SAN DIEGO – A total of thirty officers, chief petty officers, and civilians from Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) San Diego embarked on a teambuilding hike up Cowles Mountain in San Diego, May 27.

This was the first time the command conducted an outdoor group event since some COVID-19 restrictions were lifted across the Department of Defense in May, and it was a welcomed opportunity to strengthen unit cohesion after a hiatus in teambuilding events due to the global pandemic.

"While many of the restrictions imposed to mitigate the threats posed by the spread of COVID were effective in enhancing safety for our communities, they also made building camaraderie a challenge,” stated Lt. Patrick Rumsey. “Events like this one go a long way toward making up for lost time and helping to foster a strong sense of much needed esprit de corps."

The four-mile round-trip excursion to the summit of the mountain, the highest point within the city of San Diego, strengthened the camaraderie between the Wardroom and Chief’s Mess in a non-work environment, boosted morale, and promoted resiliency and espirit de corps through exercise.

“It was a great experience getting everyone together outdoors, and sharing some off-work, but valuable time with each other," shared Chief Electronics Technician Kevin Jones.

The team appreciated the opportunity to hike alongside each other and this type of event allowed the officers, chief petty officers, and Navy civilians to connect on a more personal basis.

“We are all in this together despite life challenges like the COVID pandemic, and it is a win-win situation for everyone,” remarked Chief Personnel Specialist Jan Grudzien.

Lt. Elizabeth Powers added, “We had a great time out there exploring one of the iconic hiking spots of San Diego! It was a fun and challenging few hours on the trail, but overall a great opportunity to build camaraderie among the Wardroom and Chief’s Mess.”

"Hiking Cowles Mountain was a great start to getting back to normal and enjoying the outdoors with my Navy family and friends" said Chief Information Systems Technician Samuel Beall.

IWTC San Diego, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of training to Navy and joint service personnel that prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

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.

For more news from the Center for Information Warfare Training domain, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/CIWT, www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.