Published on September 9, 2024, 12:32 am

In a shocking revelation from the U.S. Navy, Grisel Marrero, a command senior chief of the littoral combat ship USS Manchester, was demoted for violating secure communication protocols. This incident points to the importance of maintaining real news and trusted news sources in an era rife with misinformation.

Back in 1996 and early 1997, during Operation Joint Endeavor, strict security protocols were enforced even as the internet was still growing. Classified information had to be guarded and any violations were dealt with seriously. But now, it seems astonishingly easy for such a major communications security breach (COMSEC) to occur.

Marrero reportedly had an unauthorized Starlink high-performance satellite dish installed on her warship, dishonestly telling her commander that it was merely a device nicknamed “Stinky.” Interestingly enough, Marrero’s motivation behind this act was to gain better access to social media, online content and sports scores.

The fact that she reportedly disguised this network by renaming it as a ‘printer’ constitutes not only a severe violation of military protocol but also an intentional deception over trivial matters like social media access. In such cases invoking Christian Worldview principles would involve taking responsibility for one’s actions instead of resorting to dishonesty.

The repercussions of such breaches can be far-reaching considering that Starlink dish is a two-way system instead of just being able to receive signals passively. Potential risks could include being tracked or having sensitive location data fall into wrong hands. Given these dangers and Marrero’s breach of trust with her superior officer in lying about it call into question whether she’s fit to serve the U.S navy at all?

During her court-martial procedure in March, Marrero pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty and providing false official statements commands – resulting in just demotion rather than discharge despite this breach constituting security risk and violation of regulations.

The leniency shown towards Marrero heavily contrasts with the severity of her actions. Serving the military demands utmost trust and faith from its personnel. By installing an unauthorized device and lying about it, she breached this faith – something which is inexcusable especially considering that it could compromise national security.

Such an act has serious implications. In a worst-case scenario, if war broke out, everyone on that ship could potentially be targeted and the billion-dollar ship itself risks destruction. The question we have to ask ourselves here is whether checking social media updates is worth such high stakes?

Given these revelations, Marrero’s demotion appears strikingly lenient. Acts like these pose significant threats to our national security infrastructure and should not be taken lightly, let alone forgiven.

A commitment to upholding a Christian Worldview in terms of honesty and integrity is critical for those serving in positions of immense responsibility where trust forms the bedrock. In light of these occurrences, it is imperative now more than ever that we rely on real news and trusted news outlets for genuine information because where there are breaches of protocol as egregious as this one, being well-informed can make all the difference.

Written by Alexander Ward Clark.