Success is where hard work and opportunity meet. That motto has guided Capt. Robert ‘Brian’ Conner, commanding officer, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Atlantic (NCTAMS LANT) throughout his career. That and the refrain, “No. The Navy needs you.”
It’s not a stretch to say Conner, as a young Sailor, had his sights set on being stationed at NCTAMS LANT. This was the goal at almost every turn in his career. But before that, as a high school student, he first aspired to attend college.
“I had ideas, plans, … and I would say a lot of untapped potential,” recalls Conner about his high school years in Birmingham, Ala.
Conner applied to just one college and was accepted – Morehouse College. The only issue was tuition. A search for scholarships led him to the Navy Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship, but it was competitive.
“I was advised by a Navy Recruiter that if I wanted to make myself look serious about wanting a Navy ROTC scholarship, I should join the Navy,” said Conner. “‘OK’, I thought. I can do that.”
In 1996, Conner enlisted under the Delayed Entry Program to be an Electronics Technician (ET). “I was interested in anything in the communications field,” Conner said. “I’ve always had a real passion for it.”
After bootcamp Conner headed for ET ‘A’ school. “While I was in Tech Core my parents told me a college was offering me an NROTC scholarship,” said Conner. “I wanted to finish “A School”. I wanted to ride this Navy thing out and see where it would take me.”
Conner’s nearly 30-year career took him from shore to sea and back again. Starting with his first tour at Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Pacific (NCTAMS PAC), as a newly minted ET, Conner’s career path was as diverse as it was upwardly mobile. From USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), then homeported in Japan, as an Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM) and Tactical Action Officer, to the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif., as a student – because who would turn down an opportunity to be paid to earn a master’s degree, to Carrier Strike Group 12 in Norfolk, Va. … at each turn orders to NCTAMS LANT was the goal. And the Navy’s response would be, for some time, “No. The Navy needs you.”
It was during his ET ‘A’ school that Conner was encouraged to take the college SATs. “My bootcamp buddy, Jay Rodriquez, got me to go with him. We both scored well.” Rodriguez went on to the U.S. Naval Academy, but that path “was a bridge too far” for Conner. “I wanted to apply to the BOOST (Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training) program.”
His first BOOST attempt hit a snag when he failed the Radar portion of ET school. “I sailed through Comms. But because I failed Radar the Master Chief wouldn’t support my application,” he states. It wasn’t a definitive ‘no’ for Conner, but he knew what he needed to do. Focus on school and pass both sections to better position himself to earn command support for his application.
In the 90’s, instructions were printed and kept in Admin. There was no on-line surfing -information at your fingertips. When it came time for Conner to apply, the same Master Chief looked at his copy of the BOOST instruction and “informed me my scores weren’t high enough for the program. ‘OK’ I thought. So, I went to the Fleet.”
It was at his first duty station, NCTAMS PAC, that a fellow Sailor told Conner she had been accepted to BOOST. He was happy for her and asked if he could see her program package. He noticed his scores were higher than hers.
“That’s when it became my focus to learn my rate, get into that program, and earn a commission,” said Conner. “That was also when I learned to never accept ‘no’ from someone who isn’t authorized tell you ‘yes’.”
“I literally took the BOOST flyer off my DivO’s door, and told him, ‘This is what I want to do,’” Conner said. Encouragement from Lt. Mike Coleman, Satellite Communication Division Officer, NCTAMS PAC, was instrumental in Conner finally submitting his BOOST application. Coleman’s encouragement and that of his bootcamp buddy, Rodriguez.
“He (Rodriguez) was stationed in D.C. He’d call me in Hawaii – remember this is way before texting, and the conversation went like this. ‘What are you doing?’ ‘I’m sleeping. It’s Hawaii. It’s 3 a.m.’ ‘Get up and work on your BOOST package. While you’re sleeping someone else is working on theirs!’ That was always the push I needed to get me up and motivated.
“That’s one thing about the Navy. You can make lifelong friends,” said Conner. “We’re still great friends to this day, and I always credit him for giving me the nudge I needed to achieve my goals.”
His BOOST application submitted and accepted, Conner was on his way to becoming a commissioned officer. In May 2004 Conner was commissioned, and in 2005 he was designated as a Surface Warfare Officer. Then in 2006 he laterally transferred to a then-relatively new designator, Information Professional (IP); communications was still his passion.
In hindsight, Conner was always focused on NCTAMS LANT. He made multiple attempts to get there from here. But each time he made the request, the Navy replied with the reoccurring response, “No. The Navy needs you.”
Staying true to his roots and his love for the communications field, as an IP officer Conner took orders in 2004 to USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), the flagship for the U.S. 7th Fleet that provides critical Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) in support of missions and operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The goal - to get into the Communications Department. “No. The Navy needs you.” What happened - Conner was assigned as the Repair Division Officer and Assistant Damage Control Assistant.
He had verbal orders to NCTAMS LANT only once before. But “No. The Navy needs you.” He was re-directed to the USS Independence (LCS 2), to serve as the Combat Systems Officer. In this role, he was responsible for the C4I, Electronic Warfare (EW), and shipboard weapons systems. He was still doing what he loved but doing it at sea!
“Working towards a goal is not going to be comfortable. Sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty,” Conner said. Working as an Engineer I gained invaluable work experience that only broadened my technical knowledge. I grew where I was planted.” The NCTAMS LANT dream was still alive.
Certainly, as a Lieutenant Commander who served for 21 months as Deputy Executive Assistant to then-Vice. Adm. Michael M. Gilday, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command / U.S. 10th Fleet, reaching his NCTAMS LANT goal was inevitable. “No. The Navy needs you.”
The Universe eventually paved the road to lead then-Capt. (sel) Conner to be the Senior IP community detailer where he literally wrote his orders to NCTAMS LANT. Finally, Conner’s question, “Is NCTAMS LANT an option?” was responded to in the affirmative – Yes. Approved by Vice Adm. Michael Vernazza, the Navy’s IBoss commander, Naval Information Forces, Conner was heading to NCTAMS LANT. But not to be just part of the team. He would report as the Commanding Officer (CO).
An avid sports fan, Conner likens his position as CO to the viewpoint of Nick Saban and Tony Dungy, former University of Alabama NFL coach to both Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. Defining the culture, focusing on fundamentals, and developing people sets the conditions for that organization to succeed. As NCTAMS LANT CO, this is Conner’s charge. “I love the scope of this command’s mission and its impact – executing worldwide operations and still have regional responsibilities,” said Conner. “I want to pick up from where past CO’s left off and take this command and the entire staff to greater heights.”
NCTAMS LANT has an interesting history. Walt Disney himself designed the Oscar character that has been featured on the command logo since 1947 when the command, known then as Naval Communications Station Norfolk, was established. And the leadership legacy is just as impressive. The list of former COs to the nearly seven-decades-year-old command includes retired Vice Adm. Kelly Aeschbach, and the late Rear Adm. Danielle Barrett.
“You have choices. Keep pushing or stop. But listen to the Universe,” advises Conner. “It wasn’t my time,” he said, referring to his many attempts to get to NCTAMS LANT. “But now my time is here. My faith drove me to this.”
NCTAMS LANT’s mission is to operate and secure critical communications systems that support our nation’s global operational priorities. Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NCTAMSAtlantic Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nctamslant Visit us: https://www.navifor.usff.navy.mil/nctamslant/
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