By CTR2 (IW) Amanda Respicio and LT Anastasia Novosyolovablatt
WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. (NNS) – Cryptologic Technician (Collection) 1st Class Phillip Bush, assigned to Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Whidbey Island, has been selected as the Navy’s individual recipient of the 2017 Association of Old Crows (AOC) Military Service Award.
The annual AOC Awards recognize individuals and units for outstanding performance in furthering the aims of the Association of Old Crows in support of the United States or Allied Electronic Warfare (EW), Information Operations (IO), and Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO).
Kenneth Krech, the local AOC Chapter President, presented Bush with a plaque at a recent ceremony and described the selection process for recognizing individuals with this award.
“The AOC is an international organization of over 11,000 members focused on excellence in the EW community, said Krech. “Petty Officer Bush was selected based on individual submissions from personnel ranking from E1 to E9. It is a highly competitive process. He has been chosen as the individual who had done the most for the Navy and EW community.”
During his deployment with Commander Carrier Strike Group 10 Bush identified an intelligence gap in the dynamic non-kinetic targeting process. Armed with this knowledge, he was forward deployed to the Combined Air Operations Center in Al Udeid, Qatar. While there, he created and led a six-person joint service team to optimize Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) employment, with major impacts spanning across the DoD and six coalition nations. For example, his efforts with Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130) alone increased target identification by 81% and boosted mission success by 230%.
“I am honored and surprised to be selected for this award,” said Bush, a native of Phoenix, Ariz. “There are a lot of people who helped me get to this point and who are equally deserving of this award. It was with the help of my at-home and deployed chains of command that I got where I am today, and I am very grateful for their support.”
NIOC Whidbey Island executes analysis, training, certification, planning, and direct support augmentation to naval air and surface forces engaged in operations worldwide as a subordinate to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and U.S. 10th Fleet.
U.S. Fleet Cyber Command serves as the Navy component command to U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Cyber Command, and the Navy’s Service Cryptologic Component commander under the National Security Agency/Central Security Service. Fleet Cyber Command also reports directly to the Chief of Naval Operations as an Echelon II command.
U.S. 10th Fleet is the operational arm of Fleet Cyber Command and executes its mission through a task force structure similar to other warfare commanders. In this role, C10F provides operational direction through its Maritime Operations Center located at Fort George Meade Md., executing command and control over assigned forces in support of Navy or joint missions in cyber/networks, cryptologic/signals intelligence and space.
For more news from Commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command / U.S. 10th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/FCCC10F/.