Hung Cao warns sailors to hide military social ties
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao issued an Aug. 19 notice urging sailors, Marines, and Navy civilians to harden online security after adversaries launched a coordinated campaign. The Hung Cao military social guidance tells personnel to set profiles private, strip Department of the Navy identifiers, and report suspicious activity amid rising threats to people and bases.
Key Takeaways
- Hung Cao warned of a coordinated, multi-domain campaign targeting DON personnel, families, and installations.
- Service members should scrub social media of military ties and patterns of life; adversaries are mining that data.
- Threats cited include doxing, drone surveillance, base probes, and harassment online and offline.
- Report suspicious activity to NCIS, base security, local law enforcement, or the Marine Corps Eagle Eyes program.
The unclassified administrative message, published on a Navy HR site and covered by DefenseScoop, frames recent incidents worldwide as part of a deliberate effort to gather intelligence, test defenses, disrupt operations, and intimidate the force—not as isolated events.
Cao linked the evolving threat landscape to the period since Operation Epic Fury against Iran began earlier this year. He did not name specific nation-states or groups behind the alleged campaign.
What did Hung Cao tell sailors and Marines to do online?
Personnel and Navy civilians were told to immediately review all social media accounts, including those of family members, for publicly available personal information. Profiles should be set to private.
“Remove any information that could identify your connection to the DON or reveal patterns of life,” Cao said. “Adversaries are actively mining this data.”
The guidance goes beyond an April cyber-hygiene message from former Navy Secretary John Phelan by explicitly urging people to hide links to the military. For more on digital risk and emerging defense tech, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders coverage.
Why does this Hung Cao military social warning matter now?
According to the notice, hostile activities include direct threats and harassment of personnel and families via social media and other platforms, including doxing; drone activity near Navy assets; ground-level surveillance near installations and in military communities; physical attacks; and probes of security measures.
Attempted physical attacks and probes against access control points, the message said, show a willingness to move from threatening words to direct action. Coordinated initiatives appear designed to test security responses and personnel endurance at widely dispersed locations.
Drone surveillance of warships, flight lines, and critical infrastructure, Cao said, demonstrates growing capability and intent to evade detection.
What suspicious activity should Navy and Marine personnel report?
Cao urged the force to understand force-protection rules and report red flags through proper channels. Flagged examples include threatening or suspicious emails or social messages; imposter accounts pretending to be shipmates; and people aggressively seeking personal details such as emails, home addresses, and phone numbers.
Also report being followed, photographed, or confronted off-installation—especially in uniform or near a residence—plus people lingering near or filming gates, fences, ships, aircraft, or housing; drones near installations, piers, or flight lines; and unusual questions about ship or personnel movements, deployment dates, leadership schedules, or base operations.
NCIS is the Navy’s lead for counterintelligence and major criminal investigations, with tip options online and via field offices. Base security, force-protection offices, and local law enforcement are also listed; Marines can use the Corps’ Eagle Eyes website.