U.S. Navy · Intelligence and Cryptology

CWT Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT)

Navy Cyber Warfare Technicians (CWT), the rating that replaced Cryptologic Technician Networks (CTN) in 2023, perform offensive and defensive cyber operations, network analysis, and digital forensics for U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency. CWT is enlisted through the Advanced Technical Field program, and the Navy Recruiting Manual's AEF/ATF matrix publishes three alternative qualification paths: AR + 2MK + GS ≥ 255, VE + AR + MK + MC ≥ 235, or CT + MK + VE ≥ 173 with a Cyber Test score of at least 60. The first two are ASVAB line scores and are what this page evaluates; the third depends on a separate test the ASVAB does not contain.

last verified 2026-08-04

CWT (Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT)) is in the Navy and requires a minimum AFQT of 31 and either AR + 2MK + GS ≥ 255 or VE + AR + MK + MC ≥ 235; a third published path, CT + MK + VE ≥ 173 with CT ≥ 60, is scored on the Navy's separate Cyber Test rather than on the ASVAB. Last verified 2026-08-04 against COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1130.8Q (Navy Recruiting Manual — Enlisted, 30 Jan 2025), Exhibit 5-6 AEF and ATF Program Matrix, p. 5-31.

Quick check

Can I qualify for this job?

Enter the scores you already know. Leave a box blank if you do not have that score yet. Any one listed line-score path can qualify.

AFQT minimum 31Enter AFQT
AR+2MK+GS minimum 255Enter AR+2MK+GS
VE+AR+MK+MC minimum 235Enter VE+AR+MK+MC

Plain requirement

What you need.

  • Min AFQT31
  • Training~26 weeks
  • AR+2MK+GS line score≥ 255
  • VE+AR+MK+MC line score≥ 235

Meet any one listed line-score path.

AFQT 31 is a percentile. The line scores above are not — they are Navy composites, weighted sums of your ASVAB subtest standard scores. Work yours out from your score sheet with the Navy ASVAB line score calculator.

Source: COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1130.8Q (Navy Recruiting Manual — Enlisted, 30 Jan 2025), Exhibit 5-6 AEF and ATF Program Matrix, p. 5-31 · last verified 2026-08-04.

Role brief

About CWT — Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT).

Navy Cyber Warfare Technicians (CWT), the rating that replaced Cryptologic Technician Networks (CTN) in 2023, perform offensive and defensive cyber operations, network analysis, and digital forensics for U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency. CWT is enlisted through the Advanced Technical Field program, and the Navy Recruiting Manual's AEF/ATF matrix publishes three alternative qualification paths: AR + 2MK + GS ≥ 255, VE + AR + MK + MC ≥ 235, or CT + MK + VE ≥ 173 with a Cyber Test score of at least 60. The first two are ASVAB line scores and are what this page evaluates; the third depends on a separate test the ASVAB does not contain.

Starting pay · 2026

What this job pays as a junior enlisted member.

Base pay is set by pay grade, not by job — every Navy enlistee at the same grade earns the same monthly base pay. These are the 2026 active-duty rates (3.8% raise, effective 2026-01-01).

GradeRankMonthly base payService
E-1Seaman Recruit (SR)$2,407after 4 months of service
E-2Seaman Apprentice (SA)$2,698under 2 years
E-3Seaman (SN)$2,837under 2 years
E-4Petty Officer 3rd Class$3,142under 2 years
  • Plus food allowance (BAS)$460/moFlat enlisted rate, tax-free, paid on top of base pay.
  • Plus housing allowance (BAH)Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is paid on top of base pay and is tax-free, but it varies by duty-station ZIP code, pay grade, and whether you have dependents — there is no single nationwide figure. Use the official DoD BAH calculator for your assignment location.DoD BAH rate lookup →

Source: DFAS 2026 active-duty basic pay tables (3.8% raise, effective Jan 1 2026) · last verified 2026-05-23 · date retrieved 2026-05-23.

Eligibility notes

What CWT candidates should check.

  • The Navy's Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT) is the rating you now enlist into if you searched for 'Cryptologic Technician Networks' (CTN): the Navy disestablished the CTN rating on 28 June 2023 and moved its Sailors and cyber-operations mission into the newly created CWT rating. Recruiting paperwork, ASVAB score sheets, and job listings use 'CWT,' so a 'CTN ASVAB score' search and a 'CWT ASVAB score' search point to the same requirements (re-verified 2026-07-15).
  • The two ASVAB paths are alternatives — clear either AR + 2MK + GS ≥ 255 or VE + AR + MK + MC ≥ 235. Both come from the AEF and ATF Program Matrix (Exhibit 5-6, p. 5-31) of the Navy Recruiting Manual, COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1130.8Q of 30 January 2025, which is the recruiting standard for enlisting into CWT. The same table adds a Single Scope Background Investigation, a 72-month obligated service and U.S. citizenship, all of which apply whichever score path you use.
  • AR + 2MK + GS counts Mathematics Knowledge TWICE: it is Arithmetic Reasoning + Mathematics Knowledge + Mathematics Knowledge + General Science. That is why the minimum (255) looks so much higher than the four-test VE + AR + MK + MC path (235) — the doubled term means a strong MK standard score is worth twice as much on this route, and it is usually the easier of the two paths for a math-heavy test taker.
  • The manual prints a third route, CT + MK + VE ≥ 173 with a minimum CT of 60. CT here is the Navy's Cyber Test, a separate service-specific test — it is not one of the ten subtests on the ASVAB (General Science, Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Mathematics Knowledge, Electronics Information, Auto Information, Shop Information, Mechanical Comprehension, Assembling Objects). Your ASVAB results sheet will not contain a CT score, so this page documents that path rather than scoring it. If your ASVAB line scores fall short of both numbers above, ask your recruiter about the Cyber Test route.
  • Until 2026-08-04 this page published a single requirement of AR + MK + EI + GS ≥ 223 for CWT, taken from a navy.com career page. That combination is not one of CWT's paths in the recruiting manual: 223 on AR + MK + EI + GS is the figure the same manual assigns to Cryptologic Technician Technical (CTT) — a different rating on the very next page of the matrix. Score lists reproducing the 223 number for CWT are quoting the wrong rating, so this page now follows the manual.
  • The Navy's non-prior-service enlistment AFQT minimum is 31 (paragraph 020702 of the same manual), and the AEF/ATF matrix attaches no rating-specific AFQT minimum to CWT — the line scores above are the binding gate. Secondary score lists commonly quote AFQT 50 for CWT; the manual does not, and a 50 does appear in it as the criterion for the Loan Repayment Program rather than for the rating. Confirm with a recruiter which figure applies to your contract and any bonus.
  • CWT is a Sensitive Compartmented Information rating. The manual requires U.S. citizenship and Single Scope Background Investigation eligibility, a Personnel Security Screening Questionnaire in the applicant's record, and an in-depth personal security screening interview at Recruit Training Command conducted by a Naval Information Forces representative. Moral turpitude offences are generally disqualifying and former Peace Corps members are ineligible; a record that would block a TS/SCI clearance is disqualifying regardless of ASVAB score.
  • CWT carries a 72-month (six-year) obligated service commitment in the manual's AEF/ATF matrix, longer than most enlisted ratings, because of the length of the cyber training pipeline.
  • The manual states that CWT 'A' school is a 26-week NEC-producing specialized school (paragraph 050206), and that CWT trainees skip the Basic Electricity and Electronics course other AEF/ATF ratings take first. Recruit Training is at Great Lakes, Illinois; the cyber pipeline runs at Pensacola, Florida, where navycs.com records a roughly seven-week Class 'C' school following 'A' school.

What ASVAB score do you need for CWT (Cyber Warfare Technician)?

You need either AR + 2MK + GS of at least 255 or VE + AR + MK + MC of at least 235. Both come from the AEF and ATF Program Matrix in COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1130.8Q, the Navy Recruiting Manual of 30 January 2025 (verified 2026-08-04). They are alternatives — clearing one is enough. The Navy's enlistment AFQT floor of 31 applies as a separate threshold, and the manual sets no rating-specific AFQT minimum for CWT.

Is AR+MK+EI+GS = 223 the CWT requirement?

No. 223 on AR + MK + EI + GS is the Navy Recruiting Manual's figure for Cryptologic Technician Technical (CTT), a different rating in the same matrix. CWT's published paths are AR + 2MK + GS ≥ 255 and VE + AR + MK + MC ≥ 235. This page carried the 223 number until 2026-08-04 and has been corrected against the manual.

Why is MK doubled in the AR+2MK+GS composite?

Because the Navy weights Mathematics Knowledge twice on that route: AR + 2MK + GS means Arithmetic Reasoning + Mathematics Knowledge + Mathematics Knowledge + General Science. The doubling is why its minimum of 255 is higher than the 235 on the four-test VE + AR + MK + MC path, and it makes a strong MK standard score the fastest way to clear the requirement.

Can you qualify for CWT with the Navy Cyber Test instead of the ASVAB?

The recruiting manual publishes a third CWT path of CT + MK + VE ≥ 173 with a minimum CT score of 60, where CT is the Navy's Cyber Test — a separate test, not an ASVAB subtest. Your ASVAB results sheet will not show a CT score, so this page evaluates only the two ASVAB paths. If you fall short of both, ask a recruiter about the Cyber Test route.

Is Cryptologic Technician Networks (CTN) the same as Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT)?

Yes. The Navy disestablished the Cryptologic Technician Networks (CTN) rating on 28 June 2023 and moved its Sailors and cyber-operations mission into the new Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT) rating. If you are searching 'CTN ASVAB score,' the CWT requirements are what apply today.

What security clearance does a Navy Cyber Warfare Technician need?

CWT is a Sensitive Compartmented Information rating: the recruiting manual requires U.S. citizenship, Single Scope Background Investigation eligibility, a Personnel Security Screening Questionnaire, and an in-depth security screening interview at Recruit Training Command. Clearance eligibility matters as much as the ASVAB score — a disqualifying background record blocks the rating even with a high line score.

How long is the enlistment obligation for CWT?

The manual's AEF/ATF matrix lists 72 months of obligated service — a six-year initial enlistment, longer than most enlisted ratings, because of the length of the cyber training pipeline.

How long is CWT A-school and where is it?

The recruiting manual describes CWT 'A' school as a 26-week NEC-producing specialized school, and exempts CWT trainees from the Basic Electricity and Electronics course other AEF/ATF ratings take first. It runs at Pensacola, Florida, after boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois; navycs.com records a roughly seven-week Class 'C' school immediately after.

What does a Navy Cyber Warfare Technician do?

CWTs conduct offensive and defensive cyber operations, network analysis, and digital forensics in support of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency — the mission the Cryptologic Technician Networks (CTN) rating carried before 2023.

Source: COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1130.8Q (Navy Recruiting Manual — Enlisted, 30 Jan 2025), Exhibit 5-6 AEF and ATF Program Matrix, p. 5-31 · last verified 2026-08-04 · date retrieved 2026-08-04.

Nearby targets

Related Navy score targets.

Related

Practice AFQT plus CWT line-score subtests.

AFQT + AR+2MK+GS / VE+AR+MK+MC practice targets

Compare Navy ASVAB requirements

Independent test-prep — not affiliated with DoD or the ASVAB program. See officialasvab.com for the test program.

Sources