US Navy Orders Personnel to Scrub Social Media Ties

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao issued a security notice on August 19, 2026, titled "Epic Vigilance: Immediate Actions for Force Protection and Personal Security," ordering 340,000 active-duty personnel, 58,000 reserve members, and 210,000 civilian workers to remove any ties to the Department of the Navy from their social media profiles. The directive extends to the families of service members and instructs them to set profiles to private to prevent adversaries from using online presence for surveillance, doxxing, harassment, and physical attacks.

The order follows the February 28 launch of Operation Epic Fury, a joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, and a July 14 reinstatement of a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The Navy reports a "coordinated, multi-domain campaign" by hostile actors involving cyber threats, acts of violence, and the use of uncrewed aircraft systems to surveil warships and installations. Personnel are now required to report suspicious activities, including unauthorized filming of bases or aggressive questioning regarding deployments.

To support these measures, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service launched the Epic Vigilance initiative to enhance force protection. This action follows a July order that required the removal of official portraits and biographies of leadership across various command ranks to further mitigate security risks.