Twelve Sailors assigned to Commander, Submarine Forces Atlantic (COMSUBLANT) were awarded the Enlisted Information Warfare (IW) Pin during a ceremony held at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, June 9.

At the heart of every warfare program, there is a good program manager. Chief Intelligence Specialist Josemarcelo Baqueroalvarez leads the way for COMUBLANT, spending his time and energy training Sailors to think critically about information warfare.

"When you have a global understanding of where you fit in the great scheme of things, the more effective you become at your job and understanding the jobs of others," said Baqueroalvarez. "This is an investment in our Sailors."

When the program started, it was dedicated primarily to the Information Systems Technician and Intelligence Specialist ratings onboard the command. Recently the opportunity to earn the pin was opened up to all rates, and something unique began happened in the training sessions.

"During our IW lectures, it was one of the very few times that you get to see Sailors from multiple rates and pay grades sitting together, having a conversation and learning something new," said Baqueroalvarez. "This fosters a bonding between shipmates. It opens their eyes to see how much further the Navy expands beyond their work center and how their work affects the big picture."

Every Sailor is a Firefighter, but now, every Sailor needs to be an Information Specialist.

Information Warfare may be the only warfare area which transcends every other warfare community as it is essential in order to communicate, plane, prepare and ultimately fight. Although the Navy has Sailors whose job is to be proficient in those areas, in modern day warfare Sailors need to be well rounded in every discipline.

"Our IW program does not intend Sailors to become technicians in the different core rating areas, such as Aerographer's Mate, Cryptologic Technician, Intelligence Specialist, Information Systems Technicians, but rather ensure we all speak the same language, communicate more effectively, understand the procedures and have a professional respect for how each Sailor plays a part in the bigger picture," said Baqueroalvarez. "It can clear up misunderstandings of what Sailors do behind their consoles or behind a work center's closed doors. This training gives the opportunity to discuss important topics which affect all areas of warfare, and how they come together to discover intricacies that most people would not be otherwise aware."

The process Sailors go through to earn their pins will see them complete three PQS books: the 100 Series - Common Core, 200 Series - Platform Specific, and 300 Series - COMSUBLANT specific. After completing the PQS, Sailors take a 100 question fill in the blank exam, which requires a minimum score of 80% to pass. After the test, comes a final board where Sailors are interrogated on their knowledge of information warfare by qualified subject matter experts.

"This is by no means an easy warfare device to attain," said Baqueroalvarez. "The program is designed to align with the Sailor 2025, making our forces stronger by understanding how decisions are made and giving the knowledge of how those decisions impact the force."

With the knowledge that this is a difficult subject matter, Chief Baqueroalvarez and his team of instructors are using non-traditional methods of teaching in order to ensure Sailors retain the information and are able to apply it long after they have qualified for their pin.

"The lectures are facilitated in a conversational manner; we do not institute "death by PowerPoint" lectures. We utilize a different pedagogical cognitive interactive training approach," said Baqueroalvarez. "In other words, we utilize the way our mind works on registering and retaining new data, as a result the information Sailors receive becomes part of them."

Though the subject matter may be tough, it is clear that there is a sense of accomplishment once a Sailor makes it through and receives their pin.
"It is an amazing feeling to have earned my IW pin," said Yeoman 2nd Class Perry Holiday. "I am very excited because this is a pin that I have always wanted to obtain, so it feels good to finally acquire it. It took a lot of studying to be able to pass my test and board so I was relieved once I made it.

Holiday wasn't the only one in the group ecstatic about being pinned.
"I'm very excited!" exclaimed Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Rachel Rush. "It is my primary warfare qualification but it wasn't available to me before coming here so I'm glad to finally be able to wear this pin."
Even for Sailors working in the Information Warfare Community, the exam and board aren't to be taken lightly.

"I had a basic working knowledge of many of the concepts introduced in the program," said Rush. "Although this was an advantage, I still studied hard in the areas that were unfamiliar territory. This is my first submarine command so it was important that I learned about how information warfare impacted submarine operations."

Helping to pin each Sailor was Commander Navy Information Forces, Force Master Chief Toby A. Ruiz, who is in charge of the Enlisted Information Warfare Specialist Program Navy-wide.

"Information warfare is part of our everyday life now," said Ruiz. "I love to see communities and Sailors, not directly connected to information warfare, gaining the knowledge of what information warfare is about and understanding how to apply it to their diverse missions."

For each of the twelve Sailors who earned their new warfare pin today, the time spent in lectures, shadowing watch standers, and countless hours of studying have paid off. However, Baqueroalvarez does not take credit for the success of the program.

"I want to thank STSCM Ross, ITC Steenrod, ITC Hersey, IT1 Jackson and IS1 Bradley because they were all a huge part of ensuring integrity of the program and putting everything together," said Baqueroalvarez. If not for them, the Enlisted Information Warfare Program would not be a reality here at SUBLANT.

With every day that passes, the world moves forward into the digital horizon, where there are advisories everywhere hoping to gain the electronic edge on our war fighters. There will always be a digital threat but with every new pinning, Sailors at Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic will be prepared to do battle.

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