Newly established 2024 rating dedicated to defensive and offensive cyberspace operations. Operates within Navy and joint Cyber Mission Force teams.
ASVAB AR+2MK+GS: 239 OR VE+AR+MK+MC: 239 OR CT+MK+VE: 176 and CT: 60 (new accession)
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Cyber Warfare Technicians operate in networks rather than on a deck plate, conducting defensive and authorized offensive missions. Work runs through terminals in secure spaces, monitoring traffic, hunting intrusions, analyzing malicious activity and supporting operations against adversary systems. Teams work shifts because network activity ignores business hours, and an incident can begin at any point in the rotation. Assignments lean toward shore and cyber commands, though afloat and deployed billets support fleet operations directly. Much of a day is methodical analysis and tool work, punctuated by stretches where everything you know gets tested at once.
You learn networking fundamentals, operating system internals, scripting and the analytical process behind incident response. Defensive training covers traffic analysis, log correlation, malware behavior, forensics and hardening systems against known technique. Operational work builds tool proficiency and, for many sailors, the ability to write or modify code to fit a specific problem. You develop a genuine adversary mindset, understanding how intrusions actually unfold instead of memorizing vocabulary. Reporting and documentation matter as much as the technical work, since findings have to persuade people who will act on them.
Cyber work builds persistent curiosity, because the interesting answer usually sits three layers below the alert that woke you. You learn to be rigorous with evidence, since a confident wrong conclusion wastes an entire team's night. The rating develops comfort with continuous learning, as the tooling and the threats both turn over every year. Shift work and incident response teach steadiness when the situation is unclear and the pressure is genuine. Technicians come away as careful, skeptical thinkers who write down what they did and why.
Cybersecurity is one of the few fields where operational experience plus a clearance can outrun a degree in the hiring market. Cleared contractors, federal agencies and commercial security operations centers hire veterans of this rating into analyst, threat hunting and incident response roles. Industry certifications build directly on the training you received, and many can be earned while still serving. Beyond security itself, the networking and scripting foundation supports systems engineering, cloud operations and software work. Demand has held for years, and the experience of defending real networks against real adversaries is difficult to fake on a resume.
You begin the day reviewing network defense alerts and cyber threat intelligence at your console in the cyber operations floor. As part of a Cyber Mission Force team you conduct defensive and offensive cyberspace operations, hunt intrusions, and analyze adversary activity. Working joint tools alongside cyber teammates to protect and contest networks defines your day at the keyboard.
Related career-field video—not specific to Navy CWT.
No suitable exact-MOS video was verified in the recorded search. This does not establish that none exists.
Related field: Navy information systems. Source occupation: Navy IT.
This is the fourth installment of 'Information Warfare,' a series about ratings in the IW community and the vital role each rating plays. In this video you will learn more about what it means to be a Navy Information systems Technician (IT) Sailor. You will also learn a little about the training you will receive at Information Warfare Training Command Corry Station if you choose this as your rating. Information systems Technicians manage communication operations and networks aboard Navy surface and subsurface vessels, and ashore at naval installations worldwide. They play a vital role in operating and maintaining communication assets from radio systems, to computer and network operations, to satellite telecommunications. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lindsay Lair) Graphics templates and music credits used with permission under limited license.
Official publisher description and direct video page checked; playback not independently watched. Checked 2026-10-25. This assignment may not reflect every posting in this career.
$43,902–$74,948
2026 basic pay only; the same grade and service time pay the same across jobs. Promotions are assumed, not promised. Excludes allowances, bonuses and special pays.
Possibilities for serving Sailors, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
Assignment-dependent qualification and insignia earned aboard a qualifying surface ship or afloat staff—not automatically awarded for this rating.
For enlisted Sailors in an eligible surface assignment, including support ratings. Complete the command's current qualification standards, assessments and approval process. A shore or submarine assignment alone does not establish eligibility; confirm current enrollment rules with the command.
Assignment-dependent aviation qualification and insignia; support Sailors may qualify at authorized aviation commands.
Requires a qualifying aviation assignment or an authorized support-command arrangement, required in-rating technical qualifications and command approval. Current enrollment and pay-grade prerequisites must be checked; this is not a promotion or a badge awarded just for holding this rating.
Restricted to qualifying expeditionary assignments; recognizes tested field and unit-specific proficiency, including support duties.
Requires assignment to a command authorized to administer EXW and completion of its general and unit-specific personnel qualification standards and approval process. Published NSW program evidence establishes this route, not that every Navy unit offers it. Confirm current command authorization and prerequisites.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For Navy CWT Cyber Warfare Technician, official service-wide guidance and any exact feeder-list matches are distinguished below from unverified specialty-specific requirements. Ranks are not separate jobs, and these possibilities are not guaranteed promotions or available contracts.
Examples of higher service ranks
These are service-wide rank names, not a verified promotion ladder for this specialty. Examples are not exhaustive; appointments sharing a pay grade are not additional promotion steps.
Official military rank referenceThe Navy directs enlisted Sailors to rating-specific Learning and Development Roadmaps (LaDRs), and officers to their community managers and officer career-progression guidance. Rating conversion and commissioning are separate application paths, not automatic promotions.
Navy career planning: LaDRs, officer progression, and commissioningService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) appointments require separate applications and program-specific qualifications. The reviewed active-duty page contains FY28 cycle requirements, not Reserve eligibility. Its 1 October 2026 application deadline has passed; this is not an open application offer or a verified designator match for this listing.
Navy active-duty LDO/CWO applicant requirementsSpecialty-specific advancement, senior assignments, and eligibility for a different personnel category have not been verified for this listing. No feeder eligibility or automatic transition to another specialty is implied.
Advancement depends on current service rules, performance, required education, qualifications, selection, and authorized positions—not simply years served. Confirm current requirements with an official recruiter or career counselor.
Related military jobs below are for exploration, not promised progression or confirmed transfer paths.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-03. This is a partial evidence review, not verification of every advancement route for this specialty. Source retrieval dates do not replace policy effective dates.
Career-field mappings, not automatic qualifications. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024 national medians). O*NET links explain each occupation; military experience does not guarantee a job or salary.
Newly established 2024 rating dedicated to defensive and offensive cyberspace operations. Operates within Navy and joint Cyber Mission Force teams.
Cyber Warfare Technicians operate in networks rather than on a deck plate, conducting defensive and authorized offensive missions. Work runs through terminals in secure spaces, monitoring traffic, hunting intrusions, analyzing malicious activity and supporting operations against adversary systems. Teams work shifts because network activity ignores business hours, and an incident can begin at any point in the rotation. Assignments lean toward shore and cyber commands, though afloat and deployed billets support fleet operations directly. Much of a day is methodical analysis and tool work, punctuated by stretches where everything you know gets tested at once.
You learn networking fundamentals, operating system internals, scripting and the analytical process behind incident response. Defensive training covers traffic analysis, log correlation, malware behavior, forensics and hardening systems against known technique. Operational work builds tool proficiency and, for many sailors, the ability to write or modify code to fit a specific problem. You develop a genuine adversary mindset, understanding how intrusions actually unfold instead of memorizing vocabulary. Reporting and documentation matter as much as the technical work, since findings have to persuade people who will act on them.
Cybersecurity is one of the few fields where operational experience plus a clearance can outrun a degree in the hiring market. Cleared contractors, federal agencies and commercial security operations centers hire veterans of this rating into analyst, threat hunting and incident response roles. Industry certifications build directly on the training you received, and many can be earned while still serving. Beyond security itself, the networking and scripting foundation supports systems engineering, cloud operations and software work. Demand has held for years, and the experience of defending real networks against real adversaries is difficult to fake on a resume.
ASVAB AR+2MK+GS: 239 OR VE+AR+MK+MC: 239 OR CT+MK+VE: 176 and CT: 60 (new accession). This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
This specialty can be pursued through an initial enlistment, subject to eligibility and available contracts. Confirm the current status of this specific classification with an official recruiter.
Catalog sources consulted: 2026-09-26. This is not an entry-by-entry verification date. No record-specific verification date is recorded. Occupation audit evidence reviewed: 2026-09-26; this does not re-verify every requirement.
Official branch occupation evidence
Occupation identified. This occupation was identified in the cited source. This does not verify requirements, benefits, or a current opening.
Navy enlisted occupational standards, NAVPERS 18068F, July 2026, Appendix B (rating enumeration) · reviewed 2026-09-26
Confirmed. Catalog evidence is not an inventory of open contracts.
No dated public inventory confirmed a currently open recruiting contract for this role. This does not mean there are no openings. Confirm current eligibility and offers with an official recruiter.
Advertised — Navy, as of 2026-09-28Deployment likelihood: Lower*
* Estimated. Rank progression and specialty-pay eligibility are illustrative assumptions. Deployment likelihood, when shown, is inferred from similar specialties in the branch and career field, not a published specialty deployment rate.
Descriptions may change. No military role is free from risk of injury or death, including non-combat work. Catalog review dates do not establish current openings or re-verification of every requirement.
Recruiting signals reflect what each branch published on the dates shown. They are not offers, and they do not mean a contract is open for you. Eligibility depends on your ASVAB scores, medical qualification, security clearance eligibility, and ship date. Confirm everything with an official recruiter. See our Disclaimer and Terms.