Information systems technician ( United States Navy ) Information systems technician ( IT ) is a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel , specializing in communications technology . Information systems technician submarines ( ITS ) is a rating for U . S . Navy submariners . " Information systems technician " is a U . S . Navy and Coast Guard specific job , also known as an enlisted rating ( often called MOS by other armed services ) . The other U . S . Armed Forces have similar positions , but with different titles utilized ( information technology specialist in the U . S . Army , data network specialist in the U . S . Marine Corps ) Information systems technicians design , install , operate , and maintain state - of - the - art information systems . This technology includes local and wide area network s , mainframe , mini and microcomputer systems and associated peripheral devices . They also write programs to handle the collection , manipulation and distribution of data for a wide variety of applications and requirements . They perform the functions of a computer system analyst , operate telecommunications systems including automated networks and the full spectrum of data links and circuit s . The IT rating is one of the most diverse ratings in the US Navy . The IT rating was created in 1997 from a combination of two previous Navy ratings - radioman ( RM ) and data processing technician ( DP ) . A third rating , cryptologic technician communications ( CTO ) merged with IT in October , 2005 . In February 2010 , the IT rating was incorporated into the Information Dominance Corps . Schooling . IT candidates attend " A " school at Corry Station in Pensacola , Florida . Schooling is instructor led , using a computer - based learning system . IT students share classes with members of all U . S . armed forces services , including Marine radiomen and Army computer systems operators . ITS " A " school is located at Submarine Base New London in Groton , Connecticut . Students must first complete Basic Enlisted Submarine School . History of the IT rating . The radioman ( RM ) and data processing technician ( DP ) ratings were merged in November 1998 , keeping the radioman name . In November 1999 the rating was re - designated information systems technician . Both radiomen and data processing technicians in the Navy had to undergo general rate training and take a computer - based exam in order to be designated under the new IT rating ( the data processing technicians found themselves bound to a serious learning curve because they had to learn every single aspect from the radioman rating ) whereas to the radiomen , most of them already had a general knowledge in basic computer fundamentals and maintenance . In 1996 the submarine force merged radioman with electronics technicians and electronic warfare specialist . The ITS rating for submarines was created in December 2010 . The Coast Guard radioman ( RM ) rating was renamed telecommunications specialist ( TC ) in 1995 , which split in 2003 to make up the information system technician ( IT ) and operations specialist ( OS ) ratings . The Coast Guard telephone technician ( TT ) rating was also merged into the IT rating in 2003 ; the TT rating device of a telephone handset over the globe became the rating device for the Coast Guard IT rating . Information systems technician are a close - knit community . In addition , the information systems technician slogan is TTOTF , meaning : " the thunder of the fleet . " Two other less used slogans are " the brother and sisterhood of the thunder bolt " and " the voice of the fleet " . Warfare qualifications . While there is a community - specific Information Dominance Corps warfare qualification for ITs , the IT rating is one of the few ratings that can qualify in all aspects of naval warfare , such as :