1st IO Command Overview

General: Located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 1st IO Cmd is the Army’s only Active Duty Information Operations (IO) unit. A multi-component, brigade-level organization, it consists of a Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD) and two battalions. 1st IO Cmd’s mission is to provide IO support to the Army and other Military Forces through deployable IO support teams; IO planning, analysis, and reachback support; and specialized IO training. 1st IO Cmd is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, and is under the Operational Control (OPCON) of the U.S. Army Cyber Command.

Originating Concept: The origins of 1st IO Cmd are directly tied to Army lessons learned from the 1991 Persian Gulf War regarding the need for an organization to provide Information Warfare/Command and Control Warfare (IW/C2W) support to Army commands.

LIWA: In late 1993 and early 1994 the INSCOM Commander, LTG Paul Menoher, developed the concept of the Land Information Warfare Activity (LIWA) as an internal INSCOM directorate. The directorate, was built "out-of-hide" and consisted of fewer than a dozen personnel. On 8 May 1995, HQDA activated LIWA as an operational Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA) organization under the Command of USAINSCOM, with the mission to "provide IW/C2W operational support to land component and separate Army commands, AC/RC, to facilitate planning and execution of Information Operations."

1st IO Cmd Activation: On 28 October 2002 - HQDA activated 1st Information Operations Command (Land), assigning the command OPCON to HQDA G3/5/7 through the DAMO-OD, and ADCON to USAINSCOM. Since its inception, the command has endured a wide range of doctrinal and organizational changes. Overall, it has had a dynamic mission and has accordingly maintained itself as an adaptive organization.

OPCON to ARCYBER: On 2 February 2011, HQDA assigned the command OPCON to US Army Cyber Command (ARCC), with USAINSCOM retaining ADCON.

Assigned to Army Cyber Command: Department of the Army General Order 2021-04, dated 3 February 2021, directed the assignment of 1st Information Operations Command from INSCOM to US Army Cyber Command with an effective date of 1 October 2021.

Brigade Commander COL Willie Rodney

COL Willie Rodney was born and raised in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. He graduated from Morgan State University with a degree in Sociology and was commissioned as a 2LT in the United States Army Air Defense Artillery (ADA) branch in May 2000. As an ADA officer COL Rodney served in various duty positions ranging from platoon leader, executive officer, assistant operations officer, battalion trainer, and battery commander; to include deployments in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, and a tour in South Korea.

In 2007 COL Rodney was accessed into the Army’s Information Operations Functional Area 30. His first FA30 assignment was at US Army Central Command (USARCENT) where he served as the Operations Security Program manager. While at USARCENT COL Rodney deployed three times, once to Afghanistan and twice to Kuwait. In Afghanistan, he was hand-picked to serve as the lead planner on a seven-man team that stood up the Information Operations Task Force-Afghanistan. During his deployments to Kuwait, he served as the Information Operations Plans officer and Special Technical Operations chief forward.

Following his assignment at USARCENT, COL Rodney attended Intermediate Level Education at Fort Lee’s satellite course TDY enroute to United States Army Europe (USAREUR) in Germany. There he served as the command’s Targeting and Cyber plans officer from 2011-2014.


In 2014 COL Rodney was selected to participate in the Army’s Training with Industry broadening program as a Public Relations fellow for Hill + Knowlton Strategies in Washington, DC. At the completion of his fellowship, he conducted a utilization tour at United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. At USSTRATCOM he served as the Command Military Deception Officer and Division Chief for Sensitive Activities (2015-2017)

COL Rodney then served as the Department Chair and Professor of Military Science at Morgan State University and Coppin State University Bear Battalion (2017-2020).

While serving as a PMS he was selected to attend Senior Service College at the National Defense University’s (NDU) Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (2020-2021).

COL Rodney’s last served as the III Armored Corps’ Director, G39 (Information Operations) at Fort Cavazos, Texas.

COL Rodney has numerous military awards and decorations to include the Defense, Army, and Joint Meritorious Service medals and the Army Parachutist Badge. He holds two Masters Degrees: a MA in Management from Webster University and a MS in National Resource Strategy with a concentration in National Security Interagency Leadership from the NDU.

COL Rodney is married to Jacquelyn Rodney and the couple has two daughters Taylor (15) and Olivia (13).

Brigade CSM - vacant