the Petaluma (Calif.) Coast Guard Training Center.

The Coast Guard is doing preliminary planning on the proposal, but ``the studies are still ongoing and no decisions have been made,'' Philbin said. A final decision will be announced in early summer.

The Coast Guard is conducting a reorganization study to save $100 million annually and trim 1,000 jobs.

Lt. Cmdr. Dave Forslund, who is chief of the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, said consolidating the training in New London would bring together all the service's professional training, now scattered around the country.

``Everybody's focus would be the same - professional development of the Coast Guard's leaders, including senior enlisted personnel,'' Forslund said.

The Yorktown training center operates 17 training schools, with 485 active-duty personnel and 51 civilians on its staff. In addition to the Officer Candidate School, the training center teaches engineering, law enforcement, marine safety, and search and rescue. by CNB