FY10 Information Warfare Officer Captains

CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE FINE OFFICERS

Mickey Batson - NIOC Suitland
Joe Boogren - Commander, 6th Fleet
David Carson - Commanding Officer - NIOC Menwith Hill Station
Susan Cerovsky - Information Warfare Commander - CCSG 12
Stone Davis - Commanding Officer - NIOC Texas
Eric Dietz - Commander, 3rd Fleet
Justin Kershaw - Commanding Officer - NIOC Yokosuka
Tim Rohrer - Commander, 2nd Fleet
Frank Shaul - Commanding Officer - NIOC Pensacola

Information Warfare Officers

Guiding Principles:

(1) Warfare Competency: IW officers lead Navy IW missions by employing a thorough knowledge of the tenets of IO, sensor/weapons, national systems' capabilities and limitations, and how to optimally use them for “effects-based” warfare. IW officers develop tactics, techniques and procedures to realize tactical, strategic and advantages at sea and ashore.

(2) Leadership: Leadership is a core competency for all Navy Officers. IW officers are engaged, seize the initiative, motivate people, effectively apply resources and execute IW missions.

(3) Professional Expertise: IW officers require knowledge of engineering and technology (i.e., knowing how the signal or protocol was designed to function) and the human elements of adversaries through language and cultural awareness. They build expertise through a combination of formal education and experience gained through successive career milestone tours.

From the NPC IW Officer Webpage

Worth reading INFORMATION OPERATIONS - Warfare and the Hard Reality of Soft Power

Our Information Warfare vision is...

"... to capitalize on our dual asymmetric advantages; our talented and highly motivated people and our cutting edge technology to deliver overwhelming information superiority to naval and Joint commanders. Achieving this vision requires the continued development of our people and the creation and sustainment of robust programs that deliver Information Warfare capabilities, including new strategic concepts, tactics, techniques, procedures, training, and new acquisition programs of record. As we continue our evolution as Information Warriors, we must maintain our unparalleled expertise and relevance as the premier military Signals Intelligence and Cryptologic force."

RADM Edward H. Deets, Vice Commander, Naval Network Warfare Command in September 2007 letter to Information Warfare Officers

Developing Senior Navy Leaders

How Might Future Changes in the Navy Affect Requirements for Expertise?

We examined the Navy’s structure, its force development, its doctrinal documents, and its technology acquisitions for the past decade and the next decade to forecast how the demand for domain-specific expertise may change in the future. The areas of domain-specific expertise with the strongest evidence of increasing future importance to the Navy are: (top three)

• Information Warfare
• Information Operations
• Information Technology

From the RAND Report Developing Senior Navy Leaders - Requirements for Flag Officer Expertise Today and in the Future - 2008

Extraordinary levels of effectiveness

"Network Centric Warfare (NCW) enhances the U.S. Armed Forces’ ability to combine into a seamless, joint, coalition warfighting force. When implemented, it takes full advantage of the trust we place in our junior and noncommissioned officers. As information moves down echelon, so does decision making. Thus, smaller joint force packages can possess more flexibility and agility and are able to wield greater combat power than before.

NCW generates new and extraordinary levels of operational effectiveness. It enables and leverages new military capabilities while allowing the United States and our multinational partners to use traditional capabilities with more speed and precision."

Vice Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski
Director - Office of Force Transformation
Office of the Secretary of Defense

In my recollections of Admiral Cebrowski from the 1994-1995 timeframe, he was helping Rear Admiral Thomas F. Stevens, Commander Naval Security Group Command, socialize "Information Warfare" across the OPNAV Staff. Admiral Cebrowski was a futurist and really believed in the power of IW. He helped COMNAVSECGRU become the Navy's executive agent for IW implementation.

Information Warfare Officers

"The key to success for IW officers is first and foremost sustained superior performance in increasingly demanding operational and leadership tours, at sea or ashore, culminating in command or major command for Commanders and Captains.

Successful IW officers strive to grow and develop by seeking jobs that are beyond their comfort zone. IW officers should understand the tenets of Information Operations, sensor and weapons, and national/strategic systems capabilities and limitations, and how to optimally use IW capabilities for “effects-based” warfare.

IW officers typically prove their value to the Navy during fleet operational tours where specific IW competencies are demonstrated and developed. To succeed in operational fleet tours, IW officers mcust understand and broker national/strategic systems and architecture, target and regional expertise, leading edge communications, networks and radar technology, and masters-level techniques for dominating the information domain.

IW officers deliver value to the nation through tours at National Security Agency Cryptologic Centers by capitalizing on warfighting competencies in joint and naval operations; understanding the kill chain; operations and contingency planning of IW, and, most importantly, knowledge of what the joint and naval commanders need most from national/strategic systems.

IW officers must be prepared to lead change and lead people. They must seize the initiative, motivate people, effectively apply resources, and execute the mission. These leadership traits coupled with sustained superior performance in operational assignments are the hallmark of success for IW officers and should guide the selection board when determining the best qualified officers for promotion."

RADM Edward H. Deets, in his SECNAV approved Information Warfare Community brief for promotion selection boards

Key to victory...Navy Information Warfare

"The key to victory has not been merely having new technology available, but how a warrior has been innovative and used that technology to his advantage in combat. Navy Information Warfare is no different – we need to approach every system, newly installed or already in place, with a long-term view of how to exploit the rapid development of information systems."

Admiral Robert Natter, former Commander, Fleet Forces Command

Information Warfare Officer Leadership

"The demand for our skill sets in Fleet, Joint, and National billets rings loud and clear. Our 1610 ACDU billet base has grown by 181 billets since 2000 - that is approx 25% growth in operational billets over the last 8 years. There is simply not that kind of growth in many other Officer Communities.

Obviously, the future brings great challenges and opportunities, and any reflection of our immediate history leads me to only one conclusion - as a community, we are well postured to accept those challenges and expand on those opportunities.

Positive self-talk is a good thing and creates lots of momentum, and I ask that each of you take this letter and use it to guide an IW Wardroom discussion about who we are, the myriad roles we play in support of the GWOT, and the incredible opportunity we all have as individuals and a community to lead the CNO's concept of Decision Superiority."

Rear Admiral Edward H. Deets III, Vice Commander, Naval Network Warfare Command in his 25 March 2008 letter to Information Warfare Officers