Commander in Top Colorado Information Operations Post Sacked by Navy
The Navy has relieved the commanding officer of its Colorado-based Information Operations Command, according to a statement released Thursday.
Cmdr. Christopher Johnson was relieved from leadership of NIOC, a subordinate command of Naval Information Operations Command Pacific headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, by Capt. Chelsey Zwicker, the commodore of the Hawaii headquarters.
Johnson is the third commander of a Navy information warfare command to be removed by the service in the last six months, though the previous two commanders ran schoolhouses while this was an operational command.
Read Next: Family Lives in Fear After Marine Corps Denies Legal Claim over Abuse by Jailed Ex-Recruiter
In November, the sea service relieved the commander of the San Diego-based schoolhouse for information warfare, and in January the Navy fired the commander of its Norfolk-based information warfare school in two unrelated firings.
Johnson's relief, which was officially over a "loss of confidence in his ability to command," appears to be the Navy's second firing of a commanding officer this year.
Loss of confidence is a boilerplate reason provided by the military services that can encompass anything from consistent poor performance by a commander on key evaluations to personal actions like drunken driving.
A Navy official told Military.com on condition of anonymity that the reason for the firing was over performance-based issues and not any misconduct on the part of Johnson.
NIOC Colorado is based at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, and "provides a wide range of information warfare support to the fleet" that includes sailors trained in collecting signals intelligence, electronic warfare and cyber operations, according to its official website.
Based on public announcements, it appears that the Navy fired 14 commanding officers in 2024. In 2023, the official relief total was 15. There are currently around 1,600 commanding officers in the active-duty Navy across all communities.
According to his official Navy biography, Johnson was commissioned through the service's Officer Candidate School after completing his bachelor of science degree in physics from the University of Michigan.
Johnson's career included working with EP-3E signals intelligence collection squadrons in Misawa, Japan, and Bahrain in the Middle East, as well as three sea deployments aboard the aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Theodore Roosevelt.
Johnson also completed two deployments to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Prior to coming to NIOC Colorado in May 2023, Johnson served as the executive officer of the Navy's Information Warfare Training Command at Corry Station in Pensacola, Florida.
His qualifications include information warfare officer, surface warfare officer, and naval aviation observer. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, among others.
According to the Navy's statement, Cmdr. Mark Tuner, the naval information forces liaison officer to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, will temporarily serve as NIOC Colorado's commanding officer until a permanent replacement is designated.
Related: Navy Relieves Another Information Warfare School Commander in Unrelated Firing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Upturn
3 hours ago
- Business Upturn
Breaking: Missing Indore woman Sonam linked to husband's murder plot found safe in Ghazipur
By News Desk Published on June 9, 2025, 08:42 IST Last updated June 9, 2025, 08:42 IST In a major breakthrough, Sonam Raghuvanshi, the Indore-based woman accused of murdering her husband during their honeymoon, was arrested today from a dhaba in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. Sonam had married Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi on May 11. The couple travelled to Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon. According to investigators, Sonam had conspired with three of her friends, who were also present in Meghalaya, to kill her husband. Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly murdered during the trip with the help of these accomplices. After the crime, Sonam had gone missing, triggering a widespread search. Today, authorities traced her to a dhaba in Ghazipur. She was taken into custody, underwent a medical examination, and is currently being held at a One Stop Center for safety and further inquiry. The case has now escalated with Sonam under arrest and the search continuing for her accomplices. News desk at
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tourist details newly obtained video of Boulder attack showing people on fire
BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — Mass confusion is how the man who recorded a video of the Boulder attack is describing Sunday's incident at the Pearl Street Mall. Alex Osante, a tourist, was visiting from San Diego when the situation unfolded. Witnesses describe 'terrifying' scene of attack at Pearl Street Mall in Boulder In the video, you can see the firebombs being thrown and people running around trying to get water and medical aid. Osante said the whole situation lasted about seven minutes before police arrived on scene. 'I came on vacation for one week to Aspen,' he said. 'After one week, I wanted to see Vail, Breckenridge, and then come to Boulder for one day.' On that Sunday afternoon, chaos ensued. 'I definitely didn't know anything about the walk or what was going on there. I was just having lunch across the street at an Italian restaurant,' Osante said. In the middle of his lunch, he heard a loud boom, and heard frantic screaming. 'When I turned over to look at what was going on, there were people just running around tripping and they were falling,' he said. 'It was hard to understand what was going on. There was a lot of confusion. There were five people that were on fire … who were burning.' Alex said he witnessed victims burning from head to toe. He, along with bystanders, helped provide water to those in distress. 'People from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and nationalities, as soon as this started happening, we all came together as a big group to find out a solution,' said Osante. Shortly after, he recorded the video so he could dissect what happened later. 'Thankfully, I started recording when I did, so we can capture what was happening there,' Osante said. 'Because I'm the only person who has the video from the beginning to the end showing what really happened, I was able to, after the fact, go back to the video and dissect it to see what really happened. So, when I go back and look at it, I see the man came out of the trees in the bushes a second time with the Molotov cocktails in his hand. He threw it at a lady and when he threw it at the lady, he lit himself on fire. When he lit himself on fire, he went up in flames.' Man helps pour water on victims in Boulder terror attack At the time, he didn't know the suspect was the one responsible for the tragedy. 'It was like, 'Why is this guy on fire?' He must not be one of the — he must not be the person causing this because he is on fire,' said Osante. 'He took off his vest and his shirt and was standing there holding two bottles. We didn't know what the bottles were, but they kind of looked like the bottles of water I was giving to the victims.' He says it's still hard to grasp what unfolded. 'I've been to 87 countries on vacation and all around the world, and never have I seen anything this crazy and this wild where people are on fire,' said Osante. 'I never expected anything like this to happen and it was a complete shock.' Osante said it was devastating to learn the cause of the tragedy. 'Let's make terrorism not great again,' he said. 'When I learned what was actually going on with the political agendas, all of the information we didn't understand at first, it magnified the amplitude and the chaotic experience we all went through. This is going on all over the world. People fighting against each other, happening all around the world, and it needs to stop.' This Sunday at noon, there will be a gathering for Boulder's weekly run for their lives walk as well as the annual Boulder Jewish Festival. In light of the tragedy, security is being coordinated with Boulder police and Colorado State Patrol. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Security increased at Boulder Jewish Festival in light of attack
BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR)- The Boulder Jewish Festival got underway Sunday, exactly a week after a terror attack unfolded, injuring 15 people and a dog. Hundreds of people gathered at the Pearl Street Mall, music filled the air and people could be seen dancing, smiling, and holding hands, showing solidarity at the festival. Tourist details newly obtained video of Boulder attack showing people on fire ''It's been on my calendar ever since I found out about it,' said Melanie Greenberg. Greenberg typically comes to the festival every year. This year, she brought her son Daniel Miller because, after the attack, she says this year has a stronger meaning than in years past. 'Seeing this community attacked, you never think it'll happen to people you know or a community you were raised up in,' said Miller. Chief Stephen Redfearn with Boulder police said, 'Up to this morning, we were constantly evaluating our response.' In light of the attack, Redfearn increased security, bringing in state patrol and a few dozen officers. 'Not just officers walking around in uniform, but we also got SWAT officers here, we got overwatch in better terms, snipers. We've got drones, we've got K-9s, bomb sniffing dogs,' said Redfearn. 'The goal is to have anyone who wants to disrupt this event, or God forbid, cause additional harm like we saw Sunday, to be very clear, everywhere you look, there's a cop.' Redfearn said he would rather law enforcement be extra prepared. Mother, 2 kids speak out after son in wheelchair aids in Boulder attack aftermath There were a few small counterprotests, but officers told FOX31 that other than banter back and forth, the festival remained peaceful. 'We got teams on standby if, for some reason, we have a protest that went bad,' said Redfearn. 'Our partners with the federal agencies are looking at social media monitoring threats online, so it's a real big footprint.' Making people show up at the same place where the fire bombings happened a week ago feel safer. 'It's nice; it's a bit of overkill, but I'm thankful for that today,' said Greenberg. FBI warns of threat to Israeli, Jewish communities after Boulder attack, others Miller said, 'It's just sad. I had hate towards me, being Jewish in high school. I had kids say antisemitic things to me and nothing was done about it. It's sad to see it's still happening and getting worse now, but it's nice to see security around and hopefully it will last.' Attendees say they hope to see the increased security at future events and walks. Redfearn said that because of the attack, there will likely be more security next year, but hopefully, things will calm down so they won't need an all-hands-on-deck approach. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
