Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao speaks to the crew of Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island during an all-hands call on the flight deck, Aug. 7, 2026. Cao was in San Diego visiting various commands to speak with sailors and their families. (Eric Nelson/U.S. Navy)
The Navy is urging service members, civilians and families to take precautions online and in person, including staying alert to potential threats and removing information from social media that could reveal their connection to the service.
The guidance, prompted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is part of Epic Vigilance, a force protection initiative aimed at detecting, deterring and mitigating threats to Navy personnel and installations.
“Our greatest strength is our unity and our shared commitment to protect one another. By embracing this heightened posture of vigilance, we will safeguard our force, protect our families, and ensure the unhindered execution of our national security mission,” acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said in a notice to the whole force.
The Aug. 19 notice comes amid Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, and follows recent events of “uncrewed aircraft systems encounters, suspicious activity, cyber threats and acts of violence,” Cao wrote.
Navy personnel and their families are advised to take the following precautions:
- Set social media profiles to private and remove any information that could identify any connection to the military.
- Report suspicious activity.
- Maintain situational awareness.
- Review and understand the force protection requirements for their command area.
Personnel should also report any observations of:
- Individuals lingering near or photographing/filming gates, ships, aircraft or base housing areas.
- Any uncrewed system operating near or in the vicinity of a Navy installation.
- Individuals seeking undue information about ship or personnel movements, deployment dates, leadership schedules, base operations, or are seeking personal information such as addresses, social media accounts, email addresses and phone numbers.
- Any instance of being followed, photographed, or confronted off-base while in uniform.
- Suspicious emails or social media messages and fake accounts of service members.
Any suspicious activity can be reported through the NCIS website.
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