PHOENIX – Future Sailor (FS) Karla Torres-Casillas became the Navy’s first contracted Robotics Warfare (RW) Specialist after enlisting in the Navy at Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) Phoenix, Aug. 27, 2024.
The RW rating became available for active-duty contracts on Aug. 27, 2024.
“I came here not sure of what job I wanted or qualified for,” said Torres-Casillas. “I got so happy when I received the news that I got the job. I am going to be the first member of my family to serve in the military. My parents sacrificed a lot to provide our family with a better quality of life and I owe it to them to do well with this amazing opportunity the Navy is giving me. My family moved to San Diego from Mexico when I was young. It was really hard to move and leave behind my uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends. I can’t even imagine how hard it was for my parents. That is why I want to make them proud and show them that it was worth the sacrifice.”
Damage Controlmen 1st Class Kreig Newton, assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Phoenix and the senior classifier for MEPS Phoenix, led Torres-Casillas in the history-making enlistment. During the job-picking process, he realized that Torres-Casillas was fully qualified for the newly available RW rating.
“I was surprised when I saw that RW was available as of today,” said Newton. “I called headquarters to confirm RW and then realized she was qualified based on her [ASVAB] line scores. I mentioned the job to her and she was super excited. I will never forget the look on her face after I told her she was going to be the first contracted female Robotics [Warfare] Specialist.”
“Petty Officer Newton was amazing,” said Torres-Casillas. “He asked me a lot of questions about my interests. Then he told me about Robotics [Warfare] Specialist. It sounded perfect to me. It is a little overwhelming to be first but I am ready for the challenge.”
Torres-Casillas, now a Delayed Entry Program Future Sailor, will continue to work with her recruiter Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Tremaine Smith, assigned to NTAG Phoenix, Navy Recruiting Station Desert Sky. Smith is no longer just a recruiter to Torres-Casillas; he is her first Navy mentor, and his new job is to help her get ready for the next step in her Navy career: boot camp. Torres-Casillas is expected to depart Phoenix for the Navy’s boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois in January 2025.
The establishment of the RW rating, announced in the U.S. Navy’s NAVADMIN 036/24, underpins the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti’s plans for building and developing “a team who has the reps and sets in sensors, platform autonomy, and mission autonomy programs, and can provide input in machine-learning feedback processes,” a priority she discussed in her keynote address at the WEST 2024 naval conference.
The creation of the RW rating has distinguished the Navy as the first Department of Defense branch to establish a dedicated enlisted workforce specialized in unmanned and autonomous technology.
The Navy’s Fact Sheet focused on RW Conversion Opportunity provides further details on the specific NECs, ASVAB scores, and background requirements for applicants:
www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Messages/NAVADMIN/FACT_SHEETS/Fact_Sheet_NAV_036_24_Conversion
For information regarding the application process, visit the RW enlisted community management page on the MyNavy HR website at: www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Community-Management/Enlisted/Robotics-Warfare
From Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jasen MorenoGarcia
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