PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Center for Information Warfare Training welcomed a familiar face back as its new leader Jan. 16.
Capt. John Copeland succeeded Capt. Sarah Sherwood during a change of command ceremony just outside the front doorstep of CIWT headquarters on Naval Air Station Pensacola’s Corry Station. The presiding officer was Rear Adm. Greg Huffman, commander of Naval Education and Training Command.
“It’s a privilege to be among the leaders, the instructors and the phenomenal staff at one of the largest and most complex learning centers in our Navy, responsible for the critical mission of training and developing information warfighters,” Huffman said. “The skills our Sailors learn here are central to how we fight and win and foundational to every single naval operation across our Navy.”
Copeland arrives from Fort Meade, Maryland, where he served as intelligence director for U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, Navy Space Command, Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber (Navy) and 10th Fleet. From 2022 to 2024, he commanded CIWT’s Information Warfare Training Command Virginia Beach schoolhouse.
“I’m so proud to be the CIWT commanding officer and become part of this great organization again,” he said. “My thanks to Capt. Sherwood for handing me a super-focused, highly motivated, and effective team. The best turnover is a high-functioning staff of civilians, Sailors and contractors.”
Copeland’s military career began in 1987 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps. His first duty station was at Corry Station, where he learned Morse code while training as a Radio Battalion Marine. He became a Navy intelligence officer after graduating from University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2002 and earning a commission through Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station Pensacola.
His operational tours include intelligence officer assignments aboard USS Iwo Jima and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, as well as deployments to Afghanistan, Lebanon and Germany. He’s also held various leadership positions at Naval Information Forces, U.S. Cyber Command, and Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center.
“Capt. Copeland comes to CIWT with an impressive slate of operational assignments with the Navy and Marine Corps, expertise at the joint and combatant commander staff level, and a very successful tour commanding IWTC Virginia Beach,” Huffman said. “I am confident he will lead CIWT to accomplish even more incredible things, and I am excited to see how he will shape the next generation of information warfighters.”
As one of the Navy’s largest learning centers, CIWT provides instruction for over 26,000 students every year, delivering information warfare professionals to the fleet and joint services. The command is staffed by nearly 1,200 personnel and instructors who manage resources, develop curriculum and deliver more than 200 state-of-the-art courses for cryptologic, information systems and electronics technicians; intelligence and cyber specialists, and officers in the information warfare community.
Copeland becomes CIWT’s 30th commanding officer.
“As we move forward together, we will continue to retool and refine our information warfare foundry through continuous process improvement from boot camp to combat,” he said. “We will create lethal, resilient Sailors that crush our competition today and will be ready for tomorrow’s challenges.”
Sherwood, who assumed CIWT command in July 2024, led four schoolhouses, two detachments, and 15 training sites throughout the United States and Japan.
With Navy recruiting at its highest levels since 2002 – a “great problem to have,” Huffman said – CIWT achieved almost 140 additional course convenes across its Information Warfare Training Command Corry Station, Virginia Beach, Monterey and San Diego schoolhouses, sometimes teaching three shifts and reducing the backlog of students awaiting instruction to a five-year low.
Sherwood led a first-of-its-kind training-optimization initiative that identified and corrected 2,800 training gaps, directly improving information warfare community readiness. Her advocacy secured millions in funding for critical training advancements, including a partnership with Pearson Vue that saved the Navy $28 million in development costs and pilot program for an artificial intelligence-powered curriculum developer.
In addition, she oversaw the design of four new defensive cyber operations courses and laid the foundation for maritime cyber warfare officer training pipeline development.
“Capt. Sherwood’s leadership of CIWT has been nothing short of exceptional,” Huffman told the audience. “I cannot overstate enough how hard this team has worked in improving facilities, running networks, managing an enormous amount of manpower and resources, and moving trained warfighters to the fleet. CIWT has strengthened partnerships, improved training and instruction, and ensured our information warfare professionals are ready for the dynamic challenges ahead.”
Sherwood, a 2001 graduate of Northwestern University who also holds a Master of Business Administration in international finance from University of Maryland, deflected the praise.
“The past 18 months here at CIWT has been an amazing experience. I’m honored and humbled by the work this team does day in and day out,” she said. “Together, we overcame challenges with the resilience, determination and professionalism that help make us a world-class training and education organization. There were several times in this tour when I thought we had exhausted all possibilities – only to find another idea on how to increase performance, improve efficiency and maximize process quality. I am convinced this team can overcome any challenge.”
Under her charge, CIWT maintained its 50-year accreditation from the Council on Occupational Education, the longest of any NETC learning center, earning an unprecedented six commendations.
Sherwood said she takes pride in how CIWT strengthened its connection with NAVIFOR, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, NETC, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (OPNAV N2N6) and all partner stakeholders.
“That was essential to achieving CIWT’s objectives,” she added. “Team, your tenacity laid the groundwork for foundational change. Victory belongs to those who embrace real innovation. And this team does just that. ... Make no mistake: The Navy could not do its job without you.”
Sherwood is moving on to a new position at the Pentagon.
Vice Adm. Michael Vernazza, NAVIFOR commander, thanked Sherwood for her leadership and “can-do” approach in guiding CIWT.
“You and your team have an enormous job,” he said. “I’m grateful that you not only kept the trains running on time but also took the initiative to lay new track when and where able, always focused on warfighting and outcomes while pushing us all forward.”