INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN (IT)

OVERVIEW

Information Systems Technician (IT) is the U.S. Navy's enlisted information-technology and tactical-communications rating. ITs run every U.S. Navy unclassified, secret, and SCI network afloat and ashore, operate satellite-communications terminals (WSC-3, USC-38, NMT, CBSP), administer Microsoft Windows and Linux servers, run cryptographic key-management at the COMSEC vault, and provide cybersecurity defensive operations to the fleet.

IT was created in 1999 by merging the legacy Radioman (RM) and Data Processing Technician (DP) ratings. Today the rating splits across an "IT (general)" pipeline for shipboard and shore IT and an "IT (submarine)" pipeline (ITS) that operates submarine radio rooms.

The cryptologic / information warfare community conducts signals intelligence, cyberspace operations, and electronic warfare for U.S. Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, and Fleet Cyber Command / Tenth Fleet. All cryptologic ratings require a TS/SCI clearance, polygraph eligibility, and intensive language, technical, or analytic training at the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT).

A-school for the rating runs ~24 weeks at Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Pensacola, FL (Center for Information Warfare Training), where Sailors complete the technical foundation needed to report to their first fleet command. Entry requires the ASVAB line score AR+2MK+GS=222 and an enlistment obligation of 5–6 years. ITs advance through the standard enlisted paygrade structure (E-1 through E-9), competing in the Navy-Wide Advancement Examination (NWAE) at E-4 through E-6 and via the Selection Board at E-7 through E-9. Senior ITs typically serve as Leading Petty Officer (LPO), Work Center Supervisor, Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO), or Command Master Chief (CMC), and may pursue Limited Duty Officer (LDO), Chief Warrant Officer (CWO), or commissioning programs such as STA-21, MECP, or OCS.

Across the active force, IT Sailors are essential to the Navy's mission readiness, and the rating remains an in-demand career field with strong reenlistment bonuses (SRB), advancement opportunities, and pathways into Navy Reserve, civilian DoD, and industry careers after service.

WHAT ITs DO

ITs administer NMCI and ONE-Net Windows/Linux servers, configure Cisco/Juniper routers and switches, operate satellite communications terminals on every Navy ship, manage cryptographic gear and the COMSEC material vault, run Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO) crews afloat, and serve as Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM) on shore networks. They are the radio operators of the modern Navy.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• ITs administer NMCI and ONE-Net Windows/Linux servers, configure Cisco/Juniper routers and switches, operate satellite communications terminals on every Navy ship, manage cryptographic gear and the COMSEC material vault, run Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO) crews afloat, and serve as Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM) on shore networks. They are the radio operators of the modern Navy.
• Stand watches and qualify on the rating's Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS), maintain training jackets, and mentor junior ITs as required by the chain of command.
• Lead the IT work center as Leading Petty Officer or Work Center Supervisor — managing maintenance documentation in 3M/MFOM, parts ordering, and personnel qualifications.
• Support general military training (GMT), damage control, force protection, and watch-bill assignments common to every Sailor regardless of rating.

THIS RATING ABSORBED

The IT rating's mission today includes work that flowed from the following decommissioned U.S. Navy ratings:

• 
  RM · Decom 1999

  Radioman
• 
  DP · Decom 1999

  Data Processing Technician

HISTORY

The Information Systems Technician rating was established on 1 July 1999 by merging the Radioman (RM) and Data Processing Technician (DP) ratings, reflecting the convergence of voice radio, message handling, and computer networking into a single shipboard discipline. The Cryptologic Technician Communications (CTO) rating later folded selected functions into IT as well.

A separate IT (submarine), or ITS, rating splintered off in 2006 to manage the unique submarine radio room and ELF/VLF communications environment. The general IT rating today serves the entire surface, aviation, and shore Navy.

The cryptologic community traces to OP-20-G — the Navy's World War II signals-intelligence organization that broke the Japanese JN-25 code and contributed to the victory at Midway. Post-war the community evolved through the Communications Technician (CT) ratings, was reorganized in 1976, and again restructured in 2008 into the modern CTI/CTM/CTN/CTR/CTT specialties under the Information Warfare community.

Today the Information Systems Technician (IT) rating is overseen by the Enlisted Community Management (ECM) office at My Navy HR and the Center for Personal and Professional Development. Modern ITs benefit from the Sailor 2025 personnel-system reforms, the Ready Relevant Learning (RRL) training continuum, and credentialing through the Navy COOL program — turning rating qualifications into industry-recognized certifications and licenses.

The rating's structure, training pipeline, and operational employment continue to evolve alongside the Navy's transition to Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), Project Overmatch, and the Force Design 2045 fleet architecture, ensuring ITs remain central to the warfighting mission.

TRAINING PIPELINE

1. 1. Recruit Training (Boot Camp)~10 weeks
   Naval Station Great Lakes, IL
   Initial entry training for all U.S. Navy enlisted Sailors at the Navy's only boot camp.
2. 2. Information Systems Technician A-School~24 weeks
   Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Pensacola, FL (Center for Information Warfare Training)
   Initial rating-skills training for IT accessions.
3. 3. Fleet / Operational TourFirst sea or operational tour
   Every U.S. Navy commissioned ship (radio central)
   On-the-job training and qualifications in the IT rating with a fleet unit.

TYPICAL CAREER PATH

1. E-1/E-3
   Apprentice IT
   A-school at the Center for Information Warfare Training; first tour aboard ship in radio or at a NAVCOMTELSTA ashore.
2. E-4/E-6
   Petty Officer IT
   Qualify as network administrator, COMSEC custodian, and satellite-comms operator; serve afloat as work-center supervisor.
3. E-7+
   Chief Information Systems Technician
   Communications Department LCPO, NCTAMS division chief, or Command Master Chief.

TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS

• Every U.S. Navy commissioned ship (radio central)
• Naval Computer and Telecommunications Stations
• Carrier and amphibious-strike-group flagship staffs
• Numbered Fleet headquarters and combatant-command staffs

EXAMPLE NECs

• IT-2779 Network Security Vulnerability Technician
• IT-2780 Information Systems Administrator

RELATED RATINGS

• IS · Cryptologic & IW
  Intelligence Specialist

RELATED BASES

• Navy Base · FL
  Naval Air Station Pensacola
• Navy Base · VA
  Naval Station Norfolk
• Navy Base · CA
  Naval Base San Diego

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

SOURCES

• Navy Information Systems Technician (navy.com)
• Center for Information Warfare Training
• My Navy HR — IT Rating Detail