The Process Before Selection

Step 1 – Strength and Inventory Targets:

Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education) (N1) publishes strength and inventory targets for all communities for future programming and planning purposes. These numbers are simply high-level projections and actual out-year accession requirements may differ based on changes in Fleet requirements.

Step 2 – Active Duty Officer Accession Plan:

Director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy (N13) publishes the FYXX Active Duty Officer Accession Plan. This guidance provides “accession bands” to allow flexibility in filling Navy officer community minimum requirements. There is a lower band, a USNA goal, and an upper band.

All officer accession sources should meet each lower-band requirement prior to exceeding the lower-band requirements of another community. There is some leeway in this guidance with the proper approvals, including the IWC Community Manager.

Step 3 – Service Assignment Confirmation Brief:

The USNA Commandant leads a Service Assignment Confirmation Brief in mid-August to review all Community Precepts. This is followed shortly by the Service Assignment Reform brief to 1/C Midshipmen.

The IWC Precepts for the Class of 2021 are shown below:

Step 4 – Determination of Final Numbers Per Community

Starting in August, USNA’s Division of Professional Development (“ProDev”) will begin finalizing community numbers. There are a number of factors that go into this determination. For example, for the Class of 2020, available IWC slots were reduced (as compared to the year before) primarily due to a significantly smaller-than-normal graduating class size. ProDev will provide IWC Community Leads with the final numbers for IWC and SWO(IWC).

These final numbers promulgated by ProDev include a limit on the number of Physically Qualified (PQ) Midshipmen we are able to select for IWC. Both PQ and Non-Physically Qualified (NPQ) are equally considered when we receive the data. After reaching our maximum number of PQ Midshipmen, we can still select NPQ Midshipmen to reach overall lower band or goal.

Note that these selection numbers are typically not final until AFTER Midshipmen enter their service assignment preferences into MIDS and are not published to Midshipmen.

Step 5 – Information Warfare Community Screener:

*** If you want to be able to choose an IWC community as your first choice, you MUST complete the IWC screener ***

The IWC screener is a survey that will be sent out via email in early/mid-August to all 1/C Midshipmen prior to the time period for making your choices in MIDS. You will have about a week to complete the screener. These are the type of questions you can expect to see on the screener:

• Why do you want to be a part of the Navy’s Information Warfare Community (IWC)?
• Rank the IWC communities that you wish to be considered for and explain your selections.
• What Extra Curricular Activities, Professional Development Opportunities, and/or Clubs have you been a member of (to include athletics)?  Please include any positions you held in these activities.
• What have you done to prepare yourself for selection to the IWC?  In your answer, include any internships and/or IW community-related cruises/professional training events that you have participated in and how they impacted your decision to apply to the IWC.
• Do you have any prior enlisted experience?
• For prior enlisted, please state your previous rate/rank/last command.
• Are there any other items you would like to identify to the board (specific research, conduct / honor offenses, notable awards / scholarships / achievements)?
• Do you have a current Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance? (Yes/No/Unknown)
• Are you currently listed as Non-Physically Qualified (NPQ) for Navy Unrestricted Line (URL)?  (Yes/No/Unknown)
• If NPQ, have you been told you are sea duty eligible?  (Yes/No/Unknown)

We will review the screener and notify those who successfully screened and those who didn’t. We will also provide the list of those who screened to ProDev to load into the MIDS system. This will allow you to select an IWC community as your first choice.

We strongly encourage you to put thought and effort into your IWC Screener answers. The IWC Officers reviewing and ranking those wanting to select an IWC community read every word of your submission. The IWC Screener helps give us a more complete picture of you and understand your story.

Step 6 – Service Assignment Preference Entry (via MIDS)

In late August, you will make your service selection entries via MIDS. If you want one of the five IWC communities, you must list it as your first choice.

Step 7 – IWC and SWO(IWC) Selection

Once all Midshipmen have entered their choices via MIDS, ProDev provides each community lead with the data. Each IWC community runs their own selection process, as detailed below. This occurs during September and October. Once final selections are made, the selected Midshipmen’s names are provided to ProDev.

Cryptologic Warfare (CW) and SWO(CW)

All CW Officers on the Yard will first independently rank candidates (in order to ensure no influence by rank, for example). These CW Officers will then meet in a selection board to discuss and collate the rankings. The CW Lead will determine if individual interviews are also needed as part of the selection process. In previous years, interviews have not been conducted; however, all candidates should be prepared for an interview.

Cyber Warfare Engineer (CWE)

Midshipmen aspiring to be CWEs will participate in summer professional training events throughout their time at USNA. Successful candidates will conduct technical interviews with the CWE community the summer before their 1/C year. Those that pass the technical interview, and meet the minimum requirements will be able to apply for CWE for service assignment.

Information Professional (IP) and SWO(IP)

The Information Professional community welcomes Midshipmen from all backgrounds. We evaluate candidates based upon the entire record including overall grades, performance in key classes (for example Cyber 1 and 2), involvement in IWC-related activities, interactions with the candidates (for example, if you have met with IP officers on the yard), and leadership ability. Typically we conduct the final selection through a board process where the best candidates will be interviewed by a panel of IP Officers.

Naval Intelligence Officer (INTEL) and SWO(INTEL)

Midshipmen seeking service selection in the intelligence (1830) field will be evaluated by 1830 officers at USNA. Criteria for selection include a whole-person approach, evaluating each candidate on sustained, superior performance. The most competitive Midshipmen will have sought out opportunities in the IWC, specifically during summer internships/cruises or IWC-tailored courses at USNA, in addition to demonstrated leadership ability, and exceptional overall performance in all aspects of the Academy's mission. Midshipmen who successfully screen for intelligence should be prepared for an interview. The Intelligence lead will provide selected Midshipmen names to the IWC lead for final approval. Selectees will be notified with their company on service selection day.

Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) and SWO(METOC)

The records of candidate Midshipmen will be independently evaluated by each METOC Officer on the Yard prior to an in-person interview with a panel consisting of all local METOC Officers.

Step 8 – Service Assignment Notification!

In mid-November, all 1/C Midshipmen are notified of their service assignments. If you are selected for an IWC community or SWO(IWC) option…

CONGRATULATIONS! And welcome to the IWC family!

Note that after service assignment notifications are made, it is common for Midshipmen originally selected for a non-IWC community to get shifted to one of the IWC communities, primarily due to a Midshipmen becoming NPQ and no longer being eligible for URL assignment. This can happen almost right up until graduation/commissioning. For these Midshipmen, we will consider the needs/numbers of the various IWC communities at that time, the Midshipman’s personal desires, and where the Midshipman best fits in order to set them up for a successful career.

If you did not select for IWC or SWO(IWC), there are still options to enter the IWC post-commissioning. See the discussion on lateral transfers below.