The CWT Rating
The original rating, Cryptologic Technician-Networks (CTN) was first established on February 6, 2004. On June 28, 2023, the CTN rating was disestablished, and its duties and responsibilities moved to the new rating, the Navy Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT) per NAVADMIN 147/23.
The Navy's computerized personnel system associates the rating name with an alphanumeric Navy Enlisted Manning Code (EMC). For the CWT rating, the EMC is B525.
Cyber Warfare Technician class "A" school is 26 weeks long, and is immediately followed by a seven week class "C" school. Both schools are located in Pensacola, Florida.
The Cyber Warfare Technician rating requires a six year (72 month) initial enlistment obligation.
There are approximately 2,500 Sailors working in the Cyber Warfare Technician rating.
Cyber Warfare Technicians perform a variety of duties worldwide with duty stations throughout the continental United States and Hawaii. CWTs have opportunities to be assigned to afloat staffs, direct support and shore based commands. There are limited opportunities for assignment to special warfare commands. All assignments are equally available to men and women.
Cyber Warfare Technician job description (B525)
Cyber Warfare Technicians provide technical expertise in network-centric operations. They monitor, identify, collect and analyze information; provide data for digital network products, and they conduct computer network operations worldwide to support Navy and Department of Defense national and theater level missions.
Personnel will detect, react, and recover from disruption, denial, degradation or destructive attack against computers and computer networks. CWTs identify and extract digital intelligence from multiple layers of computer protocols containing various types of digital information conveyed over multiple transmission technologies.
Duties include performing collection, analysis and reporting on communication signals using computers, specialized computer-assisted communications equipment, and video display terminals.
Cyber Warfare Technicians monitor network target development and Indications and Warning (I&W), Attack Sensing and Warning (AS&W), and provide computer network risk mitigation and network vulnerability assessments, and incident response/reconstruction. They are active in computer network defense, access tool development and computer/network forensics.
CWT Rating Career Sea - Shore Rotation Chart
A normal tour of duty as a Cyber Warfare Technician is four years.
| Rating | SEA1 | SEA2 | SEA3 | SEA4 | SEA/SH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CWT | Career Path Not Defined by Sea Shore Rotation | ||||
| SH1 | SH2 | SH3 | SH4 | SEA/SH | |
| CWT | Career Path Not Defined by Sea Shore Rotation | ||||
Relevant Notes: Due to the unique nature and specific skill sets required by Sailors in the Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT) rating, career paths are defined by inconus/outconus vice sea shore flow. Sailors can expect to serve on various tours outside the continental United States (outconus) and/or on sea duty during their career. Inconus/outconus rotation for the CWT rating is listed below and are dependent upon billet availability and emerging needs of the Navy:
- CWT E1 - E5 1 INCONUS/1 OUTCONUS(SEA)
- E6 - E7 2 INCONUS/1 OUTCONUS(SEA)
- E8 - E9 3 INCONUS/1 OUTCONUS
Qualifications, Interests, and Working Environment
Cyber Warfare Technicians must learn advanced computer, network, and electronic system troubleshooting methods based on complicated technical concepts. They must be resourceful, logical and possess an average degree of manual dexterity and be of exceptional character. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and meet eligibility requirements for continuous access to sensitive compartmented information (SCI). Eligibility for a top secret clearance is determined by the results of a Single Scope Background Investigation followed by a reinvestigation every five years.
Adversely adjudicated drug abuse offenses will not receive waiver consideration. Applicants’ immediate family members, including parents, sibling(s), and spouse, must be U.S. citizens or from a low risk country as defined by Intelligence Community Directive 704. Applicants who are former Peace Corps members are not eligible.
Normal hearing is required. CWT ASVAB Test score requirement.
Financial Responsibility
No person shall be selected who has a history of bad checks (unless through bank error), repossessions, cancelled or suspended charge accounts, or indebtedness exceeding half the annual salary of the paygrade at which the applicant is being recruited. If indebtedness includes a long-term mortgage, total indebtedness must not exceed 2½ times the annual salary.
Personnel in the Cyber Warfare Technician rating is paid allowances (BAH, BAS, etc. if eligible) and billet pay (sea pay, flight pay, submarine pay, etc. if eligible), and military enlisted basic pay based on years of service and paygrade.
Credit Recommendations
The American Council on Education recommends that semester hour credits in the associate/bachelor degree programs and vocational certificate categories for courses completed, and experiences acquired in the CWT rating.
Page written and maintained by NCCM Thomas Goering, USN (Retired).
If you are seeking information about joining the Navy, feel free to contact me.
