Kristian Saucier; sailor to be charged with possession of classified photos
Fox News reports that Machinist Mate 1st Class Kristian Saucier took some pictures of classified parts of the USS Alexandria submarine and then tried to foil investigators by destroying his cell phone and computer;
Saucier, 28, of Vermont, was arrested May 28 and released on $100,000 bond. He is assigned to a Navy support facility in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
The paper said that, according to the complaint, Saucier denied taking the photos after he told the FBI the phone belonged to him.
The photos included images of the Alexandria’s control panels, reactor compartment and a monitor showing the sub’s exact location at the time of the photo.
The FBI alleges that the images were detailed enough to help an engineer figure out the design characteristics of a U.S. nuclear submarine.
I dunno, these troops these days and their cameras.
Category: Navy
I miss the good old days in the barracks. Burn the photos, negatives deny everything and be done with it.
The Internet and the digital has changed everything.
Imagine this….Jonn’s great – great – great grandson will be reading our comments sometime in the future since they are obviously so interesting and unerasable!!
By that time we will be reading data directly with our brains using nano-wifi in nanites circulating in our bloodstream.
Hell, long before that all the screens in our homes and bussinesses, both computer and TV screens, will be replaced by virtual reality headsets. The VRnet will likely replace the internet within the next 20 years.
Not no, but HELL NO. We have problems with hackers NOW — Can you imagine the mess when hackers can get inside your HEAD? And don’t tell me it won’t happen. I’m old enough to remember when computers were going to be the last word in security. Anybody comes near me with nanites, I’m outta here.
Imagine the pop-up ads!
And the porno! The porno!
LMAO!
Sure – until some hacker morphs all the curvy babes/hardbody studs into Rosie O’Donnell/Bradley Manning clones as a joke. (smile)
The movie ‘Gamer.’ That’s all I ever have to see, to figure out where the VRnet/nanites technology is headed. No, come to think of it, watching what we’ve done as a species in the last forty years…it will probably be so bad that ‘Gamer’ will be considered a comedy compared to it. Ugh.
Any hacker that dares to invade my head had better not be squeamish. He is welcome to the terror that I am capable of generating on a regular basis. Hell, I scare myself sometimes.
Well, that’s why we have antivirus and firewalls. Another idea I have seen floated around is the ability to disconnect your connection when under hack attack.
This is still about 3 decades away, but people theorizing this understand that without effective security this will never hit the market.
Way before that, we are going to go through the virtual reality revolution and the VRnet.
A first class machinist mate? Doesn’t say wether he was a nuke or not, either way he isn’t one now. You’d figure a guy at that paygrade would know better than to take classified pictures, after all it’s stressed through every step of the training process and then again routinely once you get to the boat.
It sounds so simple, “hey look, I have a camera and this is cool stuff, let me get a picture, no one will know”. So tempting with todays technology , but still so wrong. It can put the lives of his crew at ricsk as well as other submarines.
I love the fact he tried to cover it up, that says he knew he did wrong. I hope they throw the book at him and well publicise it so the ‘next guy’ thinks twice and doesn’t do it.
Waste of oxygen, water drinkin’, lower than whale $#it pond scum.
Given that he was at the Navy support facility in Saratoga Springs and was taking pictures of the RC, there’s a 99% chance that he’s a nuke.
Other sources I’ve read identified him as an instructor at Prototype in Saratoga Springs, so I’d say 100% chance he’s a nuke.
Yep, a dumbass, and he’s not the only one. Sailors try plugging their phones/iPods/any other electronic device into the USB ports in systems aboard ship because they can, not thinking about malware protection. At the same time, the Navy is bending over backwards to digitize every aspect of the sailor’s onboard, simply because we can. At least he didn’t establish his own personal server, or something.
I remember when we were training for one deployment and some rocket scientist created a shitstorm when he tried to plug his personal laptop into the NIPRnet, and it set off bells and whistles all the way to the Pentagon. I heard another story about some brainiac O5 that was asking how to do the same with SIPRnet, which is classified and would spark a much bigger shitstorm, brainiacs aren’t just among the enlisted ranks.
yea we had a Dumb Ass. That went surfing porn sites on the SIPER. Facking Crazy nut. Went from E-6 to E-1 in about 40 days and got a OTH we had to escort him to a jail in Kuwait. Also destroyed our com’s in three of our Vic’s,
According to a news article the phone was found in a landfill and apparently it was not only functional, but not password protected (I can’t verify this is true). Regardless, this guy doesn’t appear to be the brightest bulb in the fixture. How did he get to be a PO1 on a nuke sub? And if he is at Saratoga Springs that means he must be an instructor of some type. Well…. John Walker was a Crypto guy and a Navy Chief so I guess it takes all kinds.
Based on recent events the Navy’s senior & flag officers seem to be the biggest security issues…
Back in the day in nuke world, making PO2 off the test was hard because of all the STAR babies.
PO1 only required you to spell your last name correctly, and sometimes, not even that.
Chinese Embassy: “Thanks, but we have that stuff all ready.”
Russian Embassy: “Thanks, but we have that stuff all ready.”
Cuban Embassy: “Thanks, but we’re more interested in ’55 Chevy parts.”
LOL!! Very true! 🙂
Now that…made me laugh and I needed that this morning! Thank you!
WTF was he doing around Classified Material with a camera, PERIOD? I remember having to surrender any phone, camera, or recording device before entering any area that had CM in it at all.
It does seem that OPSEC in general isn’t what it used to be. I suppose it’s much more difficult to control information now than it was 20 years ago, but still, OPSEC must not have the priority that it did 20-30 years ago when we KNEW the Red Menace was lurking around every corner.
PI: in theory, I’m relatively certain that’s required shipboard too. But remember, sailors also live on the ship. So unless you ban personal cell phones/cameras/MP3 players/etc . . . entirely onboard, it’s pretty much a given that somewhere, at some time someone will either screw up or deliberately “push the envelope”.
Hondo, these days the phone is the camera, which is also the MP3 player, which is…
I was under the same impression – that phones (now that they can take photos, video, etc.) would be prohibited items aboard a submarine (or anyplace else that is sensitive) for this very reason?
Question: Why would anyone have use for a cell phone on board a submarine anyway? I’d think RF coverage would be pretty bad, wouldn’t it?
Unlike SSBNs, attack subs at least used to do port calls on occasion (the USS SCORPION made at least one in the Med before her final partial crossing of the Atlantic.) I’m guessing that’s why some onboard an attack boat might bring a cell.
Would be interested in hearing from former boat sailors about that, though.
You’re right, but even in port, wouldn’t the skin of the sub shield the cell phone signals while onboard? Just curious.
I agree it would be interesting to hear from those that have lived it.
Would the hull block the cell signal in port? Almost certainly.
But it’s my understanding that sailors on port call don’t generally tend to stay on board their ship 100% of the time. (smile)
Well, smartphones do a lot more than making phone calls. They small computers in which the phone part is just an small app.
I for one, have all my family pictures, all my music, some games, and way too many movies, in my phone.
Though of course you do need a conection for the good shit to work, like Netflix and Hulu.
Do subs have wifi for the sailors?
I wouldn’t be surprised if MWR have something in there.
Point taken.
During a recent tour of a 774 class boat on the East coast, one of the crew (topside watch) acknowledged when in port all phones and recording-capable electronics had to be checked in at the topside shack, but underway they’re all allowed to have their electronics un-impeded. Didn’t make much sense to the topside watch either.
I know when I was a staff weenie you couldn’t even take a phone into our building. Even now we have to leave all electronics outside any secure area or briefing. WTF are they allowed in the work areas of a sub for?
Googleglasses are cameras which can easily be wi-fied or directly hooked to a USB or a jump/flash drive.
It’s entirely possible to create contact lenses with a microdot chip that records what the wearer sees. If I can imagine it, it can be invented.
At some point, this has to stop.
Actually Google is working such a thing, mainly because they can do blood sugar tests through tear analysis (Google…analyzing your tears). Since Google Glass failed.
Google Glasses are pretty noticeable which was the huge problem. They started to get banned in public areas by area businesses. They don’t look like glasses at all and attract attention. When it comes to public stuff…I don’t understand. We don’t have a reasonable right to privacy when we are walking about, but the expectation is that no one has a camera on 100% of time. Those days are here now.
So outside the classified bit…what we need are tools that alert us if we are being recorded or if our data is being used. Hell we have to be given a warrant before someone enters our home…why not when they want our data? Still I wonder too how the puke got his phone in there, but that’s probably how he got caught. We have the safes outside offices as well.
Couple books I recommend to read.
David Brin: Transparent Society
Daniel Saurez: Deamon and its sequel Freedom (TM)
Remember when bringing a piping tab across the pier was a big deal?
I was in from 1988-97; and have no idea what that is. But, in my defense, I was Airwing.
Dating yourself with that comment, but those things saved many a sailors butts! Didn’t have to re-charge them, or worry about connectivity, just read it and go!
I remember when you had your car searched in case you were smuggling repair parts home.
I knew more than one guy who got burned by an angry wife/girlfriend because of the little notebooks everyone always carried around (He’s got classified info!)
I wonder if he’ll get the same treatment as Petraeus (sp?)
Or Sandy Berger.
Or that female person who shall not go named who is currently running for President and is rumored to have brazenly mishandled all sorts of classified info when she was SecState…?
Who could you be talking about?
(^__*)
Bad conduct discharge and minimum 5 years in the jug for spying. That should about do it.
He ends up getting 5 years I’m guessing it will be a DD vice a BCD. But I could easily be wrong.
I am dumbfounded that they even allow Cell Phones or other recording capable devices onboard… Oh sure, Johnny needs to have his electronic entertainment devices, but seriously cut the shit.
I worked for the Commerce Dept. at one point and we were not allowed to have any electronic devices inside the office. To include cell phones of any type.
Where I work now, it is a little less strict but if your try and plug your phone into a USB port on your computer to charge it, expect a call or visit from the folks in IT (and possible loss of access to the network).
Can we bring back keelhauling as a punishment for this kind of thing? Sharks need to eat, too.
Was it Danny Glover in “Flight of the Intruder” that said something about keelhauling is a real bitch on an aircraft carrier?
Whatever he gets Hillary should get.
It’s SOOOO easy, all I can say is W-T-F!
Why do I have to do all the heavy mental lifting around here (D’UH!).
Yes, have your e-devices on board ship. For your personal entertainment when OFF DUTY. But leave them with your personal effects (locker, whatever) WHEN YOU GO TO WORK!!
I used to work at a call center that handled LOTS of PII, so when we clocked in for work, the phones were OFF, and stored in a secured locker. No excuses. You wer caught, you were fired. Boom! End of statement.
Whatever happened to just using phones to, you know, make phone calls? I had a most unfruitful conversation the other day with a salesman at a phone counter in a big box store that shall remain nameless. I was trying to explain to him the concept of wanting a simple phone. You’d think I sprouted a third eye, the way he was looking at me. If this keeps up, I may just get a shortwave radio. It would be more simple. *sigh*
PN, just go back to SSB CB. I’ll talk to ya all you want.
I’m on the lower side of 16, just like the good old days when it was 23 channels instead of the new modern 40.
Oh, wait, am I dating myself again?
Not any worse than I will date myself when I tell you that I used to ride with my dad on a rural newspaper route in SE Georgia, and he had a CB radio to call in emergencies, because not only weren’t there cell phones in those days, we didn’t have 911 either! The Sheriff’s department monitored the CB channels. I don’t remember which one was used for emergencies, but my dad reported a property fire and an accident on it when I was with him.
It was Channel 9 that was used for emergency calls.
9 is still used for that purpose, but whether any authorities actually monitor it, I don’t know. Cell phones and 911 have basically rendered it useless.
Just for old times sake, my call letters on the CB were KDX7269. I was assigned that from way back when you paid 20 bucks and had to pass the test in order to get an FCC license.
My handle on the CB was “Widow Maker”
Got to thinking about this comment while eating lunch.
Probably shouldn’t have published by call letters.
Now both the Chinese and the DRG have another clue to track me down with.
But then again, the Chinese probably already have it, since they have the ability to hack 50 year old used Remington typewriter ribbons.
usedta install CB radios and car stereos: made a decent living at it in the ’70s… Everyone wanted a new high-end cassette deck and a CB they could gabble on like Burt freakin’ Reynolds. Yeah, that’s dating yourself!
Cassette deck? Too modern.
8-track was the way to go in my vehicles back then.
Is no one here suspecting this guy of possible espionage and not just stupidity? As several comments have noted, you don’t get that rank in that field by being a dumbass. And one fault famously shared by so many who get caught in espionage cases is that they believe they are smarter than the system.
That the authorities are not treating this case as potential espionage could be an attempt to avoid further embarrassment to this inept Obama administration.
I remember a time when you couldn’t bring cameras into certain areas of military bases, or when cell phones were secured in a locked area during certain operations.
I remember a time when I would have said “What the hell is a cell phone???”
One of the neat thing about going to school inside a classified area was that we never had homework. In fact, every piece of paper we mad a mark on was burned at the end of the day. Even a lunch order went into the burn bag before we left the building. Why on earth was he able to bring a phone/camera aboard a Nuke Sub? I would think that he would have to surrender it at the shoreside end of the brow.
Kristian Saucier, 28, of Arlington, Vermont, was charged with taking photos of classified spaces, instruments and equipment inside the U.S. Alexandria, where he was stationed, as well as covering up his actions when authorities attempted to investigate, said Deirdre Daly, U.S.