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New Warfare Pins Recognize Vital Role

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100312-16
Release Date: 3/12/2010 9:02:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Christopher Koons, USS Wasp Public Affairs

USS WASP, At sea (NNS) -- As the importance of the Navy's Information Dominance Corps (IDC) has grown, so too has the need for Sailors to be skilled in the information technology field. To that end, the Navy will soon roll out two IDC warfare pins; one for officers and one for enlisted.

"Earning this pin will help make Sailors more well-rounded in terms of knowing about the field of information dominance," said Chief Information Systems Technician (SW/FMF) Roger Lewis, Wasp's alternate Electronic Key Management System manager. "It will also give them wider knowledge of how information technology is causing great change in the Navy right now. As a result, they will become more effective in their jobs."

While the enlisted warfare qualification covers specific knowledge pertaining to the IDC ratings of information systems technician, cryptologic technician, intelligence specialist and aerographer's mate, the program will be open to Sailors of all ratings. The personal qualification standard (PQS) could come out as early as June, and the pins are scheduled to be available in August.

The officer communities that qualify for the IDC pin are information professional, information warfare, intelligence, meteorological and oceanography, and space cadre. All officers will first be expected to complete a core PQS of things that all information dominance communities are expected to know. They will then move on to an advanced PQS designed for their specific community.

For some Wasp Sailors, the new pin, which will have the initials of "IDW," is recognition of the vital role those in the IDC ratings play at any command where they're stationed.

"We provide all the communications for the ship, including Internet, e-mail, and voice communications for boat and flight operations," said Chief Information Systems Technician (SW/AW) Joseph Babcock, leading chief petty officer for Wasp's radio office. "The more educated and versatile a Sailor becomes, the bigger an asset he will be to his command. That's what earning this pin will provide."

This is the first new wide-scale warfare pin to be approved since 2006, when the Navy rolled out the enlisted-only expeditionary warfare specialist qualification. The approval for the IDW pin is part of several changes made in the past year in the way the Navy deals with information warfare, including the founding of 10th Fleet/Fleet Cyber Command as part of the overall U.S. Cyber Command.