By Kris Patterson, Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic Public Affairs
On July 30, 1942, nearly eight months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Public Law 689 creating the Navy’s women’s reserve program, known as the “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service” or WAVES.
WAVES allowed women to enlist or commission in the Navy in a variety of career fields, ranging from clerical and hospital work, to military intelligence, cryptography and parachute rigging.
More than 100,000 women served in WAVES during World War II.
Of the approximately 438,000 Americans who serve in the Navy today, about a third of them serve in the Navy Reserve, 19% of which are women, in every career field.
In honor of the 82nd anniversary of the creation of WAVES, Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic celebrates one of its newest Navy Reserve augmentees: Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Petty Officer (IS1) Sarah Redsicker, a woman whose budding career is marked by dedication and achievement, honoring the legacy of the first WAVES Reserve Sailors.
Over the past year, Redsicker, a member of the NIWC Atlantic Cybersecurity Service Provider (CSSP) Integrated Product Team (IPT), has not only achieved career milestones, but also, embraced personal triumphs that define her resilience and dedication to service.
From a recent high-flying reenlistment with the Blue Angels to leading critical cybersecurity training exercises, Redsicker’s naval journey is one of unwavering commitment and profound impact.
A native of Chili and a 2016 graduate of Gates Chili High School, Redsicker joined the Navy Reserves in 2017 with a clear vision of contributing meaningfully to national security. She was driven to join by her interest in digital forensics and a desire to make a lasting impact on the world.
“I always dreamed of doing something in the criminal justice or cybersecurity fields and had this end goal to one day work with NCIS,” Redsicker said. “I wanted to do something that would make not only my family proud but also myself proud.”
Choosing the Navy Reserve allowed Redsicker to remain close to her family in Rochester while actively contributing to military operations. Her decision to join the military was also influenced by a family legacy of service; her grandfather served in the Army during the Korean War.
Initially slated to serve as a Master-at-Arms (MA), her path quickly shifted toward Intelligence Specialist (IS) after excelling on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). Choosing the IS rating aligned more closely with her career aspirations and offered opportunities for professional growth.
She attended boot camp in 2018, followed by four months of ‘A’ school to learn the fundamentals of intelligence operations, then four more months of ‘C’ school for more specialized training.
After this significant training, her career trajectory took a pivotal turn when she accepted Active Duty for Special Work (ADSW) orders in Rome, New York, where she discovered her passion for intelligence operations. She also earned her Information Warfare (IW) qualification within three months of being on orders and assisted two other Sailors’ qualification in the IW program soon after.
“I learned the ins and outs of my rate and fell in love with intel,” said Redsicker. “It was a career field I knew I wanted to stay in and excel as best I could.”
Following the ADSW assignment, Redsicker worked with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), gaining experience that set the stage for her current role with the NIWC Atlantic CSSP in Charleston, South Carolina.
CSSP supports warfighters by protecting communications, defending against cyber-attacks, protecting critical infrastructure and supporting intelligence operations. The team provides incident response to quickly respond to and contain cyber incidents, minimizing the impact on operations and maintaining the integrity of critical systems.
Shortly after starting orders in Charleston, Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Kapral, portfolio manager for the CSSP’s Navy and Combatant Command (COCOM) customer portfolio, explained to Redsicker the command’s vision of aligning the Reserve Naval Warfare (NAVWAR) Cyber Pillar Unit with NIWC Atlantic. This partnership would provide additional skills and knowledge resources to the CSSP, especially when responding to significant cyber incidents.
“The ultimate goal was to have the unit split into supplementing roles to support the CSSP in the event that we experience a cyber incident,” said Redsicker. “In order for that to happen, we needed to identify the positions that Reserve Sailors could fill, and then work to train them.”
As her mentor, Kapral played a pivotal role in her career, facilitating her transition to active duty and fostering her interest in cybersecurity through specialized training and operational support.
“Being one of four Navy individuals in uniform within the CSSP, he took the time to really teach me the ropes of what it meant to be a part of an organization that is known for its ability to defend and monitor networks,” said Redsicker. “He introduced me to the CSSP’s Cyber Threat Intelligence team, and helped me secure a spot in the Cyber Threat Intelligence ‘C’ school that I had been wanting to go to since it first came out.”
The Cyber Threat Intelligence ‘C’ school was two months of specialized training to empower Redsicker with the skills to provide government oversight to the CSSP Cyber Threat Intelligence team.
Redsicker also participated in two weeks of NAVWAR Cyber Pillar CSSP Annual Training (AT). By the next AT period, a month later, Redsicker helped develop and deliver training material to teach the Reservists joining their team.
“I learned a lot by teaching others,” said Redsicker. “Fast forward to now and I have a really good understanding of our work here at the CSSP – enough so to lead trainings for others and get them qualified to meet the cyber mission for their unit.”
In October 2023, Redsicker presented two intelligence briefs at the NAVWAR Cyber Pillar Gibson Castle 23, a four-day exercise that focused on operational and tactical strategies for the unit’s cybersecurity analysts. This exercise emulated what analysts on the NIWC Atlantic CSSP operations watch floor perform during a real-world cybersecurity breach.
Two months later, in December 2023, Redsicker was frocked to petty officer first class. Kapral pinned Redsicker with her new insignia during a ceremony in front of her peers at NIWC Atlantic’s headquarters building.
“Her frocking signaled not only recognition of her skills and dedication, but also marked the beginning of new responsibilities, increased expectations and leadership roles, which she handled with grace,” said her partner of four years, ISC (Chief/E-7) Andrew Brooker, also a Reserve Sailor, whom she met while on ADSW orders in Rome, New York. “It’s a testament to her resilience and ability to manage multiple responsibilities.”
Beyond her professional endeavors, Redsicker’s experienced significant personal milestones in 2023 as well.
wo weeks after her frocking, on December 26, she and Brooker welcomed a baby boy, requiring her to balance the demands of motherhood with her robust military career. With inspiration born from watching Redsicker grow exponentially, both personally and professionally, Brooker has become her biggest advocate.
“Andrew has always been a huge supporter of my career and was ecstatic when I got an offer to go back on active duty and learn a different field than what I had done previously,” Redsicker said. “Because he is also Navy, he understands what it means going from Reserves to full time and he was able to help me through that transition. Originally, I had wanted to get out of the Navy after this enlistment, but with the help and encouragement of not only him, but also the NIWC Atlantic command and my friends and family – I made the decision to stay in.”
With this support in mind, Redsicker decided to reenlist for three more years of service.
She asked Kapral to reenlist her while mid-flight aboard one of the prestigious Blue Angels’ aircrafts, the iconic “Fat Albert” C-130.
“He has made the biggest impact on me and my career since coming on active-duty orders,” Redsicker said. “His support and encouragement has helped shape my path in cybersecurity and intelligence operations, and changed my entire perspective on the Navy.”
The Blue Angels are an elite demonstration squadron renowned for its aerial acrobatics and precision flying. In a momentous event high above the clouds, Redsicker raised her right hand to reaffirm her oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. By doing so, Redsicker fulfilled a childhood dream inspired by her father’s admiration for the Blue Angels.
“Growing up, my dad was always a huge fan of the Blue Angels, so naturally, that spilled over to me and we both always went to the airshows to see them,” Redsicker explained. “I don’t think we will ever get tired of watching them fly around and the maneuvers they do are beyond impressive. I was over the moon happy and excited. It was absolutely amazing.”
Redsicker’s dad, Robert Redsicker, traveled all the way from Chili with Redsicker’s childhood friend, Rachael Zielke, to watch his daughter fly in “Fat Albert” from the ground.
“In the past year alone, my daughter’s achievements have been nothing short of impressive,” said Robert. “She was promoted to the rank of IS1 and recognized for her leadership and expertise within her field, and not everyone gets the opportunity to go up in the Fat Albert C-130, let alone be able to dangle their feet out of the aircraft, then reenlisting mid-flight. I couldn’t be any more proud.”
While Redsicker’s father was originally worried about his daughter joining the military, she believes that her continued success has only increased his pride in her.
“Because I was an only child, he was not a huge fan of the idea of his daughter joining the military at first,” said Redsicker. “After some time and realizing how enthusiastic and excited I was about it, he finally shared the pride and excitement that I felt. By the time I had to leave for boot camp, he was thrilled and extremely proud of me. He has always supported me one hundred percent ever since, so to be able to have him watch me reenlist with the Blue Angels was the highlight of my career.”
That statement is significant, considering all that she’s accomplished in such a short amount of time.
Just a week prior to her reenlistment, Redsicker was presented a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (NAM) for her work within the CSSP, underlining her dedication to protecting critical information systems and enhancing cyber defense capabilities.
“Her role in helping us organize our cybersecurity exercises and training future Reservists underscores her commitment to preparing the next generation for the challenges of modern warfare,” said Kapral. “Her journey serves as an inspiration to both men and women in the fields of cybersecurity, military service, and Naval Reserves, proving that with determination and support, anything is possible.”
As she reflects on her journey so far, Redsicker said she is grateful for the opportunities the Navy Reserve has provided her. Looking ahead, she said she aims to continue her career progression within the Navy and earn a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a focus on digital forensics from the American Military University. As part of that future, her plans include commissioning as an officer and leading future generations of Sailors.
She hopes her story serves as a testament to the limitless possibilities within the military and serves as a beacon of hope and determination for future generations of service members, especially for those who serve in the Reserves.
“I hope that my achievements in leadership, cybersecurity, and personal milestones, inspire and empower others, hopefully leaving an indelible mark on the Navy Reserve and the communities I serve,” Redsicker said.
About NIWC Atlantic
As a part of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, formerly known as SPAWAR, NIWC Atlantic provides systems engineering and acquisition to deliver information warfare capabilities to the naval, joint and national warfighter through the acquisition, development, integration, production, test, deployment, and sustainment of interoperable command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, cyber and information technology capabilities.
