Welcome to Prowler Roost

NIOC-WI Briefing

Commander William Dodge, Commanding Officer of Navy Information Operations Command Whidbey Island (NIOC-WI) addressed the local Roost of the Association of Old Crows during a luncheon on 15 September. Dodge spoke about the evolution of NIOC-WI over the past ten years during which the unit has matured into one of the fleet's finest IO support facilities. The NIOC-WI mission centers around three core tenets:

• Development and deployment of ready sailors,
• IO readiness of EA-6B Prowler and EP-3E Aries II aircrew, and
• operation of cutting edge EW systems.

NIOC-WI sailors provide direct IO and EA support to each and every deploying Carrier and Expeditionary Strike Group, as well as Navy expeditionary and USMC EA-6B Prowler squadrons. NIOC-WI helps develop Subject Matter Experts (train the trainers) and develop Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) to combat our adversaries' growing dependence upon electronic and information based weapons.

NIOC-WI currently plays a vital role in the training of Prowler and EP-3E Aries II aircrew, and will be expanding its skill set to encompass the Navy's newest platform - the EA-18G Growler, expected to achieve full operational capability (FOC) in 2010. NIOC-WI recently partnered with the US Army to establish a permanent detachment at Washington's Yakima Training Center to better support the Navy's airborne EW platforms.

NIOC-WI operates a Global Signal Analysis Lab - Maritime Air Center which allows IO pre- and post-mission analysis support to reach world-wide while maintaining partnership with the National Security Agency in support of homeland defense. Commander Dodge recently attended the AOC National Convention in Washington DC where he accepted the 2009 AOC Navy Unit Excellence Award (Surface) on behalf of the NIOC-WI Sailors.

To say "Thanks!" for taking time out of his hectic schedule to brief us, VP Bob "Pappy" Papdakis presented CDR Dodge with a limited edition Hank Caruso print commissioned by the Roost. - John Geragotelis -