Navy gets new information warfare director

The Navy announced Monday that Rear Adm. Kathleen Creighton will be the next director of information warfare integration.

Her designation to head the directorate, referred to as N2/N6F, follows a long career in the Navy’s telecommunications and cyber world. Creighton currently serves as the head of the Navy’s cybersecurity division and played a pivotal role in the boost of teleworking capabilities at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. She also worked on the Joint Staff’s command, control, communications and computer systems team.

The Navy’s IT modernization and information superiority vision plan published in February highlights the importance of information warfare in the department.

“Future global naval conflicts will take place afloat, ashore, and in the Information Environment,” the plan states.

The transition to the “Information Age,” as the vision plan describes, came after a scathing review of the Navy’s cyber readiness. The Department has struggled in its modernization of IT and other information-based systems, with former leaders describing networks and computer systems years behind the private sector.

Creighton will replace Rear Adm. Steven Parode.