Information Warfare Community Changes Status: No Longer Restricted Line

The Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, officially signed the paperwork, reclassifying Information Warfare Officers from Restricted Line officers to “Line officers performing information warfare duties.”  

The change was announced in an ALNAV message released on 18 December 2024.

VADM Vernazza, Commander, Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR), explained that this ALNAV amends the Navy Regulations of 1990 to remove language placing cryptologic, intelligence, and oceanographic (METOC) officers in the Restricted Line. The language removed was the final obstacle to moving the IW community as a whole from the Restricted Line to a new, more appropriate category: the Information Warfare (IW) Line newly established in the ALNAV.  The IW Line will be more fully defined by SECNAVINST 1400.1D, which establishes officer competitive categories across the force.  

VADM Vernazza further clarified that this now opens the door for command at sea for Information Warfare officers, but that those officers will not be competing with URL officers. "The IW Line competitive categories created by the forthcoming 1400.1D will retain overall competition between 18XX officers as it is today and maintain promotion within existing designators, while removing restrictions on command at sea. There will be more to follow on command at sea and our future role as IW Line officers."

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
R 181416Z DEC 24 MID120001649939U
FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
TO ALNAV
INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
CNO WASHINGTON DC
CMC WASHINGTON DC
BT
UNCLAS
ALNAV 094/24
MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/DEC//
SUBJ/U.S. NAVY REGULATIONS, 1990 INTERIM CHANGE (CORRECTED COPY)//
REF/A/DOC/SECNAV/16SEP90//
AMPN/REF A IS THE U.S. NAVY REGULATIONS, 1990//
POC/BIVANS, JOSEPH/LCDR/DNS/JOSEPH.C.BIVANS2.MIL@US.NAVY.MIL/703-692-9043//
RMKS/1.  Pending formal amendment, this interim change amends Article 1001 of
reference (a).  This interim change is effective upon the release of this All Navy (ALNAV) message.

2.  Subparagraph 2 of Article 1001 of reference (a) is amended to read as follows:
    a.”c.  Line officers restricted in the performance of duty designated for
engineering duty, aeronautical engineering duty, and types of special duty, such as public affairs.”

    b.  “d.  Line officers performing information warfare duties.”

3.  In lieu of entering this interim change in reference (a), make a bold
letter notation ahead of Article 1001 of reference (a), “SEE ALNAV 094/24”
and file this ALNAV in front of reference (a).

4.  This interim change will be incorporated into the next printed revision
of reference (a).

5.  Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy.//

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CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//