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ITE5

Information Systems Technician

E-5 (Sergeant) · Navy

E1–E3E-4E-5E-6E-7E8–E9
HEADS UP

IT2 (E-5) is the rating's first real petty-officer-of-the-section tier. You are now the section LPO in fact even when the title is unofficial — the IT3s call you LPO whether the watchbill posts it that way or not. The IT1 NWAE cycle is the next gate. The NEC pipeline you stacked at IT3 is maturing; the cleared-IT post-service market is reading your cert stack at $110K-$170K+ entry depending on metro, NEC, and polygraph status; the eEVAL trait average against your peer IT2s starts to materially drive the IT1 board record.

The Honest MOS Read
Information Systems Technician Second Class (IT2, E-5) is the rating's first real petty-officer-of-the-section tier — the working senior IT, the section LPO in fact even when the title is unofficial, and the petty officer the IT3s and ITSNs read for the standard of the watch. You run a section — a watch section in a ship's IT spaces, an NCTS / NCTAMS help-desk or production team, the comm shop on a submarine as the senior IT aboard (if no senior rate is in the billet), a MEF G-6 IT cell on green-side detached duty, or a specialty cell at a Fleet Cyber Command / NIOC shore command. You train and qual-sign two-to-four IT3s and ITSNs under you; you build the section's training plan; you manage your slice of the IT-21 / ONE-Net infrastructure; you write the network-status portion of the daily SITREP or department-head sync; and you own the IA / cybersecurity compliance work the LCPO does not have time to do himself. The promotion math under the Navy Enlisted Advancement System (NEAS) under MILPERSMAN: the NWAE cycle for IT2 → IT1 (E-6) runs twice yearly per NAVADMIN. FMS (Final Multiple Score) combines exam score, eEVALs (the Navy's enlisted evaluation system under NAVPERS 1610-series), time-in-rate, awards, and education. The IT rating's NEAS cutoff is published per NAVADMIN after each cycle and moves with rating manning needs. The IT1 cutoff has historically tracked with the cleared-IT civilian market's draw on the rating — when the civilian market is hot the cutoff moves; pull the current NAVADMIN before quoting any cycle data. The job content at IT2 is the senior watch-stander and section LPO load. As watch-stander you run the section's watch as the senior enlisted on shift — incident triage, escalation to CIRT / Fleet Cyber Command, clean handoff to the LCPO without the chief rewriting your turnover. As section LPO you write the eEVAL input on the IT3s and ITSNs under you (the LCPO ranks the LPOs against each other; the senior rater signs); you own the section's training records; you maintain the controlled-cryptographic-equipment custody chain for your billet; you brief the cyber officer and department head on section-level network and cyber readiness at sync; and you are the petty-officer interface between the senior medical-equivalent leadership (LCPO, division officer, cyber officer) and the junior enlisted ITs. The NEC pipeline at IT2 is maturing. Network specialty NECs (verify current codes — the IT-2735 / IT-2779 / IT-3389 family has shifted across NEC catalog revisions; pull NAVPERS 18068 Vol II and the current source-rating NAVADMIN) drive the network operator track at shore enterprise IT commands. IT-8404 (Submarine IT) at this paygrade often means you are the senior IT aboard a fast-attack or boomer with dolphins (Submarine Warfare Specialist) pinned and submarine duty pay accruing. Advanced comm / cryptographic NECs feed Fleet Cyber Command, NCTAMS, NCTS, and the cryptologic billets at NSA-attached commands. The CTN (Cryptologic Technician — Networks) cross-rate route is structurally hardest at IT2 because the time investment cuts into the IT1 board record, but it is still viable for the IT2 whose endgame is cyber operations rather than enterprise IT. The Navy COOL credential opportunity at IT2 extends to the senior IT and cyber credentials. Cisco CCNP — Routing and Switching / Enterprise / Security (the senior Cisco credentials, materially career-shaping for network operators); CompTIA CySA+ and PenTest+; the GIAC cert stack (GCIH — Certified Incident Handler, GCFA — Certified Forensic Analyst, GCFE — Certified Forensic Examiner, GREM — Reverse Engineering Malware, GPEN — Penetration Tester); CISSP — Certified Information Systems Security Professional (the senior cyber leadership credential, often the IAM Level 2/3 cert under DoDM 8140); AWS / Azure architect-track credentials for platforms running cloud workloads. Navy COOL funds these per the named credential catalog (verify current at navycool.navy.mil). The IT2 who exits the second enlistment with CCNP + CySA+ + Sec+ + GIAC + clearance is structurally positioned for $130K-$190K cleared cyber operator and senior network engineer roles in the contractor and federal civilian market. The warfare-device reality at IT2: Surface Warfare Specialist (SW), Submarine Warfare Specialist (dolphins, SS), Aviation Warfare Specialist (AW), Expeditionary Warfare Specialist (EXW), or Information Warfare Specialist (IW) — whichever device the platform supports, the IT2 is expected to be pinned or in active PQS toward it. The warfare device on the blouse is the visible mark of platform integration; without it on a billet that supports it, you are visibly under-credentialed and the IT1 slate reads the gap. The post-service market for IT2s with the right NEC stack, the right Navy COOL credentials, and a clean TS/SCI is one of the strongest entry profiles in any Navy enlisted rating. Defense contracting (Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, ManTech, SAIC, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, CACI, Peraton, the long tail of cleared cyber and network contractors with explicit veteran hiring programs), federal civil service (DISA, NSA civilian positions, USCYBERCOM civilian roles, CISA, DHS cyber, federal IT positions at GS-11 to GS-13 entry), and the private-sector cleared market (financial services cleared cyber programs, big tech cleared infrastructure teams, telecommunications cleared positions). The cleared-IT operator with NEC depth and credential stack is the kind of veteran the hiring side competes for, not the kind that has to compete to be hired.
Career Arc
  • 01IT2 (E-5) pin-on via NEAS / NWAE cycle.
  • 02Section LPO assumption — watch section in ship's IT spaces, NCTS / NCTAMS team, submarine comm shop, MEF G-6 cell, or Fleet Cyber Command specialty cell.
  • 03NEC sub-specialty maturity: network specialty NECs, IT-8404 submarine (senior IT aboard), advanced comm / cryptographic NECs, CTN conversion window narrowing.
  • 04Navy COOL credential stack: Cisco CCNP track, CompTIA CySA+ / PenTest+, GIAC certs (GCIH/GCFA/GREM/GPEN), CISSP enters the picture, AWS / Azure architect-track for cloud platforms.
  • 05Warfare device pinned (SW / SS / AW / EXW / IW per platform) or PQS in active drill.
  • 06AC/RC trainer / advisor opportunities and IA (Individual Augmentee) deployment windows continue.
  • 07NWAE cycle for IT1 (E-6) — twice yearly, FMS-based, NAVADMIN-published cutoff. eEVAL profile against peer IT2s starts to drive the IT1 board record.
Common Screwups
  • ×DUI / drug pop — separation under MILPERSMAN ch.1910, clearance revocation, post-service cleared-IT market foreclosed for years (clearance reinstatement timelines are multi-year). At IT2 the LPO billet means more eyes on liberty habits, not fewer.
  • ×NJP for fraternization, controlled-substance handling, classified mishandling, or financial irresponsibility. The IT2 LPO who lands at captain's mast loses the section, the warfare device pipeline, the IT1 board read, and the post-service clearance simultaneously.
  • ×COMSEC / controlled-cryptographic-equipment mishandling. Junior NCO COMSEC handling errors at IT2 propagate through investigation and can result in clearance revocation and administrative separation under MILPERSMAN; the IT rating's COMSEC discipline at LPO tier is non-negotiable and the LCPO cannot defend a documented discrepancy at the Chief board even if everything else is clean.
  • ×Going around the LCPO to the cyber officer or the wardroom. The IT chain runs through the chief; the goat locker hears about it the same day; the Chief board reads it three years later. The IT2 LPO who never integrates with the goat locker stalls at IT1 for the wrong reasons.
  • ×Letting Navy COOL slip past IT2. CCNP, CySA+, PenTest+, GIAC certs, CISSP — funded credentials that the cleared-IT market reads directly and the IT1 board sees as bench depth. Leaving them on the table at IT2 costs measurable post-service salary and the next slate's defended narrative.

A Day in the Life

  • 0500-0600Wake up. Phone check — overnight section emergencies, watchbill changes, controlled-cryptographic-equipment flag on turnover, any open IR ticket the IT1 LPO above needs the LPO to know before quarters. Drive to the IT spaces or the help-desk floor; PT gear on.
  • 0600-0700Command PT or section PT. The IT2 LPO often leads the section's PT block — you set the pace, the IT3s and ITSNs under you follow. EXW-track LPOs at a MEF G-6 detachment run the Marine PT / CFT cycle at IT2 standard; SW / SS / AW LPOs run the platform's PT cadence. The senior ITs expect you to be at the front of the pack.
  • 0700-0800Hygiene, chow, change into utilities or working dungarees. Pre-quarters: read the watch turnover log, check the section tickler, confirm overnight turnover from off-going duty section, walk the controlled-cryptographic-equipment log with the on-coming witness, review the day's billet assignments and any open IR escalations before the LCPO puts out plan-of-the-day.
  • 0800-0830Quarters. LCPO puts out plan-of-the-day; the cyber officer or department head briefs anything driving the day; you brief the section's billet assignments and any training / inspection prep your billet owns. The IT2 LPO has the floor for 90 seconds at quarters — own the read-out, do not let the LCPO ask twice.
  • 0830-1130Section LPO billet — watch-section lead, help-desk shift lead, network operations watch supervisor, submarine comm shop senior IT (for L09A IT2s aboard), Fleet Cyber Command production-cell LPO. Spot-check IT3 watch-supervisors' ticket close-outs; sign off on dispositions; call escalations to the IT1 LPO above when the picture warrants. The IT3s under you operate under your supervision; the ITSNs operate under the IT3s under you. The chain runs.
  • 1130-1230Chow. You eat with the other LPOs / IT2s — not with the chief, who eats with the goat locker. Quick check of the section tickler, the controlled-cryptographic-equipment log, the supply tickler, the afternoon watchbill changes, the IR ticket queue if the section had an overnight event.
  • 1230-1500Afternoon LPO block. Section training (IA / IAVA closure drill, STIG cycle walk-through, IR playbook drill, CCE handling for billets that touch it), department head sync at 1330 on Wednesdays at most commands, NEC packet review with IT3s and ITSNs under you, eEVAL input drafting for the section, change-management board for section-level changes, OPORD comm / IT input if the unit is in workup, warfare-device PQS administration if you are running the section's pipeline. The LCPO may pull you for 30 minutes to walk through a section issue or a Chief packet candidate's status.
  • 1500-1600NWAE study block for IT1 cycle / Chief packet build / warfare device PQS / NEC packet build. The IT2 who lets the day eat the NWAE study block has already lost the next cycle. The LCPO who sees you with the IT1 BIB open during slow time defends your study time on the watch rotation.
  • 1600-1630End-of-watch turnover. The LPO owns the section turnover — billet assignments confirmed for the on-coming watch, controlled-cryptographic-equipment count countersigned, IR tickets handed off, change-management tickets traceable, anything pending escalated to the LCPO if it should not wait until morning. The LCPO walks the deck before release; the LPO walks the deck after.
  • 1630-1800Released. Most days. Field problems, GQ drill weeks, MEU workup, deployment workup, sub patrol underway, CCRI / CORA / IA inspection prep weeks, and standing duty change this hour by hours or days. PRT prep, gym, NWAE study, cert study, family time.
  • 1800-2100Personal time. Married IT2 (the majority at this paygrade) — family time, kids' homework, spouse's questions about why the watchbill changed again, the school slot conversation if there is a PCS pending. Single IT2 off-base on BAH — gym, study, NEC packet build at the kitchen table, the Chief board conversation with the IT1 LPO above.
  • 2100-2200Section tickler maintenance — section training tracker, NEC packet pipeline, eEVAL drafts on the IT3s and ITSNs under you, IT1 NWAE study log. The LCPO who texts at 2130 with a section question expects a clean answer from the LPO.
  • 2200Lights out. Tomorrow at 0500.
  • Field rotation (CSG / ESG workup-deployment-leave cycle on amphibs and carriers, submarine patrol cycle for L09A IT2s, NCTAMS / NCTS exercise cycle, CCRI / CORA inspection week, deployment workup as section LPO on green-side or SOF-attached billet)The LPO is the senior enlisted IT voice at the section level on the field rotation. IT-21 / ONE-Net / shore enterprise / submarine comm watch running back-to-back, IR ticket-handling during the workup cycle, section-level lane during the inspection drill, casualty / network-outage / contested-network response drills at the platform level. The LCPO leans on you for execution; the cyber officer leans on you for clinical handoff. The week collapses into the field calendar.
  • Duty section (24-hour rotation, senior duty IT cycle on platforms that run it)Stand duty as the senior IT in the section or department during liberty hours. The IT3 screens the routine traffic; you back-stop. The ITSN handles the help-desk floor; you call escalations to the cyber officer / LCPO on real IR events. The change to the watch log you sign at the end of duty is the entry the LCPO reads at quarters the next morning.

Weekly Cadence

The Mon-Fri rhythm at IT2 LPO runs on the LCPO sync and the department head sync, not on the IT3 LPO sync you used to run. Monday is heaviest planning — the LCPO came out of department head sync Friday with the week's training plan, the controlled-cryptographic-equipment audit cadence, the section LPO billets, the IR drill calendar, the inspection or readiness milestone the cyber officer is driving, and the eEVAL cycle if the period is closing. As LPO you spend Monday morning on your billet, Monday midday on section LPO sync where you align with the other LPOs across the department, and Monday afternoon on PQS / NEC / eEVAL inputs the LCPO needs from your billet. Tuesday through Thursday are the working core. The watch runs every day at your platform's volume; section training falls on the days the LCPO and cyber officer blocked. As LPO you may run a section-level lane on Tuesday (an IR playbook drill, a STIG cycle walk-through, a CCE handling refresher) and a department-level brief on Wednesday — the LCPO reads whether you teach to the current OPNAVINST 5239 / DoDM 8140 / NIST SP 800-61 source material or to personal preference. Thursday is often the heaviest training / inspection day at the department level — the LCPO walks the deck and the LPO who owns the billet that gets walked first sets the tone for the section. Friday is plan-of-the-week-out for the next week. The LCPO publishes the watchbill; the department head sync at 1500 confirms the next week's training and inspection calendar; the LPOs across the department align at section LPO sync; the LCPO walks the deck for the weekly readiness brief. The IT2 LPO brings the eEVAL inputs, the NEC packet status, the section training compliance, the IAVA closure status, and any section issues that should not wait the weekend. Field rotations (CSG / ESG workup-deployment-leave cycle for shipboard LPOs, submarine patrol cycle for L09A LPOs, NCTAMS / NCTS exercise cycle for shore LPOs, MEF G-6 detachment cycle for green-side LPOs, joint-task-force IA deployment for cleared cyber LPOs) collapse the Mon-Fri rhythm — the section is operating to the field calendar, the LCPO sync moves to whenever the cyber officer can land it, and the garrison-time tasks (Chief packet build, IT1 NWAE study, eEVAL draft, NEC packet mentoring) get crammed into the off-day windows or the post-rotation block.

Key Skills — How to Drill Each

  1. 01
    Run a section watchbill on the IT-21 / ONE-Net spaces, the NCTS / NCTAMS production floor, or the submarine comm shop as the senior enlisted on shift — incident triage, escalation to CIRT / Fleet Cyber, clean handoff to the LCPO without the chief rewriting your turnover.
    At IT2 the LPO billet means the section's watch is yours to run end-to-end during liberty hours and senior-on-shift periods. You set the triage standard, you spot-check the IT3 watch-supervisors' ticket close-outs, you call the escalation when the picture is wrong, and you hand off to the LCPO with a clean turnover that the chief can sign without rewriting. The LCPO who has to rewrite your turnover twice tells the LCPO sync; the LCPO sync remembers. Build the discipline by running 30-45 days of section watches with the IT1 LPO above you spot-checking your log entries during the workup phase before the deployment / patrol / FTX where the supervision drops.
  2. 02
    Brief a network status update to the department head / LCPO / executive officer — uptime, ticket SLAs, STIG / ACAS compliance, IA findings, ongoing risk — in five slides the wardroom will not rewrite.
    The IT2 LPO briefs at department-head sync as the section's voice. Five slides: section health (uptime, ticket SLA performance, IR ticket count and disposition); IAT / 8140 compliance (cert posture across the section, work-role audit status); STIG / ACAS posture (compliance percentage with named exceptions and closure plans); IAVA closure (current cycle, named open items, projected closure dates); risk and recommendation (the one thing the wardroom needs to know about the section's posture going forward). The IT2 who walks into department-head sync with the slides typed and clean is the IT2 the cyber officer names by next quarter; the IT2 who hands the LCPO a half-baked draft is the IT2 the LCPO stops including.
  3. 03
    Run an IA vulnerability / IAVA-equivalent closure cycle inside the published timeline — track, patch, validate, report — and own the spreadsheet that defends the close-out.
    IAVA (Information Assurance Vulnerability Alert) closure is the IT2 LPO's defended discipline. When the IAVA drops from the platform's vulnerability management feed (the Navy's iterative implementation of the broader DoD IAVA process), you read the affected platforms, identify the boxes in the section's scope, build a closure plan with named owners and target dates, drive the patch / configuration / remediation work, validate closure with a follow-up scan, and report compliance to the LCPO and the cyber officer in the format the CCRI / CORA inspector reads at the next cycle. The IAVA spreadsheet is the artifact; own it across the cycle. The IT2 who reports IAVA closure without the named exceptions is the IT2 the LCPO discounts; the IT2 who reports closure with the named exceptions and the defensible reasons is the IT2 the cyber officer trusts.
  4. 04
    Conduct a real change-management board for a section-level network change — risk, rollback, validation, sign-off — on the ship or shore command's ECP / change-control process.
    Change management at IT2 LPO tier is the petty officer's first formal-process leadership work. When the section needs a network change (a new VLAN, a switch firmware update, a switch port reassignment, a routing change, an AD GPO modification), build the change-management ticket with the platform's required fields — change description, risk assessment, rollback plan, validation steps, approval chain. Walk the ticket through the ECP / change-control board on the published cadence; defend the change at the board with the technical depth the cyber officer expects; execute on the approved window; validate; close. The IT2 who skips the change-management process because 'it's faster' is the IT2 whose name lands on the JAG when the unauthorized change takes down a wardroom brief.
  5. 05
    Onboard a new IT3 or ITSN and have them productive on the watch in two weeks, including STIG familiarity, ticket discipline, and platform-specific PQS / 301 line-item sign-offs.
    The IT2 LPO owns onboarding. When a new IT3 or ITSN checks aboard, you have the watch package ready — the platform's IR playbook, the STIG cycle for the section's assets, the ticket close-out standards, the PQS book signed off by the LCPO with the qual sequence highlighted, the controlled-cryptographic-equipment handling brief if the billet touches it. Walk the new IT through the section's tools, processes, and people in the first two weeks; assign him a qualified watch-supervisor as a mentor for the first 30 days; spot-check his early ticket close-outs and PQS line-item drill performance. The IT2 LPO who has a structured onboarding produces productive ITs in 2 weeks; the LPO who lets the new IT 'figure it out' produces productive ITs in 2 months and the LCPO reads the difference.
  6. 06
    Write a CIRT-quality incident-response report on a real phishing or compromise event — timeline, indicators, containment, eradication, recovery, lessons-learned — clean enough that Fleet Cyber does not call back.
    The IT2 LPO is the senior enlisted IT voice on most section-level IR events. Build the IR report on the platform's IR playbook (mapped to NIST SP 800-61): timeline (the events from first indicator to closure with timestamps); indicators (the technical artifacts — IP addresses, domain names, file hashes, account anomalies); containment (the steps taken to limit the spread); eradication (the steps taken to remove the threat); recovery (the steps to return the section to normal operations); lessons-learned (what changes to process, training, or technology the event recommends). Report up to CIRT / Fleet Cyber Command inside the published reporting window. The IR report that comes back from Fleet Cyber with no follow-up is the IT2's defended professional product; the report that comes back with a request for clarification is the IT2 who has to write the clarification under the LCPO's eye. Build the documentation discipline at IT2 — the IT1 board reads IR ticket-writing quality directly.

Manuals & References — What Chapters Matter

  • SECNAVINST 5239 series — DON Cybersecurity / IA Program (you are quoted from it more than you quote it).
    The umbrella the wardroom inherits its IA posture from. At IT2 LPO tier you are expected to know the sections that govern your billet cold — operator responsibilities, incident reporting cadence, IA work-role compliance, classified-system handling. The cyber officer quotes it at department sync; the LPO is expected to know the source section without checking notes.
  • OPNAVINST 5239 series — Navy Cybersecurity Program (current version; pull from the Navy Doctrine Library, not the stale folder on the share).
    The Navy-specific implementation. At IT2 you are the operator and the LPO simultaneously — read the operator sections cold, and read the LPO / supervisor sections cold. The IT2 who can quote the OPNAVINST section on incident reporting cadence at section sync is the IT2 the LCPO defends; the IT2 who paraphrases is the IT2 the cyber officer corrects in front of the section.
  • DoDI 8530.01 — Cybersecurity Activities Support to DoD Information Network Operations.
    The DoD-wide cybersecurity activities framework — defensive cyber operations, incident response, vulnerability management, continuity of operations under cyber threat. At IT2 you are operating inside the activities the instruction governs; the LCPO and cyber officer assume you know it. Read the sections relevant to your billet's mission (afloat operator, shore enterprise, submarine comm, Fleet Cyber); own the operational vocabulary.
  • DoDM 8140.03 — Cyberspace Workforce Qualification (the IAT / IAM / cyber work-role chart you sign your IT3s and ITSNs against).
    At IT2 LPO tier you are auditing the section against the chart, not just yourself. Read the work-role definitions for IT Operator, Network Operations Specialist, Cybersecurity Defense Analyst, Cybersecurity Manager — these are the roles your section is filling. Track each IT3 and ITSN against the chart on the section tickler; close gaps before the LCPO asks; defend the section's posture at department-head sync.
  • NIST SP 800-61 — Computer Security Incident Handling Guide (the IR playbook the Navy quietly maps to).
    The DoD and Navy IR playbooks are written on NIST SP 800-61's six-phase model — preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, post-incident activity. At IT2 LPO tier you teach the section to the model; you write IR tickets on the model; you defend section-level IR posture at section sync on the model. Read it cold; teach to the current edition; do not invent your own SOP.
  • NAVPERS 18068 Vol II + current NEC source-rating NAVADMIN — you mentor packets off this and not off the version on the share from two years ago.
    At IT2 LPO tier you are mentoring NEC packets for the IT3s and ITSNs under you. NAVPERS 18068 Vol II Volume II (the NEC catalog) is the source document; the current NEC source-rating NAVADMIN drives the slot availability and the eligibility criteria. The IT3 brings you a brochure-summary version; you respond with the source document and the current cycle's NAVADMIN. The LPO who mentors packets off stale source documents is the LPO who routes IT3s into NECs that no longer match the source-rating message.

Standards — How to Hit Each

  • IAT Level II or III compliance (Sec+ minimum, CCNA-Security / CCNP / CASP+ trending up) — tracked in the command training database and on the LCPO's tickler.
    Sec+ is the IAT-II floor and gates the IT2 LPO billet. CCNA-Security / CCNP-Security / CASP+ position you for the IAT-III work roles at IT1 and Chief. Track expiration cycles on the section tickler — your own and your IT3s' / ITSNs'. Navy COOL funds the renewal voucher and the next-tier cert exam; the IAT-non-compliant IT2 cannot sit the watch billet and the LCPO does not have a workaround.
  • NWAE for IT1 prep on the LCPO's timeline; EAW (Enlisted Advancement Worksheet) clean and BIB study log defensible.
    Pull the current IT1 BIB from MyNavyHR / NETC. Build a 60-90 minute daily study log, five days a week. Talk to IT1s who passed the cycle last year about question patterns and bibliographic depth. The LCPO defends the candidate who passes EAW clean and walks in with a strong study log; the LCPO does not defend the LPO who shows up cold and demands a slot. EAW walks itself — verify TIR, awards, education, NECs are all reflected before the cycle closes.
  • PRT Good High or better; BCA in standard; warfare device pinned where the billet allows (SS / SW / AW / EXW / IW as platform requires).
    PRT cycles twice yearly under OPNAVINST 6110.1 — train the cycle, do not sprint the morning of the test. SW (Surface Warfare Specialist) PQS for afloat IT2s on surface combatants; SS (Submarine Warfare Specialist — dolphins) for submarine IT2s with IT-8404; AW (Aviation Warfare Specialist) for IT2s on aviation-attached billets; EXW (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) for IT2s on expeditionary or green-side detached billets; IW (Information Warfare Specialist) for IT2s at NIOC / Fleet Cyber / cryptologic billets. The warfare device on your blouse is the visible mark of platform integration — without it on a billet that supports it, you are visibly under-credentialed and the IT1 slate reads the gap.
  • Section certification rates — IAT compliance, STIG closure, ticket SLA, IAVA closure — at or above the command average, every cycle, no caveats.
    Track every IT3 and ITSN's cert expiration, STIG remediation status, ticket-queue performance, and IAVA closure on a section tickler — 12 months out, 6 months out, 3 months out, schedule the work. The LCPO who reads the section's rates at command sync and sees your billet under command average asks why; the section that is over command average becomes the LCPO's example at the next sync. The LPO owns the section's training calendar and the compliance posture; the IT3s and ITSNs operate inside the LPO's discipline.
  • eEVAL trait average and ranking that supports EP / MP recommendation; LCPO knows your number before the board reads it.
    EP / MP / P / Progressing / Significant Problems — the trait average and the section ranking feed FMS for IT1. The LPO writes input on the IT3s and ITSNs under him; the LCPO ranks the LPOs against each other; the senior rater signs. Walk into section sync with a defensible billet record, current quals, no clearance flag, documented study log, mentor pipeline producing — the EP recommendation writes itself. The LPO who phones the input on his IT3s and ITSNs is the LPO whose own eEVAL the LCPO discounts.

Technical Mistakes — Concrete Consequences

  • Letting an IT3 sit a watch as an IAT-II or IAT-III billet when they are not certified.
    The DoDM 8140 audit catches it and the finding is on you, not on the junior. The LCPO walks the finding to the cyber officer; the cyber officer walks it to the department head; the IT2 LPO's name is on the eEVAL narrative the next cycle. IAT compliance is the LPO's audit-defensible discipline; never slot an IT3 on an IAT-required watch without the current cert on the sheet, even if the watch coverage is short.
  • Skipping the after-action on a real CIRT event because 'we closed the ticket.'
    The next event repeats the same indicator and your section is the one named in the Fleet Cyber after-action report. The LCPO reads the gap at section sync; the cyber officer reads it at department-head sync; the IT1 board reads it three years later. After-action discipline is the LPO's defended professional habit; the AAR is the artifact that makes the section incrementally better and the IT2 LPO incrementally more defensible at the board.
  • Bypassing the LCPO to talk to the wardroom or the cyber officer directly.
    The medical chain runs through the chief and the IT chain runs through the LCPO; the goat locker hears about it the same day. The LCPO who learns you went over his head to the cyber officer on a routine IT question stops trusting you with anything that matters. The fix is one direct conversation with the LCPO and a year of rebuilding the trust; the failure mode is the IT2 LPO who never integrates with the goat locker and stalls at IT1 for the wrong reasons.
  • Accepting a verbal change request from a senior officer without a change-management ticket.
    The change blows up at 0200 and there is no paper to defend either of you. The senior officer who 'authorized the change' may not remember the conversation the way you do; the LCPO and the cyber officer have no audit trail to walk back; the JAG investigation reads the IT2 LPO's name on the unauthorized change. Always require the ticket — even from the XO; even at 0200; even when the senior officer is leaning on you. The wardroom respects the IT2 who defends the process more than the IT2 who skips it.
  • Loaning controlled-cryptographic-equipment, gear, or sensitive items without a sub-custody chit.
    Property accountability is the line the Navy does not let any petty officer cross twice and the IG inspector loves a custody mismatch. Controlled-cryptographic-equipment (CCE) custody discrepancies escalate to JAGMAN investigation; the petty officer who broke the chain is named; the LPO who countersigned the custody log without the verification is named. The career does not survive a documented CCE discrepancy at this paygrade; the LCPO cannot defend it at the Chief board even if everything else is clean.

Career Decisions at This Rank

  • NEC sub-rate maturity — network specialty NECs, IT-8404 submarine, advanced comm / cryptographic NECs — Navy COOL credentialing.
    Navy COOL (Credentialing Opportunities On-Line) funds civilian-equivalent credentials for many IT NECs: Cisco CCNP track for network specialty NECs, CompTIA CySA+ / PenTest+ for cyber operator NECs, the GIAC stack (GCIH/GCFA/GREM/GPEN) for incident response and forensics NECs, CISSP for the senior cyber leadership track. The IT2 with the right NEC stack and the right COOL-funded civilian credentials is the IT2 the cleared-IT contractor market, the federal civilian market, and the cleared defense industry will compete for at end of enlistment. The senior NEC stack plus a TS/SCI clearance is the post-service career package. The IT2 who lets the LPO calendar absorb the COOL window is the IT2 who ETSes with the same credentials he had at IT3 — and the post-service salary reflects it.
  • Re-enlistment / second-term contract — with or without NEC SRB.
    The IT2 re-enlistment window typically opens 12-24 months before contract end. The IT rating's SRB schedule per current NAVADMIN varies by NEC, zone (B 6-10 yr, C 10-14 yr), and rating manning math. NEC-coded IT2s often see strong SRB. The trap: signing a 6-year contract to maximize the bonus, then deciding 18-24 months later you want out, or accepting a follow-on assignment / NEC tour the contract locks you into without aligning with the family. Run the math twice — base pay, BAH with dependents, SRB net of taxes, the next assignment and NEC tour, the family conversation. If the re-up math does not work without the bonus, the re-up does not work. The IT2 LPO who re-enlists into the right path is the IT1 / Chief the LCPO is grooming; the IT2 who re-enlists into the wrong path is the LPO the LCPO has to mentor through the slow realization.
  • Commissioning packet — Seaman to Admiral - 21 (STA-21), LDO / CWO IT-side (Information Systems Technician → CWO Information Systems Technician 782X, or IT-related URL Information Warfare officer path).
    STA-21 is the active-duty commissioning program for senior enlisted; LDO (Limited Duty Officer) and CWO (Chief Warrant Officer) IT-side pathways are the technically-focused warrant-to-commission routes. The IT2 / IT1 with strong academics, a clean record, command endorsement, and a defensible reason for commissioning has a real shot at LDO / CWO IT-side — the Navy commissions you as a technically-deep IT officer at LTJG (LDO) or CWO2 (CWO) and you continue the IT operator track at the officer level. The honest test: do you want to be an LDO / CWO Information Systems Technician (the IT-rating-deepest officer pathway) or a URL Information Warfare officer (the IT-officer-track that supports the broader Information Warfare community); or do you want to stay enlisted and build to Chief / Senior Chief / Master Chief? Talk to senior enlisted who chose each path; talk to a CWO Information Systems Technician who came from the enlisted ranks. The LDO / CWO packet is competitive and the timing window narrows after IT1.
  • Chief packet preparation — the conversation that starts at IT2 and matures at IT1.
    The Chief Petty Officer selection board is the rating's career-defining selection event. The packet — billet record, eEVAL history, NEC depth, warfare device, education, awards, command endorsement, LCPO and senior-rater narratives — is built across years, not weeks. The IT2 LPO who starts the conversation at IT2 with the LCPO and IT1 LPO above is the IT2 who walks into the IT1 board with the packet bones already in place. The honest discipline at IT2: defend the section, mentor the NEC packets, drive Navy COOL credentialing, sit the IT1 NWAE, pin the warfare device, keep the eEVAL profile clean. Chief is not built at IT1; it is started at IT2.
  • IA (Individual Augmentee) deployment to forward CENTCOM / EUCOM / INDOPACOM joint task force.
    IA deployments at IT2 are competitive for cleared cyber operators and the credential is career-shaping for the senior NEC chief board. The deployments typically run 6-12 months supporting joint task forces, joint cyber units, and ad-hoc operational needs in the AOR. The honest test: do you want the joint-cyber operational experience and the boost to the IT1 / Chief board record, or do you want the family-stable garrison rotation? Both are defensible. The IT2 LPO who takes the IA window builds a different Chief board record than the IT2 who declines; the post-service market reads forward-deployed IT and cyber experience as a structurally higher-value profile. Talk to the career counselor and the LCPO before applying; the IA selection process runs through the chain and the timing window matters for the IT1 board read.

How the Seat Varies by Unit Type

  • Carrier or amphib IT department (large ship, IT-21 / ONE-Net dept)
    Section LPO over a watch section on a CVN or LHD/LHA/LPD/LSD — 4-8 IT3s and ITSNs under you, full IT-21 / ONE-Net afloat infrastructure, the carrier's air wing IT or the amphib's embarked Marine IT cell to integrate with, and a robust goat locker above. Sea pay, sea-shore rotation under detailing policy. Deployment cycle is the CSG / ARG rhythm — workup, ~7-month deployment, post-deployment sustainment. The IT2 LPO on a big deck has the broadest section-level exposure; the depth on any one platform's combat-systems-adjacent IT services is the rotational responsibility. The big-deck IT2 builds the section-LPO discipline that the Chief board reads as bench depth.
  • Small surface combatant or destroyer (small IT shop, broader scope)
    Small-shop IT2 on a DDG, FFG, LCS, or small surface combatant — 4-8 ITs total, often you are the senior IT aboard with no embarked goat-locker chief. The IT2 is the de facto LCPO during the deployment cycle for the IT department; the responsibility profile is materially higher than the equivalent billet on a carrier. End-to-end shipboard IT — IT-21 / ONE-Net, SATCOM, controlled-cryptographic-equipment, the ship's combat-systems-adjacent IT services — runs under your discipline. The career-shaping benefit: the small-combatant IT2 walks into IT1 NWAE with a depth of platform integration and senior-enlisted responsibility that the carrier IT2 may not have. The cost: no goat-locker mentor on board and a more fragile section bench during the deployment.
  • Submarine (IT-8404 pipeline) — senior IT aboard with L09A NEC
    Submarine IT2 with L09A NEC and dolphins (Submarine Warfare Specialist) — typically the senior IT aboard a fast-attack or boomer. Submarine duty pay, the boat's operational patrol cycle (60-120 day patrols on the SSBN / SSGN / SSN-specific cycle differences). On a sub the IT department is 2-6 ITs total, with COB-adjacent senior enlisted oversight; the IT2 LPO is the medical-equivalent senior medical authority for the IT and comm shop. The community is small, professionally tight, and operationally distinct. L09A submarine IT senior at this paygrade is the natural progression toward IT1 / Chief in the submarine community.
  • Shore — NCTAMS / NCTS / NIOC / Fleet Cyber
    Shore-side IT2 at a strategic Navy communications or cyber command — NCTAMS Atlantic/Pacific, NCTS, NIOC (Navy Information Operations Command), Fleet Cyber Command / TENTH Fleet subordinate units. Section LPO over a watch section on the strategic floor; possible IA deployment to forward joint task forces; depending on billet you may be the cyber operator on a Fleet Cyber unit, the senior enterprise IT engineer at NCTAMS / NCTS, or the cryptologic communications LPO at an NSA-attached billet. The shore IT2 builds the senior enterprise IT or cyber operational depth the cleared-contractor market reads at $130K-$190K+ depending on metro and polygraph status. The post-service translation is the strongest from this billet family.
  • Joint / SOF-attached IT billet
    IT2 LPO detached to a joint task force, a MEF G-6 detachment (green-side with Marines), or a SOF-attached billet supporting Naval Special Warfare or the joint SOF community. Smaller IT cell, broader operational scope, faster operational tempo, and exposure to joint communications and cyber requirements you will not see at a single-service command. The IT2 LPO on a joint or SOF-attached billet often runs the cell as the senior enlisted IT — IT1 or Chief above may be remote at the parent command. Career-shaping for the IT2 who has built the section-LPO discipline; not the right billet for the IT2 who has not yet established the LPO bench. The credential and operational identity are real differentiators at the Chief board.

What Good Looks Like at This Rank

The good IT2 is the petty officer the LCPO names when the wardroom asks who is running the IT spaces at 0200. The section's STIG / IAVA numbers brief without caveat, his IT3 has a network-administration NEC or submarine IT-8404 packet on the table, and his eEVAL bullets read action-result-impact instead of generic IT filler. He sits the IT1 NWAE on a study log the chief can defend, and the warfare device on his blouse (SW / SS / AW / EXW / IW per platform) is current. His controlled-cryptographic-equipment discipline is the example the LCPO uses at quarterly section training: two-person count at every shift change, both signatures on the log, key handed off in person, zero unresolved discrepancies for the cycle. His eEVAL inputs on the IT3s and ITSNs under him are action-result-impact, not generic IT filler — measurable accomplishments, named outcomes, the language the next slate's board actually reads. The LCPO does not have to rewrite the LPO's eEVAL inputs because the LPO has done the work. The senior rater knows the section's pipeline and can name which IT3 is selecting at the next NEC slate without checking notes. The cyber officer mentions the LPO by name at department-head sync. The wardroom treats him as a peer, not a subordinate — and the senior ITs at the LCPO's level read it. He sits the IT1 NWAE on a documented study log the chief can defend, and the NEC pipeline he is in is the one the LCPO recommended without prompting. He has read NAVPERS 18068 Vol II on the NEC variant he wants and he knows the school length, the post-school assignment pattern, and the post-service translation. His Navy COOL cert stack at IT2 — CCNP, CySA+ / PenTest+, GIAC certs, CISSP in progress — is on the cert sheet and the cleared-IT contractor market reads it directly. He is the IT2 the LCPO is grooming for IT1 and the next Chief packet conversation — and the goat locker has already had the conversation about him without him being in the room.

Preview — The Next Rank

IT1 (E-6) is the LPO tier proper — the seat where the LCPO is editing your Chief packet, the wardroom calls you by name, and the IT2s and IT3s watch how you carry the department the way you used to watch your chief. The first 90 days at IT1 are the transition window — the section LPO load you carried at IT2 expands into department-level LPO responsibility, 10-25 ITs under your direct or indirect supervision, the four-to-six eEVAL cycle per period for IT2s and IT3s that picks the next NWAE slate, and the department-level brief at command sync that the cyber officer used to handle himself. The job content at IT1 is the LPO of an IT division — ship's information systems division, NCTS / NCTAMS production cell, submarine medical-equivalent IT shop if your billet is the senior IT aboard, MEF G-6 detachment, or a Fleet Cyber Command shore element. You build the department training plan, defend the network and cyber readiness brief at department-head sync, manage IAT / DoDM 8140 work-role compliance at the department level, and mentor at least one IT a year into a Cyber Warrant / CWO IT-side (170-series / 782X — verify the current accession path), a commissioning program (STA-21, LDO IT-side), CTN conversion if cyber-warfare is the calling, or the senior NEC pipelines. The Chief board packet conversation is no longer abstract — your LCPO is editing your record across the year, your eEVAL profile is being built, the warfare device on your blouse matters more than any single cert you have ever earned, and the goat locker is reading whether your liberty habits match your at-sea posture. The cert stack matures further at IT1. CCNP track (Routing & Switching / Enterprise / Security) at IAT-III; CISSP enters as the IAM-track differentiator; the GIAC stack for specialty roles; AWS / Azure architect track for cloud-supporting platforms. Navy COOL still funds the voucher; the cleared-IT contractor market reads IT1 with the right NEC stack, CCNP / CISSP, and TS/SCI as $140K-$210K+ depending on metro, role, and polygraph status. The Chief board reads the cert sheet as bench depth — the IT1 with the credential stack plus the operational record plus the warfare device plus the clean eEVAL profile plus the mentored pipeline producing is the IT1 the LCPO defends at the Chief slate. The IT1 who relies on time-in-rate alone is the IT1 who watches the slate pass him by.
FAQ

IT E5 — Frequently Asked Questions

Q01What does a E5 IT (Information Systems Technician) actually do?
You run a section — a watch section in the ship's IT spaces, an NCTS / NCTAMS help-desk team, the comm shop on a sub as the senior IT aboard (if there is no senior rate in the billet), a MEF G-6 IT cell, or a specialty cell at a Fleet Cyber Command shore command.
Q02What's the most important thing to know as a E5 IT?
IT2 (E-5) is the rating's first real petty-officer-of-the-section tier.
Q03What does a typical day look like for a E5 IT?
Time-blocked day at the E5 IT rank tier: 0500-0600 Wake up. Phone check — overnight section emergencies, watchbill changes, controlled-cryptographic-equipment flag on turnover, any open IR ticket the IT1 LPO above needs the LPO to know before quarters. Drive to the IT spaces or the help-desk floor; PT gear on, 0600-0700 Command PT or section PT. The IT2 LPO often leads the section's PT block — you set the pace, the IT3s and ITSNs under you follow. EXW-track LPOs at a MEF G-6 detachment run the Marine PT / CFT cycle at IT2 standard; SW / SS / AW LPOs run the platform's PT cadence.…
Q04What mistakes get E5 IT soldiers fired or relieved?
DUI / drug pop — separation under MILPERSMAN ch.1910, clearance revocation, post-service cleared-IT market foreclosed for years (clearance reinstatement timelines are multi-year). At IT2 the LPO billet means more eyes on liberty habits, not fewer; NJP for fraternization, controlled-substance handling, classified mishandling, or financial irresponsibility. The IT2 LPO who lands at captain's mast loses the section, the warfare device pipeline, the IT1 board read,…
Q05What career decisions matter most at the E5 IT rank tier?
NEC sub-rate maturity — network specialty NECs, IT-8404 submarine, advanced comm / cryptographic NECs — Navy COOL credentialing — Navy COOL (Credentialing Opportunities On-Line) funds civilian-equivalent credentials for many IT NECs: Cisco CCNP track for network specialty NECs, CompTIA CySA+ / PenTest+ for cyber operator NECs, the GIAC stack (GCIH/GCFA/GREM/GPEN) for incident response and forensics NECs, CISSP for the senior cyber leadership track. The IT2 with the right NEC stack and the right COOL-funded civilian credentials is the IT2 the cleared-IT contractor market,…
Q06What's next after E5 for a IT (Information Systems Technician) in the Navy?
IT1 (E-6) is the LPO tier proper — the seat where the LCPO is editing your Chief packet, the wardroom calls you by name, and the IT2s and IT3s watch how you carry the department the way you used to watch your chief.
Q07What manuals and regulations does a E5 IT need to know cold?
SECNAVINST 5239 series; OPNAVINST 5239 series — current versions of the DON / Navy Cybersecurity Program.; DoDI 8530.01 — Cybersecurity Activities Support to DoD Information Network Operations.; DoDM 8140.03 — Cyberspace Workforce Qualification (the IAT / IAM / cyber work-role chart you sign your IT3s and ITSNs against).

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Published by the Honest MOS Editorial DeskVerified against DoD/.gov sourcesUpdated May 2026Editorial standards