Cryptologic technician
Encyclopedia
Cryptologic Technician is a United States Navy
enlisted rating or job specialty. The CT community performs a wide range of tasks in support of the national intelligence effort, with an emphasis on cryptology and signal intelligence related products.
Most CT personnel are required to obtain and maintain security clearances. Due to the highly classified work environment, it is not always possible to share resources with other commands. Almost every detail surrounding the CT world from administration to operations to repair requires dedicated technicians with appropriate security clearances (this accounts for the many branches
of the CT rating, i.e. CTA, CTI, CTM, CTN, CTR, CTT). The contribution of an individual CT will depend upon the branch or career area.
Members of the CT community enjoy a wide range of career and training options. Once trained, a CT might serve ashore, afloat or in an airborne capacity. (It is rare, but some have earned all three, i.e. dolphins, wings and swords over the course of a career.) A CT can expect overseas assignments of lengthy duration.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
enlisted rating or job specialty. The CT community performs a wide range of tasks in support of the national intelligence effort, with an emphasis on cryptology and signal intelligence related products.
Most CT personnel are required to obtain and maintain security clearances. Due to the highly classified work environment, it is not always possible to share resources with other commands. Almost every detail surrounding the CT world from administration to operations to repair requires dedicated technicians with appropriate security clearances (this accounts for the many branches
of the CT rating, i.e. CTA, CTI, CTM, CTN, CTR, CTT). The contribution of an individual CT will depend upon the branch or career area.
Members of the CT community enjoy a wide range of career and training options. Once trained, a CT might serve ashore, afloat or in an airborne capacity. (It is rare, but some have earned all three, i.e. dolphins, wings and swords over the course of a career.) A CT can expect overseas assignments of lengthy duration.
Specialties
- Administration (CTA) - Administrative and clerical duties that control access to classifiedClassified informationClassified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
material such as Special Security Officer (SSO) or Defense Courier Service (DCS). (No longer active.) - Interpretive (CTI) - Radiotelephone communicationsTelecommunicationTelecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
and foreign languageForeign languageA foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
translationTranslationTranslation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of... - Maintenance (CTM) - The installation, servicing and repair of electronic and electromechanical equipment
- Networks (CTN) - CTNs plan and execute computer network operations (CNO) actions/counter-actions in support of defending and exploiting computer network systems.
- Collection (CTR) – Voice/morse communications and operation of radio direction finding equipment
- Synonymous with US Army job specialty 35S (Signals Collector/Analyst) and US Marine MOS 2621
- Technical (CTT) - Non-communications signals intelligence (ELINT), Electronic Warfare Support (ES), Electronic Attack (EA), Electronic Protect (EP), Anti-Ship Missile Defense (ASMD), while a portion perform servicing and maintenance of various related electronic countermeasures systems (i.e., AN/SLQ-32)
Rating changes
- 1942-43 Specialists (Q) (CR) Cryptographers - Established 1942-1943 changed to CT in 1948
- 1948 Communications Technician - Established 1948 from the ratings of Specialist (Q) (Cryptographers), Specialist (Q) (Radio Intelligence), Specialist (Q) (Technicians), and Radioman
- 1976 Communications Technician renamed to Cryptologic Technician (name alignment w/officer community).
- On October 1, 2003, Electronic WarfareElectronic warfareElectronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
Technicians (EW) were merged with CTT. - On October 1, 2007, CTA merged with Yeoman (YN), and LegalmanLegalmanLegalman is a United States Navy occupational rating.Legalmen:* Perform paralegal duties under the direction and supervision of Judge Advocates in providing and administering legal services, including matters concerned with military justice, administrative discharges, claims, admiralty law and...
. - CTO merged with Information Systems TechnicianInformation Systems Technician (U.S. Navy)Information System Technician is a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology....
(IT). - CTM were scheduled to be disestablished in 2008, with certain skill sets converting to Electronics TechnicianElectronics TechnicianElectronics Technician is a common enlisted occupation in many Militaries. Common duties for ETs include repair, calibration, and basic maintenance of most electronic equipment.-US Navy:...
(ET) and Information Systems Technician (IT) billets, this has been set on hold for further planning.
See also
- Defense Language Aptitude BatteryDefense Language Aptitude BatteryThe Defense Language Aptitude Battery is a test used by the United States Department of Defense to test an individual's potential for learning a foreign language. It is used to determine who may pursue training as a military linguist. It consists of 126 multiple-choice questions, and the test is...
(The test taken to become a CTI) - List of United States Navy ratings