Photo Courtesy of Seaman Duncan Woodward Dickson Owusu-Poku, a graduate of East Orange Campus High School, is an instructor at the Naval Submarine School.
Woodward
Dickson Owusu-Poku, a graduate of East Orange Campus High School, is an instructor at the Naval Submarine School.
By Rick Burke
Navy Office of Community Outreach
Petty Officer First Class Dickson Owusu-Poku, a native of East Orange, is training sailors to continue the U.S. Navy’s 125-year tradition of service under the sea.
“I grew up in an area where situational awareness and understanding your surroundings were invaluable,” Owusu-Poku said. “I’ve taken that perspective and applied it to my career, which has been extremely beneficial thus far.”
Owusu-Poku graduated from East Orange Campus High School in 2013 and joined the Navy eight years ago. He currently serves as an electronics technician (submarine navigation) and is an instructor at the Naval Submarine School, training sailors to serve in the submarine force.
“I was inspired to join the Navy by a desire for change and growth,” Owusu-Poku said. “I wanted to do something challenging that I could be proud of while contributing to something meaningful.”
Located aboard Naval Submarine Base New London, the Naval Submarine School is where officers and enlisted sailors learn the basic knowledge needed to join operational submarine commands in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. Once in the fleet, this foundation allows sailors to build competence and proficiency in operating and maintaining submarines and all their systems. The school also provides refresher and advanced training to members of the submarine force and those supporting submarine commands to increase proficiency in specific skills.
Known as America’s “Apex Predators,” the U.S. Navy’s submarine force operates a large fleet of technologically advanced vessels. These submarines are capable of conducting rapid defensive and offensive operations around the world, in furtherance of U.S. national security.
There are three basic types of submarines: fast-attack submarines, ballistic-missile submarines and guided-missile submarines.
Fast-attack submarines are designed to hunt down and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; strike targets ashore with cruise missiles; carry and deliver Navy SEALs; conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions; and engage in mine warfare. The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine is the most advanced submarine in the world today. It combines stealth and payload capability to meet Combatant Commanders’ demands in this era of strategic competition.
The Navy’s ballistic-missile submarines, often referred to as “boomers,” serve as a strategic deterrent by providing an undetectable platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles. They are designed specifically for stealth, extended patrols and the precise delivery of missiles. The Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines will be the largest, most capable and most advanced submarines produced by the U.S., replacing the current Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines to ensure continuous sea-based strategic deterrence into the 2080s.
Guided-missile submarines provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Each guided-missile submarine is capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, plus a complement of heavyweight torpedoes.
Strategic deterrence is the nation’s ultimate insurance program, according to Navy officials. As a member of the submarine force, Owusu-Poku is part of the rich 125-year history of the U.S. Navy’s most versatile weapons platform, capable of taking the fight to the enemy in the defense of America and its allies.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people.
“My proudest accomplishment up to this point in my career is that my peers recognize me as someone they can depend on,” Owusu-Poku said. “As a submariner, this started with earning my ‘dolphins,’ or submarine warfare device. In broader terms, I’ve earned this recognition by always being there to help and support my peers.”
Owusu-Poku serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock.
“Serving in the Navy is an opportunity for me to challenge myself, my peers and to be challenged,” Owusu-Poku said. “It means being able to grow as a cohesive unit while propping each other up and contributing to something more substantial than ourselves.”
Owusu-Poku said he was grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“My career is a result of countless mentors and role models instilling values in me, whether they were aware of it or not,” Owusu-Poku said. “The list of chiefs, petty officers and officers who have impacted me is too long to list. Above all, my wife, Jordan Owusu-Poku, has been a constant source of support and motivation to be better every day.”
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