Current:Home > MyA Navy officer is demoted after sneaking a satellite dish onto a warship to get the internet-LoTradeCoin
A Navy officer is demoted after sneaking a satellite dish onto a warship to get the internet
View Date:2024-12-24 21:30:02
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A U.S. Navy chief who wanted the internet so she and other enlisted officers could scroll social media, check sports scores and watch movies while deployed had an unauthorized Starlink satellite dish installed on a warship and lied to her commanding officer to keep it secret, according to investigators.
Internet access is restricted while a ship is underway to maintain bandwidth for military operations and to protect against cybersecurity threats.
The Navy quietly relieved Grisel Marrero, a command senior chief of the littoral combat ship USS Manchester, in August or September 2023, and released information on parts of the investigation this week.
The Navy Times was first to report on the details.
Marrero, a former information systems technician, and senior leaders paid $2,800 for the Starlink High Performance Kit and had it installed in April 2023 prior to deployment of the San Diego-based Manchester, according to the investigation.
She and more than a dozen other chief petty officers used it to send messages home and keep up with the news and bought signal amplifiers during a stop in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after they realized the wireless signal did not cover all areas of the ship, according to the investigation.
Those involved also used the Chief Petty Officer Association’s debit card to pay off the $1,000 monthly Starlink bill.
The network was not shared with rank-and-file sailors.
Marrero tried to hide the network, which she called “Stinky,” by renaming it as a printer, denying its existence and even intercepting a comment about the network left in the commanding officer’s suggestion box, according to the investigation.
Marrero did not respond to an AP email Friday seeking comment.
In March she was convicted at a court-martial where she pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty and providing false official statements to commanders, the Navy Times reported. She was demoted to a chief petty officer after trial.
Marrero was relieved “due to a loss of confidence in her leadership abilities,” said spokesperson Cmdr. Cindy Fields said via email.
“Navy senior enlisted leaders ... are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards,” Fields said.
Last week a commander of the destroyer USS John McCain was relieved of duty after he was seen in a photo firing a rifle with a scope mounted backward. The image brought the Navy considerable ridicule on social media.
veryGood! (59237)
Related
- Judge weighs the merits of a lawsuit alleging ‘Real Housewives’ creators abused a cast member
- Detroit child playing in backyard mauled to death by 1 or 2 dogs
- “They burned her: At the end of an awful wait for news comes word that a feared hostage is dead
- The trees arrived with Polynesian voyagers. After Maui wildfire, there’s a chance to restore them
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
- Press freedom group says Taliban court has freed a French-Afghan journalist held for 284 days
- Spooked by Halloween mayhem, Tokyo's famous Shibuya district tells revelers, please do not come
- Pulse nightclub property to be purchased by city of Orlando and turned into a memorial
- As US Catholic bishops meet, Trump looms over their work on abortion and immigration
- Takeaways from AP’s reporting on who gets hurt by RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine work
Ranking
- Justine Bateman feels like she can breathe again in 'new era' after Trump win
- Why John Stamos Hated Ex Rebecca Romijn During Painful Divorce
- U.S. to create new immigration program for Ecuadorians aimed at discouraging border crossings
- Las Vegas Aces become first repeat WNBA champs in 21 years, beating Liberty 70-69 in Game 4
- Ex-Marine misused a combat technique in fatal chokehold of NYC subway rider, trainer testifies
- German soccer club Mainz suspends player for ‘unacceptable’ social media post about Israel-Hamas war
- Week 7 fantasy football rankings: Injuries, byes leave lineups extremely thin
- 'The Voice': Gwen Stefani and John Legend go head-to-head in first battle of Season 24
Recommendation
-
The Bachelorette's Desiree Hartsock Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Siegfried
-
Inter Miami faces Charlotte FC in key MLS game: How to watch, will Lionel Messi play?
-
Germany’s Deutsche Bahn sells European subsidiary Arriva to infrastructure investor I Squared
-
EU debates how to handle rising security challenges as Israel-Hamas war provokes new concerns
-
Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
-
Another Republican enters North Carolina’s campaign for governor, preparing to spend millions
-
What is hydrogen energy, and is it a key to fighting climate change?
-
Watch: Bear, cub captured on doorbell camera in the middle of the night at Florida home