Vice Adm. Michael Rogers, Commander of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and the U.S. 10th Fleet, visited the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) to present at the university’s Information Dominance Senior Leader Symposium (IDSLS), Jan. 29-31. Facilitated by the university’s Center for Executive Education, the IDSLS is designed to create a senior level forum to engage in and enhance core competencies in senior leaders within the Information Dominance (ID) community.

Rogers attended a series of lectures and presentations related to the diverse fields within ID and cyber defense during his visit. He also met with members of the NPS’ recently established Cyber Academic Group to discuss future programs related to cyber education.

“As the 10th Fleet Commander, clearly cyber is one of our primary missions – and an important element of our success in the cyber arena is going to be the knowledge and the abilities of the workforce,” said Rogers. ”The Naval Postgraduate School has an important part to play in helping educate the cyber workforce of the Navy of the future.”

An essential part of this equation would be the education and training NPS is providing the Navy’s workforce. Rogers emphasized the role of graduate education, and forums like the IDSLS, in developing the Navy’s cyber community, particularly in the officer arena, and wanted an introduction to the university’s programs first-hand.

“Since NPS has this critical role to play in helping educate the cyber workforce … I wanted to come out here and see it for myself,” said Rogers.

A part of the cyber education provided by NPS, the IDSLS provides senior leadership with the strategic capabilities to succeed in the ID Community. Attendees to these symposia are leaders in the diverse ID community – O5 and above, senior enlisted E8 and above, or senior civilian equivalents – and while most attendees are usually in the Navy, it’s not uncommon to see the other services reflected in cohorts.

“The Information Dominance Senior Leaders Symposium is designed to develop an executive level perspective that results in a warfare capability integrated in all phases of the joint and naval fight,” said retired Rear Adm. Andy Singer, NPS Intelligence Chair Professor and Director of the Information Dominance Center of Excellence.

“During eight very full days, leaders learn about themselves, Information Dominance as a key element with naval and joint war fighting, in concert with applied leadership, management and strategy tools and models,” he added. “Helping to build a naval warrior ethos with emphasis on Information Dominance, the symposium sends senior leaders back into the fleet better prepared and ready to meet and anticipate the complex opportunities and challenges of today.”

For the Navy, Rogers noted, the idea of operationalizing information is a concept that has been evolving over the last decade. Senior leaders of the Navy, both current and in the past, have emphasized that cyber would be a key operational element of the future strategy of the Navy.

As head of the Navy’s operational cyber command, he recognizes the emergence of the cyber arena within the operational environment, and says he is fortunate that senior leadership of the Navy does as well. Rogers added that he has an optimistic outlook on the days ahead for the Navy’s cyber workforce.

“I think it’s got a bright future but it’s something new so it involves change,” said Rogers. “And change is always a challenge, but it’s a challenge I look forward to.”