The US Navy has cracked down on an illegally installed WiFi network aboard the USS Manchester, a near-shore combat ship assigned to the US Naval Surface Force Pacific (SURFPAC). The officer in charge, now former Command Senior Chief Grisel Marrero, was initially relieved of her position in September 2023, later to be court-martialled and demoted a rank from E-8 to E-7 as punishment.
The WiFi network was caught in August when one of the ship’s crew members had to be disciplined, and to “influence or impede” their punishment, Marrero edited an image of the ship’s Starlink data usage to show less data consumption. It’s unclear why the crew member was being disciplined in the first place — presumably about the WiFi network itself because Starlink data usage was revealed.
According to trail documents acquired by the Navy Times, Marrero was tried and convicted in March 2023. These documents claim that between March and August, when she was Command Senior Chief aboard the USS Manchester, she “willfully coordinated the procurement, installation, and use of an unauthorized and unapproved WiFi system.” The charge sheet further adds that Marrero “willfully failed” to share a commanding officer’s suggestion box comment from a crew member about the WiFi network with the then-commanding officer of the ship’s gold crew in June.
All her offences totalled up at the hearing where she was charged with willful dereliction of duty, making false statements, and obstruction to justice. Marrero pleaded guilty to all charges, except the last one which she was found guilty of regardless. Evidence suggests that Marrero wasn’t acting alone and other sailors have reportedly been punished for being involved with the illegal WiFi network.
WiFi networks aren’t necessarily the most secure for data transfer. While they’re fine for most commercial uses, the Navy requires better security and encryption, and that’s why the use of WiFi or other commercially available networking tech is generally prohibited on Navy vessels.
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