Latest news with #NIOCColorado
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
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 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
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Navy relieves CO of Navy Information Operations Command Colorado
The Navy relieved the commanding officer of Navy Information Operations Command Colorado on Thursday, the service announced. Cmdr. Christopher Johnson was relieved of his duties by Capt. Chelsey Zwicker, commodore of Naval Information Operations Command Pacific, due to a 'loss of confidence in his ability to command,' the Navy said. 'The Navy maintains the highest standards for commanding officers and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,' the service said in a release. The release did not provide additional details on Johnson's dismissal. The Navy uses 'loss of confidence' as a blanket statement when relieving commanding officers. Johnson, who resumed command of NIOC Colorado in May 2023, has been temporarily reassigned to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, according to the Navy. Johnson commissioned through Officer Candidate School, according to his biography on the Naval Information Forces website. His previous assignments include as division officer and officer of the deck aboard the carrier Carl Vinson, cryptologic resource coordination for the commander of Carrier Strike Group Nine aboard the carrier Theodore Roosevelt and the U.S. 7th fleet director of the offensive maritime information operations center aboard the amphibious command ship Blue Ridge. Ashore, Johnson served as the deputy collections manager and cyber operations officer at U.S. Pacific Fleet and the Navy's senior cryptologic warfare instructor and executive officer at Information Warfare Training Command Corry Station, in Pensacola, Florida, according to his bio. Cmdr. Mark Tuner, the Naval Information Forces liaison officer to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, will temporarily lead NIOC Colorado until a permanent replacement is found. NIOC Colorado is a subordinate command of Naval Information Operations Command Pacific, which is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.
