PENSACOLA, Fla. – James “JimBob” Carragher, retired cryptologic technician collection master chief and deputy information technology division program manager for the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), retired for a second time during a ceremony at Information Warfare Training Command Corry Station on Sep. 30.
“Seventeen years of civil service with CIWT is a significant achievement and truly marks a legacy of knowledge impossible to replace,” said Cmdr. Josh Dennis, information technology division program manager, CIWT.
Carragher, a native of West Nyack, N.Y., retired from the Navy in 2005 after serving 30 years, and was hired on at Center for Information Dominance Corry Station (now CIWT) as a program analyst in support of cryptologic and information technology training initiatives.
During his 17 years at CIWT, Carragher moved up into his current position, and has been instrumental to the success of many initiatives across the training domain.
“JimBob was integral to the implementation and execution of the Sailor 2025 Ready, Relevant Learning Block Learning initiatives for the information systems technician (IT) and information systems technician submarine (ITS) Advanced Technical Field ratings, helping to usher in the ‘IT’ of the future training solution,” said Dennis.
He also assisted various Systems Commands (SYSCOMs) to receive the designation of Training Support Agencies for the advanced training courses: Advanced Network Analyst, Information Systems Security Manager, Systems Administration, and Journeyman Communications Course – many of which were more than 10 years in the making.
Patrick Miller, who has been working with Carragher since 2016 on active duty and then again as a civilian in 2019, said he worked for Carragher on an initiative that was a huge win for CIWT, Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR), Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, and the IT workforce as a whole; the execution of the first Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) C-school for IT Sailors to train in fleet-fielded, fully-federated network environment.
“JimBob is a wealth of knowledge. He understands the CIWT, NETC (Naval Education and Training Command), NAVIFOR, OPNAV (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), and SYSCOM processes and he is able to ensure that all stakeholders involved in a project are held accountable to do what they are supposed to do,” said Miller.
In addition, Carragher was a part of the groundbreaking work of instituting two advanced technology training systems: the Multipurpose Reconfigurable Training System 3-Dimensional (MRTS 3D®); and the CANES Training Virtual Environment, a cloud-based technology which provides training delivery capabilities to rejuvenate advanced training for Sailors in fleet communications and network computing environments. These emergent technologies are changing the future of CIWT training and allowing CIWT to continue to modernize its world-class training, while also providing cost efficiencies.
Carragher acknowledged his greatest reward in civil service was witnessing the professional growth of his co-workers and fellow stakeholders as they went about the business of training the next generation of Navy information warfare professionals.
He will miss the daily interaction with his CIWT coworkers, and external stakeholder teams saying, “There’s something about that full-speed drumbeat that inspires you to do better! My personal recipe for success over the years has been to ‘Own It’ when working the many CIWT training mission tasks.”
Capt. Chris Bryant, commanding officer, CIWT, recognized Carragher’s contribution saying “JimBob’s work during the past 17 years has been a tremendous benefit to CIWT and to the information warfare professionals that have come through our schoolhouses. He has served the Navy and our country faithfully for nearly half a century. The entire CIWT team wishes him fair winds and following seas during his richly deserved retirement.”
In the near future, Carragher and his wife, Mayumi, plan to stay in the Pensacola area and spend time with their new grandsons.
“I’ve never owned my own calendar before – what with 30 years as a Navy Cryptologist, followed by 17 years as a civil servant,” said Carragher. “I’ve not had much experience with an open-ended travel plan, and this is something Mayumi and I plan to maximize for visits to family and friends and to explore new places.”
With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, Center for Information Warfare Training trains over 26,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. Center for Information Warfare Training also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.