No News on Naval Advancement -- advancement.cnet.navy.mil is Down

In a testament to American interest in Navy Advancement, the malfunction of the site advancement.cnet.navy.mil has caused much concern. For those interested in Navy advancement, advancement.cnet.navy.mil is essential in preparation for the Navy-wide advancement examination.

What is concerning most enlisted in the Navy is the lack of coverage on reasons why advancement,cnet,navy,mil is down. Whenever a government website is down, it raises eyebrows and questions, especially in these post 9/11 days of turmoil. However, those questions have remained unanswered and there is very little news about the reason for the malfunction. Navy men, friends and family are left to wonder about hackers and the security of this government website.

Alarmists may remember the shut down of the Army's Acquisition Support Center earlier this year due to an error on their part that exposed the personal information of some two dozen enlisted men. Surely the military would discourage us from jumping to conclusions. However, most of the Navy websites are down. While the main website used for recruitment purposes is running smoothly, military sites like the Navy College Program, the Navy Advancement page, and Navy Knowledge Online, sites that are primarily used by enlisted sailors, are down. Unfortunately, events like these immediately raise concerns about hacking and National Security.

But perhaps a more pressing concern is the roadblock presented to those interested in Navy Advancement. Concerned enlisted men should know that while the official Navy advancement site is down, similar sites like www.navyadvancement.com, and www.navystorekeeper.com can help them to obtain navy advancement information while the official site is out of service.

But those in the Navy who are interested in downloading Naval Correspondence courses, essential to Navy Advancement are forced to wait until the website is functioning again. While sites like www.navyadvancement.com will allow you access to the results of the Navy-wide Advancement Exam (like those of cycle 200 which have been posted since September 4, 2008), the correspondence courses are only available on the government website.

Undoubtedly, the lack of news around the malfunction of advancement.cnet.navy.mil is the most disturbing. Will we ever be told the reason for the site's malfunction? Should we be concerned about National Security? Or is this just a temporary road block for those seeking Navy advancement and other Naval information?