First CID students graduate from ITOF pilot program

By Information Systems Technician Seaman Shaun Sandbloom,Center For Information Dominance Public Affairs

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- Center for Information Dominance Corry Station held a ceremony Nov. 19, for the Navy's first graduating class of the newly established Information Systems Technician of the Future (ITOF) course.

ITOF was conceived in response to Department of Defense (DoD) Directive 8570.01-M, which called for a department-wide solution to train, certify and manage the Information Assurance workforce in response to the increasing cyber threats against networks based not only in the Department of Defense, but critical systems throughout the United States.

President Barack Obama recognized the importance of cyber protection and instituted measures to protect vital assets.

"Our technological advantage is a key to America's military dominance. But our defense and military networks are under constant attack," said the president in a May 2009 speech at the White House regarding the nation's cyber infrastructure. "Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups have spoken of their desire to unleash a cyber attack on our country – attacks that are harder to detect and harder to defend against."

In response to the ongoing cyber threat to national security, the president created a cyber security position in the National Security Council and ordered the creation of DoD Directive 8570.1. The new directive also requires technicians and managers to be trained and certified in specific fields.

"The (ITOF) course was geared in order to take care of the DoD requirements," said Information Systems Technician First Class James Dise, ITOF lead instructor. "Our primary focus was to take care of the requirements and burdens in order to administer the IT rating professionally and adapt our rating to the 21st century."

One of the main components of the new directive is that everyone with access to privileged systems will be required to have traceable and verifiable IT certifications in order to retain his or her job.

CID Corry Station's solution in ITOF has gone one step further to ensure that such education and learning happens early in a Sailor's career, establishing an unprecedented understanding of cyber warfare against global threats.

The ITOF pilot class consisted of 20 students, who received a pre-graduation pep talk from Capt. Gary Edwards, CID commanding officer Nov. 18 onboard Corry Station.

"Our mission here is to train Sailors in skills necessary to save lives," said Edwards. "Make no mistake, we are fighting a digital war, not just on the frontlines in Afghanistan, but here at home we are faced daily with the pressing need to enforce and reinforce our role in Information Dominance. The ITOF training you have just completed is integral to that process."

The success of the ITOF course keeps naval cyber forces on the cutting edge of an ever-evolving technological environment. With rapid and consistent changes in technology, the Navy has been presented with the challenge of keeping their information technology community up to speed on the world around them.

"The program is definitely improving the Navy and the IT rate," said Dise. "There are so many opportunities in the Navy available to Sailors just for being an IT and being a part of ITOF."

Those future opportunities are the product of a long and arduous course, compressing several topics into a condensed, 19-week program. Furthermore, the certifications awarded for completing ITOF require a comprehensive understanding of administrator level information technology skills, elevating the educational prowess necessary to succeed.

ITOF is currently the only training program in the DoD, which requires service members to earn certifications while attending "A" school as part of the curriculum and graduation requirements.

"I had no idea what I was getting into," Information Systems Technician Seaman Apprentice James Takeda, of Gardena, Calif., said. "I'm just thankful to be given the chance to do this. I had no background in computers at all, and now I am amazed at some of the stuff I know how to do."

Now that the first group of students has graduated, the pilot phase of ITOF has been approved to become the main Information Systems Technician course at CID beginning in January 2011, with 200 more students scheduled to begin training.

Dise and the other instructors will not be alone in assisting new students though. 16 current graduates are slated to begin "C" school at CID Corry Station in 2011, leading the future of ITOF into its next phase.

With the second generation coming aboard, current ITOF graduates are expected to help shipmates in the same fashion they were taught, making teamwork the staple of success.

Information Systems Technician "A" school Senior Enlisted Advisor Information Systems Technician Chief Petty Officer Jason Wiland emphasized that teamwork is critical to both individual success and the success of the new ITOF program.

"One of the first things I brief new students on is that there are others who have gone through this program before," said Wiland. "It takes a lot of discipline and dedication in and out of the class to get through this. These (newly-graduated) students now have the chance to be mentors."

Wiland instructed ITOF for the first five weeks of training, guiding students through their A+ certification, raising the bar for the weeks to come.

"The instructors could be hard and demanding, but it pushed us to do better," said Information Technicians System Seaman Zeerina Josan. "If you want it bad enough, you will get it, and we wanted it. Looking back, I appreciated how we learned our stuff because I can remember things based on how they were taught."

Along with Wiland and Dise were a team of instructors, civilian and military, which taught specific lessons based on their area of expertise. Experience, "sea stories," and on the job training complemented technical nomenclature and procedures, providing much needed context painting a picture of just what an Information Systems Technician might run into ashore or afloat.

"I feel like I am prepared for anything now," said Takeda. "I'm expected to get 100 percent right, and I will do it."

CID is the Navy's Learning Center that leads, manages, and delivers Navy and joint force training in information operations, information technology and cryptology.

With a staff of more than 1,050 military, civilian and contracted staff members, CID Corry Station oversees the development and administration of more than 168 courses at 16 learning sites throughout the United States and in Japan. CID Corry Station provides training for more than 19,000 members of the U.S. Armed Services and allied forces each year.