ESG 5 Officers Earn Information Dominance Corps Warfare Qualifications

From Expeditionary Strike Group 5 Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- During a ceremony at Naval Support Activity, Bahrain, all eligible members of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 5's staff officially became part of the Information Dominance Corps (IDC), Oct. 20.

After completing the qualification standards and passing a required exam, 12 members of ESG 5 were welcomed into the IDC as Information Dominance Warfare Officers (IDWO) and presented with the new warfare insignia.

"It is an exciting time to be in the information business," said Lt. Linda Laws, ESG 5's communications officer. "By combining all the information gathering communities into one organization we are increasing our capability to provide a clear picture of the operational environment to commanders."

The community, consisting of information professionals, intelligence officers, meteorological officers and information warfare officers, was established in Nov. 2009 to streamline the information sharing process within the Navy.

"In this new era the cyber domain has become increasingly dominant and it is vitally important to have individuals who are specialized in information dominance," said Rear Adm. Sinclair Harris, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 5. "This ESG 5 team of cyber warriors is leading the fight."

The community, led by Vice Adm. Jack Dorsett, deputy chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance, was established to empower a corps of professionals to improve Navy capabilities in the information domain.

"The awarding of the IDWO pin provides the same kind of visible recognition as other warfare-qualified officers," said Lt. Ryan Tashma, ESG5's knowledge manager. "It identifies IDC members as warfighters with basic proficiency in a critical warfare area."

ESG 5 was re-established in Nov. 2009 to support amphibious forces deployed to the region, mine warfare, contingency response missions and maritime humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations within the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.