Cmdr. Cayanne “Peppers” McFarlane

COMMANDING OFFICER, NAVAL INFORMATION WARFARE TRAINING GROUP (NIWTG) SAN DIEGO

21 April 2023 A native of Alaska, Cmdr. Cayanne “Peppers” McFarlane is a 2006 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and commissioned as a Cryptologic Warfare Officer.  She obtained a Master of Science in Cyber Systems and Operations from the Naval Postgraduate School in December 2016.
 
Cmdr. McFarlane assumed her present duties as the Commanding Officer of Naval Information Warfare Training Group San Diego in April 2023.
 
Ashore, she has served at Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Texas from 2006 to 2009 as Deputy Department Head, Security Operations Center Watch Officer, and Legal Officer; NIOC Colorado from 2011 to 2015 as Training Department Head, Foreign Instrumentation Signals Intelligence Branch Chief, Navy Tactical Customer Engagement Officer-in-Charge (OIC), HEO Satellite Collection Manager, and Legal Officer; USINDOPACOM Joint Information Operations Center from 2016 to 2018 as Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance SIGINT Chief, Joint Mission Management Element-Hawaii OIC, Deputy Chief Cyber Analysis Division, Deputy Chief Executive Engagement, and IWO Program Coordinator; USINDOPACOM Headquarters from 2018 to 2019 as the Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Commander of USINDOPACOM; and Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Sicily from 2019 to 2021 as the Executive Officer.
 
Afloat, she served on board the USS Farragut (DDG 99) from 2009 to 2011 as the ship’s Information Warfare Officer, Electronic Warfare Officer, Command Special Security Officer, Planning Board for Training Coordinator, and Sexual Assault Prevention Response Coordinator.  She also completed a seven-month Anti-Piracy Campaign deployment and qualified as Officer of the Deck, Combat Information Center Watch Officer, Surface Warfare Officer, and Information Dominance Warfare Officer.
 
Her deployments include Joint Task Force - Guantanamo Bay from 2007 to 2008 as the Current Operations Assistant OIC and Joint Intelligence Group Detainee Movement Operations Representative; USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) in support of Operation Continuing Promise 2008; Operation Enduring Freedom 2012-2013 as the Cryptologic Support Team 20 OIC in support of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan (7^th and 3^rd Group Special Forces); and embarked on board USS Nimitz (CVN 68) from 2021 to 2023 as the Carrier Strike Group ELEVEN Assistant Chief of Staff N9/N39 for Non-Kinetic Effects, Information Operations, Electronic Warfare, and Special Access Program and Special Technical Operations Program Manager, deploying to the 7^th Fleet Area of Operations from 2022 to 2023.
 
Additionally, she is a qualified Space Cadre member holding the VS7 AQD.
 
Cmdr. McFarlane has earned numerous personal awards to include defying death (five and a half times), summiting more than 60 peaks over 10,000 feet, running in 122 degrees, and being the first female to climb the 170+ foot Low Frequency tower located in Niscemi, Sicily in under one hour.