PENSACOLA, Fla. - Those serving at Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station learn the importance of information warfare as part of modern warfare.
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| Photo by Ensign Tiffany Savoie, Navy Office of Community Outreach |
One of the sailors continuing the tradition of maritime superiority through information warfare is Seaman Apprentice Lennon Kositcheck, a native of Salida, California.
Kositcheck is a 2017 graduate of Joseph A. Gregori High School.
Kositcheck joined the Navy three months ago. Today, Kositcheck serves as a cyber warfare technician and student at IWTC Corry Station.
“I have a family legacy that served our country, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps,” Kositcheck said. "My great-grandfather was a captain in the Army Air Corps during WWII, my grandfather was a sergeant in the Army who served during the Vietnam War, and my father and mother met each other while serving in the Navy. My father was a petty officer second class, and my mother was a seaman. Lastly, I have a cousin who is currently serving in the Marines as a corporal, and my brother-in-law is serving in the Air Force as a senior airman."
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Salida.
“I grew up in a small town that taught me to look out for the people around me,” Kositcheck said. "This has helped me provide support to my shipmates while in training."
IWTC Corry Station is located at Naval Air Station Pensacola’s Corry Station, known as the “cradle of cryptology.” It falls under the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), one of the largest Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) learning centers. Through its “street to fleet” focus, NETC recruits civilians and transforms them into skilled warfighters ready to meet the Navy’s current and future needs. With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT provides instruction for more than 26,000 students every year, delivering information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services.
The CIWT domain, along with all other Navy training commands, is transforming and innovating its training programs through Ready, Relevant Learning (RRL), a pillar of Sailor 2025. Sailor 2025 is a program used to improve and modernize personnel management and training systems to more effectively recruit, develop, manage, reward and retain the force of tomorrow. It focuses on empowering sailors, updating policies, procedures, and operating systems, and providing the right training at the right time in the right way to ensure sailors are ready for the fleet.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Kositcheck serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation's prosperity and security.
Kositcheck has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I graduated from boot camp over two weeks ago, and that is still my greatest naval accomplishment,” Kositcheck said. "I am especially proud to have been a great help in the success of my shipmates."
Kositcheck can take pride in serving America through military service.
“Serving in the Navy means being the best father to my two-year-old daughter that I can be, like my parents did for me,” Kositcheck said.
Kositcheck is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my entire family for their support,” Kositcheck said. "They want me to know how proud they are of me, and the truth is, I'm only getting started."
“I'm 26 years old and I can say with ease that joining the Navy is the best decision I've ever made,” Kositcheck added.