Rear Adm. Matthew Kohler, commander, Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR), spoke at the Navy League's 52nd Annual Sea-Air-Space Expo, April 3-5, addressing an audience at the Information Warfare Pavilion, April 3.

"Sea-Air-Space Expo is the nation's largest maritime exposition and NAVIFOR looks forward to attending every year," said Kohler. "Sea-Air-Space is an invaluable venue for military leadership to share and exchange professional knowledge, innovative ideas and educational topics with the U.S. defense industrial base, private sector companies, academia, and partner nations."

Kohler highlighted that a recent significant milestone within Naval Information Warfare was the standup of the Naval Information Warfare Development Center (NIWDC) in Norfolk, Virginia March 27. NIWDC was established to provide advanced Information Warfare training; tactics, techniques and procedures; as well as Information Warfare tactics instructors. The first to command NIWDC is Capt. John Watkins, most recently assigned to the Commander, Third Fleet NIWDC is one of 74 commands under NAVIFOR and is anticipated to achieve full operational capability by April 2019.

"NAVIFOR is a global TYCOM [Type Command] with a worldwide footprint," said Kohler. "While there is a significant Information Warfare presence afloat, much of our operational capability and capacity is also delivered from ashore, including the newly established NIWDC."

Expanding the TYCOM's global footprint this past year, NAVIFOR named Mr. Vince Kapral as a Defense Intelligence Senior Level (DISL) to lead NAVIFOR West Detachment located in San Diego, effective October 2016. Kohler reiterated his full confidence in Kapral to mature NAVIFOR's west coast presence and enhance Information Warfare TYCOM support to an already strong Information Warfare team in San Diego in support of Pacific Fleet-based commands and organizations.

NAVIFOR's mission is to provide combat-ready Information Warfare forces to operational commanders, ashore and afloat, that are forward deployable, fully trained, properly manned, capably equipped, always ready, well-maintained and combat sustainable.

For more information on NAVIFOR, visit the command's web site at www.navifor.navy.mil, our Navy News Web page at http://www.navy.mil/local/navifor or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USNavyInformationDominanceForces.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Information Forces, visit www.navy.mil/.