CHIPS Articles: CIWT Recognizes Sailor, Instructors of the Year

CIWT selected Petty Officer 1st Class Kayshonda London, of CIWT Det. Fort Gordon, Georgia, as SOY; Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas M. Tabacco, of Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Virginia Beach, as Junior IOY; Petty Officer 1st Class Scott G. Searcy, of IWTC Corry Station, as Mid-Grade IOY; Chief Petty Officer Timothy J. Kuiper, of IWTC Corry Station, as Senior IOY; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dane A. Beichter, assigned to IWTC Virginia Beach, as Officer IOY.

"I am so proud of all of the candidates for Sailor and Instructor of the Year," said Capt. Bill Lintz, commanding officer for CIWT. "They are critical to ensuring that any Sailor or joint service member who walks into our school house doors walks out with a skill set that allows them to be ready for warfare in an information warfare age. It's a testament to the entire CIWT team that we have such amazing Sailors representing us and making a difference every day."

London serves as departmental leading petty officer. This year, she led a team of 12 instructors to deliver 7,312 hours of technical instruction to 121 Army and Navy students. She is also an instructor, course supervisor, and curriculum developer for the Satellite Communications Operator course. In addition to her instructor duties, London also acts as a member of the detachment's command assessment team, the assistant command fitness leader, information assurance network officer, and the command sexual assault prevention and response coordinator.

"We are all very proud of Petty Officer London's accomplishments," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mike Lester, officer-in-charge of CIWT Det. Fort Gordon. "Her impact to the detachment, the school house and the community has been remarkable not just this past year, but during her entire tour here."

Tabacco serves as a Foreign Military Intelligence Collection Activities (FORMICA) instructor. He provided 544 hours of instruction to 106 FORMICA students. Additionally, he instructed 244 Sailors attending the Intelligence Specialist Class "A" school course. Tabacco also serves as the assistant intelligence oversight coordinator at IWTC Virginia Beach, and leads the Coalition of Sailors against Destructive Decisions (CSADD) organization for Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex.

"Petty Officer Tabacco sets the standard for instructional delivery and curriculum development," said Capt. Mark C. Kester, commanding officer, IWTC Virginia Beach. "He exemplifies what an instructor should be — professional, passionate and motivating."

Throughout the year, Searcy served as an instructor for the AN/SLQ-32(V)6 Maintenance course, providing 1,728 hours of advanced technical instruction to 19 Sailors and three DoD civilians. He managed and supervised 30 technical reviews. Searcy also serves as IWTC Corry Station's assistant anti-terrorism officer. He coordinated a basewide active shooter exercise for 2,254 staff and students, and conducted anti-terrorism training for 1,922 personnel.

Kuiper serves as the leading chief petty officer for the Communications Signals Collection Processing course at IWTC Corry Station. He leads 14 Sailors in the management of approximately 300 joint service students. As an instructor evaluator, Kuiper performed five evaluations and qualified one instructor for the Cryptologic Technician (collection) "C" school. He also served as training lead for the fiscal year 2017 CPO 365 Phase 1 program. Kuiper also voluntarily leads chapel services and has dedicated approximately 50 hours at Corry Station Chapel.

Cmdr. Christopher Eng, commanding officer for IWTC Corry Station, praised Searcy and Kuiper for their performance, stating their remarkable dedication, leadership, and technical acumen have ensured their students leave Corry Station with the skills and knowledge necessary to fulfill their duties in the fleet.

Beichter serves as the course curriculum model manager for the Surface Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) course, overseeing six course supervisors and 13 instructors at six learning sites throughout the CIWT domain. He invested more than 790 hours into the modernization effort for the EWO course, developing content for seven modules and 26 lessons for the 80-hour course.

Additionally, he provided basic cryptology and leadership training to more than 70 IW community new accession officers attending the Information Warfare Basic course and Division Officer Leadership course.

"Chief Warrant Officer Beichter's ability as an instructor could be described as 'natural,'" said Kester. "Regardless of the topic or audience, he effectively controls the classroom and conveys information in such a manner that students cannot help but learn, regardless of experience level. He is undoubtedly the subject matter expert for every topic he delivers."

Center for Information Warfare Training delivers trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services, enabling optimal performance of information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

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