A new notice to Department of the Navy personnel warned of a “coordinated, multi-domain campaign” that targeted service members and even their families last week. It instructed its 340,000 active-duty, 58,000 reserve, and 210,000 civilian workforce personnel to be “vigilant” and to scrub social media of unnecessary information.
“Since the initiation of Operation EPIC FURY, the Department of the Navy’s (DON) personnel, assets, and our families face an evolving threat landscape. U.S. military installations and personnel remain under increased vigilance due to recent uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) encounters, suspicious activities, cyber threats, and acts of violence,” Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao wrote in the notice titled “Epic Vigilance: Immediate Actions for Force Protection and Personal Security.”
“Recent incidents across the globe demonstrate a clear growth in adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures,” the notice added. “These are not isolated events; they are part of a deliberate effort to gather intelligence, test our defenses, disrupt our operations, and intimidate our force.”
Doxing Warnings
The notice warned that there have been “direct threats and harassment” that have targeted U.S. Navy personnel and their families via social media and other online platforms, often including doxing, or the publication of personal information.
The notice called for personnel and their families to “harden” their security posture.
“Immediately review all social media accounts (including those of family members) for publicly available personal information. Set profiles to private. Remove any information that could identify your connection to the DON or reveal patterns of life. Adversaries are actively mining this data,” the notice warned.
Too Much Information is Being Shared
The notice came just days before USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) departed the Middle East. Throughout August, reports circulated on social media and were then picked up by mainstream news outlets about worsening conditions onboard the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has called the negative reports fake news, but it is still a reminder that in the social media era, it is hard to keep anything a secret for long.
Perhaps even more ominously, reports suggest CVN-72 will make a port stop in Thailand in the coming days, even as the United States Navy has yet to announce such a visit. Sailors shared the details with families, and it quickly made the rounds on social media.
It is therefore not surprising that the Pentagon may want to curtail what is shared, especially as the conflict with Iran remains unresolved. In the past, the U.S. military had to go to great lengths to remind personnel and civilians alike not to share such details.
“‘Loose Lips Sink Ships’ was a warning about strangers overhearing sailors in a bar. Today the leak does not require an eavesdropper. It requires a spouse or family member with a phone and a Facebook group,” explained Angeli Gianchandani, adjunct instructor of integrated marketing and communications at New York University.
Is This Hiding the Truth?
Some speculate that this notice is as much a reminder to sailors and their families not to air grievances about conditions on board warships on social media as it is a warning that Iran is monitoring warship movements.
Ship spotters, airplane trackers, and others already monitor military movements. Tehran doesn’t need to hear that the USS Abraham Lincoln is headed to Thailand for a port visit. However, posts on social media about moldy showers and a lack of fresh food earlier this month put the Pentagon in an awkward position.
