Capt. Sarah Sherwood relieved Capt. Christopher Bryant as commanding officer of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) during a change of command ceremony July 26 at the National Naval Aviation Museum on Naval Air Station Pensacola.
Capt. Sarah Sherwood relieved Capt. Christopher Bryant as commanding officer of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) during a change of command ceremony July 26 at the National Naval Aviation Museum on Naval Air Station Pensacola.
Rear Adm. Jeffrey Czerewko, commander of Naval Education and Training Command, served as presiding officer, while retired Rear Adm. Jeffrey Scheidt was the guest speaker.
Sherwood expressed her enthusiasm to lead CIWT.
“The demands for information warfare are growing at an exponential rate, and I couldn’t be more honored, excited and humbled to be taking command of the Center for Information Warfare Training – a command which sets the foundational building blocks for our new information warfighters,” she said. “The schoolhouse may not look like it is on the operational front line, but make no mistake: Our training, education and leadership are being counted on every day by the Navy and our joint teammates across the domain.”
Sherwood, a native of Wilton, Connecticut, is a 2001 graduate of Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics. She holds a Master of Business Administration in international finance from University of Maryland and is a graduate of the Naval War College’s distance Joint Professional Military Education program.
Before arriving at CIWT, she served as Navy Information Operations Command Bahrain commanding officer, first director of Fleet Information Warfare Center Pacific-Australia and director of Naval Information Warfighting Development Center-San Diego.
The ceremony, a time-honored tradition of transferring total responsibility, authority and accountability from one leader to another, marked the end of another successful tour for Bryant.
Czerewko praised Bryant for his numerous accomplishments during his time in command, including strengthening partnerships within the information warfare community.
“Cooter (Bryant) has driven the IW community forward with a sense of urgency over his two years in command,” the rear admiral said. “He developed the CIWT Curriculum Development Branch to rapidly inculcate feedback from the fleet so that the training his Sailors receive is relevant and effective. He adopted new initiatives such as the Marine Corps Cyber Operations Readiness Curriculum, which increased student performance. He crafted novel solutions for better education and training for the SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite – providing enhanced capability to the fleet.”
Czerewko urged Sherwood to maintain the same energy brought by Bryant.
“Sarah, my charge to you is to maintain a sense of urgency,” he said. “Pull insights from the fleet, turn those insights into training for the information warfare community and be a community leader. Continue to pursue perfection in every aspect of your command, empower your people, capitalize on their inherent talent and execute to the absolute maximum extent of your authority.
“And when you make a mistake, identify the lesson learned and apply that lesson to the future. Much is at stake, so be the catalyst for continuous improvement in order to maximize the Navy’s survivability and lethality.”
Scheidt, who served alongside Bryant several years ago, congratulated him on a successful command and complimented his leadership growth.
“The time we spent together created a mutual respect and friendship that supported both of us for more than a decade,” Scheidt said. “It was that first year together that showed Chris to be a strong-yet-measured leader with a valuable balance of intellect and humility. A tenacious problem-solver with a refreshing sense of humor, Chris was a fantastic partner in my first year of command. His performance both at sea and ashore since those days have validated what I saw in Bahrain.
Scheidt also praised Sherwood, whom he worked with at the Pentagon.
“She was the high-energy, take-no-prisoners scheduler for Navy’s head of Information Warfare,” he added. “Sarah was clearly focused, passionate and driven to provide answers, not excuses… Sarah’s gifts and experiences will continue to propel her and Center for Information Warfare Training to new heights.”
Bryant thanked Czerewko and Scheidt for their remarks and his family and friends for their support and attendance. He gave a special thanks to Rep. Matt Gaetz, in attendance, for the support and advocacy he’s provided the Northwest Florida military community.
He also attributed his success to CIWT staff and personnel.
“I have been blessed with a remarkable team who deserves all the credit,” Bryant said. “While uniformed personnel provide relevant insight in fleet operations and how we need to adapt our training to meet these ever-changing requirements, the civilian workforce is the lynchpin to CIWT’s success.”
Bryant presented awards to Wes Oliver, CIWT’s Total Force Manpower and Personnel director; Mic O’Connell, director of Training Support Services; Chuck Sauter, training director; and Danielle Urap, comptroller and Financial Management Department director, for their commitment and distinguished civil service. He also awarded Pamela Alexander the Civilian Commendation Medal for her exemplary performance, outstanding achievements and contributions as CIWT executive assistant.
Concluding his remarks, Byrant extolled the importance of information warfare training in the current global environment and said he’s confident Sherwood will maintain CIWT’s high standards, continue to meet any challenges and effectively implement her command vision.
About CIWT: With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, the Center for Information Warfare Training instructs over 26,000 students every year, delivering 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.