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1615 Career Guide

Navy

1615: Information Warfare Officer

Career transition guide for Navy Information Warfare Officer (1615)

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Civilian Career Pathways

Top civilian roles for 1615 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Cybersecurity Analyst

$110K
High matchVery high demand

Information Security Manager

$140K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

Project Management Professional (PMP) certification

Intelligence Analyst

$95K
Good matchStable demand

Skills to develop:

Data visualizationProficiency in specific intelligence analysis tools

Network Security Engineer

$125K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) SecurityCertified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Data Scientist

$130K
Moderate matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

Python or R programmingMachine learningStatistical analysis

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 1615 training built — and where they transfer.

Adversarial Thinking

As an Information Warfare Officer, you constantly analyze potential threats and vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and data, proactively anticipating enemy actions to develop defensive and offensive strategies.

In the civilian sector, this translates to an ability to identify weaknesses and potential risks in business plans, security protocols, or product designs, allowing you to develop proactive solutions and mitigation strategies.

System Modeling

You construct mental and digital models of complex information systems to understand their behavior, dependencies, and vulnerabilities, enabling you to predict the impact of changes or attacks.

This skill allows you to visualize and understand the interconnectedness of complex business processes, market dynamics, or technological infrastructures, helping you to identify inefficiencies, optimize performance, and plan for future growth.

Situational Awareness

You maintain a constant awareness of the evolving information landscape, understanding friendly and enemy capabilities, intentions, and activities to make informed decisions and take timely action.

In the civilian world, this translates to the ability to quickly assess complex and dynamic environments, anticipate potential challenges and opportunities, and adapt your strategies accordingly to remain competitive.

Resource Optimization

Information Warfare Officers are adept at allocating limited resources effectively, prioritizing efforts, and maximizing impact across diverse operations.

This skill is directly applicable to civilian roles where you must make the most of available resources, allocate budgets efficiently, and streamline operations to achieve organizational goals.

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Competitive Intelligence Analyst

SOC 19-3099.02

You've been trained to think like an adversary, identify vulnerabilities, and analyze complex systems. As a Competitive Intelligence Analyst, you'll use these skills to gather and analyze information about competitors, helping businesses make strategic decisions and gain a competitive edge.

Financial Risk Analyst

SOC 13-2051

Your ability to model systems and identify potential threats translates perfectly to the world of finance. You've been trained to assess risk and develop mitigation strategies. Financial Risk Analysts assess and manage financial risks for organizations, which you are well-prepared for.

Supply Chain Analyst

SOC 13-1199.02

You're skilled at maintaining situational awareness and optimizing resources. Supply Chain Analysts are responsible for ensuring the efficient flow of goods and services, identifying potential disruptions, and developing contingency plans. You've been doing this all along, just in a different context!

Training & Education Equivalencies

Information Warfare Officer Basic Course, Naval Information Warfare Training Group, San Diego

480 training hours12 weeksUp to 6 semester hours in Military Science

Topics Covered

  • Naval Intelligence
  • Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)
  • Electronic Warfare (EW)
  • Cyber Warfare Operations
  • Information Operations (IO)
  • Operational Planning
  • Maritime Domain Awareness
  • Command and Control (C2) Systems

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)60% covered

CISSP requires a broad understanding of information security. Gaps include business continuity planning, legal and regulatory compliance, and physical (environmental) security. Focus on the Security and Risk Management, Asset Security, and Legal, Regulations, Investigations, and Compliance domains.

CompTIA Security+70% covered

While the military provides a strong foundation in security principles, areas requiring focus include risk management, compliance, and some specifics of network security best practices. Study incident response and penetration testing methodologies.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)50% covered

The CEH requires in-depth knowledge of hacking tools and techniques. Study penetration testing methodologies, ethical hacking phases, and legal issues. Familiarize yourself with tools like Nmap, Metasploit, and Wireshark.

Recommended Next Certifications

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)Project Management Professional (PMP)AWS Certified Security – SpecialtyCertified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

Technical Systems Translation

Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
Joint Regional Security Stacks (JRSS)Next-generation firewalls and intrusion prevention systems (e.g., Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet)
Navy Information Dominance Forces (NIDF) architectureEnterprise-level cybersecurity architecture and management frameworks (e.g., NIST Cybersecurity Framework)
Global Command and Control System – Maritime (GCCS-M)Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) platforms (e.g., Pole Star, Lloyd's List Intelligence)
Integrated Maritime Portable Electronic Navigation Device (IM-PEND)Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS)
Cyber Situational Awareness (CSA) toolsSecurity Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems (e.g., Splunk, QRadar)
Cryptographic systems (e.g., KG-175D, KIV-7M)Data encryption and hardware security modules (HSMs) (e.g., Thales, Gemalto)
Tactical Data Links (e.g., Link 16, Joint Variable Message Format (JVMF))Secure data communication protocols and messaging platforms (e.g., DDS, MQTT with TLS)

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