PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) recently welcomed onboard Chief Cryptologic Technician (Networks) (CTN) Dane Nelson, who recently earned his information warfare (IW) warfare tactics instructor (WTI) designation and patch, becoming CIWT’s first qualified IW WTI on staff.

“For more than 20 years the United States has been engaged with an adversary that has a clear technological disadvantage. With a shift in focus to Great Power Competition, where large scale naval battles are once again a possibility, it is important to bring a sense of urgency to improving the Navy’s warfighting capability,” stated Nelson. “The most important thing I learned was how crucial it is for information warfare areas to integrate with one another, especially during any planning phase, to provide all-encompassing support to operational warfare areas.”

Nelson, a native of Bellingham, Washington, has faithfully served in the Navy for 13 years. His prior commands serving as a CTN include 555 Cyber Protection Team in Yokosuka, Japan as a mission element lead; 550 Cyber Protection Team in Virginia Beach, Virginia, as a network analyst; and a network exploitation analyst in Fort Meade, Maryland.

“I first applied for the WTI program because I was interested in seeing how the doctrine development process works and how to get involved with it,” shared Nelson. “I went on to learn what a WTI really is, which is a team of true subject matter experts, who are willing to push the boundaries to develop and train new tactics that will deliver an advantage to decision makers and increase lethality across all warfare areas.”

Earning the IW WTI designation consists of completing a 10-week course consisting of four weeks of baseline training focused on the pillars of battlespace awareness, assured command and control, and integrated fire and how these pillar can integrate with one another, followed by six weeks of mission area training where candidates will receive more targeted training into their specific mission areas and develop a final project addressing a gap in tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and doctrine.

“Having Chief Nelson on our team as we build the next generation of Defensive Cyberspace Operations courses will prove invaluable,” shared Master Chief Cryptologic Technician (Networks) Aaron Manning, Danes’ leading chief petty officer.

Naval Information Warfare Development Command established this program to build a cadre of subject matter experts who can train the fleet on the integration of Information Warfare effects across all warfighting domains.

“Here at CIWT, I will work hard to improve the readiness of both new and seasoned cyber analysts by ensuring training is developed at a level necessary to create effective warfighters, and I will utilize the WTI cadre to help develop and implement new TTPs into that training,” added Nelson.

With four schoolhouse commands, a detachment, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT trains approximately 26,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

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