Cryptologists give warfighters the edge

"I think the other services have a loss they can never recoup. The cryptologic community has been responsible for giving the edge to our warfighters in winning more battlefield successes than any single community within the military. Cryptologists have the only skill sets to tell enemy intent. Any intelligence officer can tell you enemy location; enemy movement; and enemy order of battle; but it takes a special skill to determine enemy intent.

We (cryptologists) always like to point to the World War II success at the Battle of Midway as the crowning moment in cryptology. Hal Holbrook plays Commander Joe Rochefort in the movie "Midway" where they (cryptologists) break the Japanese code. Today, we still have those different colored housecoats like the ones he wore in the movie. Mine is blue and hangs alongside my raincoat collection.

I think as time progresses and certain documents become declassified, other significant successes will come to light, but as we move into the future, the Navy will be the only service with a trained cadre of personnel capable of taking the cryptologic skills of the past into the information warfare of tomorrow."

Captain David E. Meadows, United States Navy - retired - in an interview with Christy Tillery French

Author of THE SIXTHFLEET series, his lastest book FINAL RUN was released on 6 May 2008.