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By Lt. Jacob McLain
Information Warfare Training Command Virginia Beach
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Information Warfare Training Command Virginia Beach continues to set the standard for intelligence training, hosting 14 concurrent Intelligence Specialist “A” school convenes in April—nearly double the typical eight on deck.
Leaders said this achievement reflects IWTC Virginia Beach’s ability to seamlessly adapt to the Navy’s 2024 recruiting surge while maintaining the highest level of instruction and operational tempo.
IS “A” school is a 14-week program where students learn intelligence fundamentals, adversary tactics, geopolitics and analytical techniques. Throughout the course, students build and brief all-source intelligence products to ensure they are fully prepared to provide operational intelligence support upon reporting to the fleet.
This year, IWTC Virginia Beach is on track to host 37 convenes, a 20% increase from 2024. The command’s instructors and leadership have maintained a steady battle rhythm, ensuring every class receives premier training despite the increased throughput.
“Classroom availability is a consistent hurdle,” said Chief Petty Officer Kolton Horn, an intelligence specialist and IS “A” school’s leading chief petty officer. “Classes sometimes require students to move once or twice during their time onboard to allow other courses to conduct their regularly scheduled convenes. Moreover, instructors from other courses are cross-utilized to allow staff to focus effort on other classes to meet instructor-to-student ratios of 2:25 for performance tests, which creates significant planning considerations.”
Horn credits the school’s success to the dedication of its instructor team.
“There is no single instructor who made this surge possible,” he added. “Every instructor on staff worked extended hours to make this surge successful. Despite logistical hurdles, the instructors’ professionalism and expertise enabled IWTC Virginia Beach to continue providing premier training for its students.”
Students like Seaman Molly Stutz have felt the surge’s impact firsthand while recognizing the training’s value.
“IS ‘A’ school has been very engaging and difficult. It’s very exciting to learn about how intelligence drives and supports naval operations,” she said. “It has also been great to see all the different opportunities in this career field and create goals about where I want to go within my career. After rerating from aircrew, it has been motivating to see the level of passion and expertise that the instructors bring to the course every day.”
Cmdr. Laura Smith, commanding officer at IWTC Virginia Beach, praised both the instructors and students for their adaptability and determination.
“The dedication from the staff has been admirable as they keep pace with the Sailors coming to the schoolhouse and getting them ready for the fleet,” she said. “These Sailors took a huge leap in responsibility to learn the expansive duties as intelligence specialists and warfighters in the Navy. They gain the knowledge to perform, the confidence to succeed, and are led by the best in the community at IWTCVB. Once they graduate, they will contribute to the strength of information warfare and the success of the Navy.”
IWTC Virginia Beach, part of the Center for Information Warfare Training, offers more than 70 specialized courses in fields such as information technology, cryptology and intelligence. The command is staffed by about 330 military, civilian, and contractor personnel and trains over 6,500 students a year at locations across the U.S., including Jacksonville and Mayport, Florida; Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia; and Groton, Connecticut.
CIWT’s network of four schoolhouse commands and multiple training sites around the globe delivers world-class instruction to more than 26,000 students annually. It ensures the Navy, Marine Corps and Department of Defense are equipped with the highest caliber of intelligence professionals, ready to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global landscape.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.25.2025 13:35 |
| Story ID: | 543846 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 36 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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