A U.S. Navy Chief installed an unauthorized Starlink satellite dish on a warship to access the internet for herself and other enlisted leaders. Grisel Marrero, a command senior chief of the USS Manchester, and senior leaders paid $2,800 for the Starlink High-Performance Kit. They installed it in April 2023 before the San Diego-based ship’s deployment.
Internet access is restricted while a ship is underway to maintain bandwidth for military operations and protect against cybersecurity threats. Marrero and more than a dozen other chief petty officers used the “Stinky” network to send messages home and keep up with the news. They bought signal amplifiers during a stop in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after realizing the wireless signal did not cover all areas of the ship.
Those involved used the Chief Petty Officer Association’s debit card to pay the $1,000 monthly Starlink bill.
Navy chief unauthorized Starlink installation
The network was not shared with rank-and-file sailors.
According to the investigation, Marrero tried to hide the network by renaming it as a printer, denying its existence, and even intercepting a comment about it left in the commanding officer’s suggestion box. In March, Marrero was convicted at a court-martial where she pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty and providing false official statements to commanders. She was demoted to a chief petty officer after the trial.
Navy senior enlisted leaders are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards,” Navy spokesperson Cmdr. Cindy Fields said via email. Marrero was relieved “due to a loss of confidence in her leadership abilities,” Fields said.
Marrero did not respond to an AP email Friday seeking comment.
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