Foreign Navy Officers Attend IWTC San Diego International Maritime Intelligence Course

SAN DIEGO – Nineteen foreign officers from 11 different countries participated in the International Maritime Intelligence Course (IMIC) at Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) San Diego, running from May 2 through May 20, 2022.

Navy Sailors train, prepare, and collaborate with our foreign partners to fight and win in the information warfare domain; IWTC San Diego’s efforts help to strengthen the country’s global alliances and partnerships.

As outlined in the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday’s NAVPLAN 2021, “Our naval power is amplified by sailing and integrating with like-minded navies. We must continue to strengthen our alliances and partnerships to ensure our success across the continuum of day-today competition, crisis, and conflict.  We must continue operating interchangeably with key allies to expand the reach and lethality of our collective forces across the globe.  Our robust constellation of allies and partners remains a critical strategic advantage over our competitors.”

Throughout the course, partner nation students learned from and interacted with a variety of subject matter experts from the U.S. Navy’s information warfare community. Instructors covered a variety of subjects including counter-drug operations, asymmetric warfare, naval intelligence principles and operations, and intelligence sources and methods.

Marine Corps Capt. Brandan Kimble, one of the IMIC instructors said, “Despite a wide ranging array of experience and diversity of backgrounds, the class was highly effective in collaborating as a team while applying the intelligence fundamentals taught throughout the course.”

In addition to the curriculum, the students also toured several areas in Southern California, as part of the Field Studies Program. The group visited Los Angeles, the Cabrillo National Monument and received a scenic guided tour of San Diego. The three-week course convenes twice a year, hosting intelligence officers from around the world.

“They were a great and engaging class of foreign naval officers” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Tommy Irwin, “The entire class was very open to learning new techniques and new perspectives from not only the instructors, but from their fellow classmates.”

IWTC San Diego, 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 approximately 26,000 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.