SAN DIEGO – Chief Petty Officer Joshua Bibb, a native of Elizabeth, Indiana, joined the Navy because he wanted to travel the world.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
Now, 13 years later, Bibb is stationed with a command responsible for teaching future information warriors the skills required to defend America around the world.
“This command is unique because you directly shape sailors' lives," said Bibb. "The impact we have here is amplified throughout the fleet. So you have a big opportunity to positively affect a large audience.”
“This command is unique because you directly shape sailors' lives," said Bibb. "The impact we have here is amplified throughout the fleet. So you have a big opportunity to positively affect a large audience.”
Bibb, a 2006 graduate of South Central Junior Senior High School, is an intelligence specialist operating from the Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) in San Diego.
“I am an instructor here," said Bibb. "I teach team trainer. We train indications and warning teams from different strike groups to prepare them for deployment. We teach them how to use systems and tools and how to coordinate with warfare commanders.”
Bibb credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Elizabeth.
“I was taught to be nice to people," said Bibb. "It's a small world and you never know who you'll run into again or who you might need help from.”
“I was taught to be nice to people," said Bibb. "It's a small world and you never know who you'll run into again or who you might need help from.”
IWTC San Diego is just one component that makes up the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) domain, headquartered at Naval Air Station Pensacola Corry Station, Florida.
Charged with developing the future technical cadre of the information warfare community, the CIWT domain leads, manages and delivers Navy and joint force training to 22,000 students annually. With 1,200 military, civilian and contracted staff members, CIWT oversees about 200 courses at four information warfare training commands, two detachments, and additional learning sites located throughout the United States and Japan.
CIWT is responsible for training enlisted cryptologic technicians, information systems technicians, intelligence specialists, and electronics technicians. CIWT also provides training to cryptologic warfare, information professional, intelligence, and foreign area officers that prepares them to be prepared to wage battle and assure the nation’s success in this burgeoning warfare arena.
There are many reasons to be proud of naval service, and Bibb is most proud he was able to travel to Japan.
“That was a goal since high school and I met my wife there,” said Bibb.
America is a maritime nation, and the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Bibb and other sailors and staff know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes serving as a key part of the information warfare community in its mission to gain a deep understanding of the inner workings of adversaries, and developing unmatched knowledge of the battlespace during wartime.
These sailors and staff have a tremendous responsibility in creating war-fighting options for fleet commanders and advising decision-makers at all levels as they serve worldwide aboard ships, submarines and aircraft.
“Every time you hear someone say something disagreeable, you know that you fought for their rights to say that without fear of persecution," said Bibb. "It doesn't matter if people agree, because they're free.”