IWTC Corry Station Stand Down Addresses Extremism in the Ranks

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station observed a command-wide stand down addressing extremism in the ranks as ordered by Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Lloyd Austin and in compliance with Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday.

"This stand-down intends to ensure service members and civilian personnel alike clearly understand the damaging effects of extremism and begin developing more effective, sustainable ways to eliminate the corrosive impacts extremist activity can have on our Force," wrote Vice Adm. John B. Nowell, Jr. in NAVADMIN 044/21.

Extremism training kicked off with a speech from IWTC Corry Station’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Zachary Mckeehan, outlining the lesson focusing on a heightened awareness of extremist activities within our society.

“Our goal is to ensure everyone gains a clear understanding of extremist information sources, definitions, recruitment of DoD personnel, common themes in extremist ideologies, common characteristics of extremist organizations, DoD policies, and command functions regarding extremist activities,” shared McKeehan.

McKeehan concluded his message by reminding Sailors of what the Navy outlines as "Signature Behaviors of a 21st Century Sailor" and audio statements by SECDEF and Rear Adm. Pete Garvin, commander, Naval Education and Training Command.

IWTC Corry Station conducted the extremism training by each department, with all hands call group discussions, with the appropriate COVID-19 mitigations, led in collaboration with IWTC Corry Station officers and chief petty officers. They emphasized that positive culture change and eradicating extremism in the ranks, both in individual commands and throughout the Navy, is every Sailor's and civilian's responsibility.

“Facilitating the topics covered for extremism training was easy for me due to the skill sets that I learned,” said Senior Chief Information Systems Technician Lorenzo Smith, instructor at IWTC Corry Station. “I am much prepared to facilitate because of previous training I’ve received in the Navy.”

The stand down was an opportunity for the entire IWTC Corry Station team to listen, learn and improve.

A few Sailors what they learned and took away from this training.

“When we broke up into small discussion groups, there were different opinions between Sailors,” said Seaman Elizabeth Bolin. “It was nice to see diversity of Sailors and opinions come together and discuss on how to protect each other’s freedom of speech without infringing on other’s rights.”

"I learned some examples of extremism and some actions to take whenever I see extremism," said Seaman Recruit Raymond Gonzales.

Seaman Recruit Ashlee Mola added, "Before you post anything on social media or speak in general, you have to think about it [personal views] and also think about how others will feel about it [personal views] before you say it or send it."

Some key takeaways from the stand down include:

- Extremist and supremacist behaviors are harmful to our Navy and prohibited.

- They are contrary to the Navy Culture of Excellence, our Core Values, Attributes, and our Signature Behaviors of the 21st Century Sailor/Civilian.

- They also violate provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Department of Defense, and Navy policy and can result in criminal or administrative accountability, including loss of security clearance.

IWTC Corry Station, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of training to Navy and joint service personnel that prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

With four schoolhouse commands, a detachment, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT trains over 22,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

For more news from Center for Information Warfare Training domain, visit https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/centers/ciwt/, www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.