A group of nine naval officers at RAF Molesworth were among one of the first groups in the Navy to finish qualifications and have a pinning ceremony for the Information Dominance Warfare Officer insignia. Lt. Cmdr. John M. Smaha, Lt. Cmdr. Bryan H. Leese, Lt. Andrew T. Hill, Lt. Joseph B. Powell, Lt. Terrance P. Murphy, Lt. Joseph M. Hatfield, Lt. j.g. Charles Earhart, Lt. j.g. Samuel A. Morgan, and Lt. j.g. Rachel L. Bruenjes received the insignia in a pinning ceremony held at the 303rd Bomb Group Memorial on RAF Molesworth.
The warfare insignia was created to provide a common linkage among the Information Dominance Corps (IDC) communities and institute a rigorous qualification program to identify the Navy's highly qualified and diversified information dominance professionals.
Intelligence and Knowledge Development Directorate-Molesworth (IKD-M) Commander, Col. Michele M. Cook, pinned the nine officers in a ceremony held this week. "This is quite an accomplishment and I am proud of each of you," Cook said. "This shows your dedication to this emerging mission, to the Navy, and to your country."
"I was excited to hear about this program," said Navy Lt. Andrew Hill, one of the recipients of the insignia. "It will help us polish, refine and expand our skill sets to keep up with the latest technologies, systems and processes."
The IDC will consist of more than 44,000 active and Reserve Navy officers, enlisted and civilian professionals who possess extensive skills in information-intensive fields to develop and deliver dominant information capabilities in support of U.S. Navy, joint and national warfighting requirements.
Several other sailors at RAF Molesworth are working towards the insignia. As the senior naval officer for IKD-M, Lieutenant Cmdr. John Smaha encourages all IKD-M sailors to start working towards the insignia.