CWG-6 hosts Naval Academy Midshipmen

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Ruben Reed | Cryptologic Warfare Group SIX (CWG-6) hosts U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen as part of their summer tour July 6 to July 13. CWG-6 delivers information warfare capabilities to conduct signals intelligence and cyberspace operations for naval and joint forces. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ruben Reed)  

MD, UNITED STATES

07.19.2021

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ruben Reed 

Cryptologic Warfare Group SIX

FORT MEADE, Maryland – U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen recently completed six days as part of their summer tour with Cryptologic Warfare Group SIX (CWG-6) and its subordinate activities from July 6 to July 13.
The 12 Midshipmen are in their senior year when they have the opportunity to tour with commands that align with their career intentions. Midshipmen 1st Class students select which officer designation they intend to follow after they have made careful consideration and taken a command specific summer tour.
Midshipman 1st Class Jenny Luo, from Ellicott City, Maryland, explained how the tour to CWG-6 and its activities helped shape her decision to follow a cyber-based designation after graduation.
“I was stuck between cryptologic warfare and intel and it was really cool being able to talk to everyone and seeing the knowledge from everyone in the community,” said Luo. “It was really helpful learning from the admiral about their roles connected to other organizations and seeing the big picture. It was also really helpful hearing from junior officers about how they feel about the community so it was all just so beneficial in deciding if I want to be in the community.”
During their six day tour, the Midshipmen experienced everything CWG-6 and its activities have to offer from the National Security Operations Center watch floor to Cryptologic Warfare Activity SIXTY-SEVEN (CWA-67) operations synchronization meetings to a Navy Cyber Warfare Development Group (NCWDG) brief and tour.
Midshipman 1st Class Connor Schellenbach, a Woodbury, Minnesota native, expressed how even though they toured many buildings and saw very technical operations, the lessons he learned from the tour were more about basic principles junior officers in the community needed to succeed.
“I think the purpose of us being here is really to get the exposure to how these commands interact more so than trying to understand all the technical aspects,” said Schellenbach. “The reality of the cyber realm is that everything is evolving and it will be our responsibility to stay on pace with that. I also think the purpose of this cruise was to show us how as junior officers the interaction with the enlisted force and their enormous skill is our biggest asset and being able to advocate for them is the biggest thing we could have learned being here.”
Capt. Joseph Sears, Commodore, CWG-6, who gave the Midshipman their final out-brief, spoke about what he thought the biggest lesson the Midshipman should take away from the tour and how the experience should shape their decision.
“Becoming an information warfare professional is one of the most exciting and demanding jobs in the Navy,” Sears said. “They will join a group of professionals constantly challenged by an information environment dynamically changing at the speed of technology. This environment will demand they possess a drive for continuous learning, initiative, and self-improvement. I expect midshipmen selecting information warfare or cryptologic warfare to demonstrate leadership, initiative, and a deep intellectual curiosity on how to exploit, break, and defend technology.”
“I’d really like to thank all the communities we visited,” said Luo. “Everyone was very welcoming and they were so busy, but if we were observing and walking around different work stations they would explain what they were doing in such detail. It was great to see the passion they all had in the community and it was just such an invaluable experience.”
CWG-6’s primary mission is to deliver information warfare capabilities to the Navy by providing and deploying trained Sailors, expertise, and equipment to conduct signals intelligence and cyberspace operations for naval and joint forces.
For more information and news from CWG-6, visit https://www.navifor.usff.navy.mil/cwg6/ or
www.facebook.com/CWGSIX.

• Date Taken: 07.19.2021
• Date Posted: 07.23.2021 09:19
• Story ID: 401581
• Location: MD, US