Photo By Lt.j.g. Drew Verbis | PORT HUENEME, Calif. (Aug 5, 2025) Rear Adm. Samuel J. Cox (ret.) director, Naval...... read more read more
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PORT HUENEME, Calif. (Aug. 5, 2025) The U.S. Navy Seabee Museum (USNSM) onboard Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Port Hueneme, holds an unveiling ceremony Aug. 5, to celebrate their latest exhibit ‘Seabee Special Assignments,’ to include a concrete column section from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, infamously compromised by Soviet listening devices.
In 1978, Technical Security Officers uncovered a Soviet listening post embedded within the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, a building the U.S. had occupied since the 1930s. This alarming discovery prompted rigorous negotiations with Russia, ultimately leading to the decision to construct a new embassy in Moscow. However, the U.S. faced significant challenges in sourcing the necessary construction materials and labor.
“The Cold War ushered in a new kind of warfare, one fought in silence, one fought in the shadows, and through surveillance,” said Lt. Aaron Ignacio, officer in charge, Naval Support Unit (NSU). “Recognizing the need for secure construction, the U.S. Department of State partnered with Seabees to create a unit capable of executing high risk construction projects, even in the most geopolitically volatile environments around the world; and from that foundation grew to what we know as NSU.”
In 1979, the Seabees from the NSU were tasked with providing critical Construction Security Surveillance (CONSEC) for the new embassy office building. Their mission was clear: to detect and report any attempts by construction workers to secretly introduce listening devices, conduits, or channels that could jeopardize the security of sensitive areas within the embassy.
“When the Seabees began construction of this new embassy in Moscow, the challenge was enormous,” said Tamika Abbott, director, U.S. Department of State Office of Security Technology. “Every beam, wire, and wall had to meet the highest standards of security, not just structurally, but technically. The reality was stark. Seabees were constructing a building inside a country that was actively working to compromise it. And compromise it, the Soviets did.”
As the construction progressed and the precast columns were erected, the Seabees identified troubling inconsistencies in construction practices and techniques. A thorough investigation revealed the shocking truth: Soviet contractors were surreptitiously installing listening devices within the columns, known as “bugs.” This grave breach of security forced an immediate halt to the project, which would remain suspended until 1985.
“The real story is in the response,” said Ignacio. “When these listening devices were discovered, Seabees didn't just react, they rebuilt. They dismantled the compromised materials, revised construction protocols, and implemented new methods to safeguard American diplomatic operations overseas.”
After years of denial, the Soviet intelligence arm was admitting its role in one of the most notorious espionage incidents of the 1980s: It had packed the new U.S. Embassy office building in Moscow with sophisticated listening devices. The edifice’s structure was so riddled with bugs that some US counterespionage experts described it as nothing but a giant microphone, and news outlets described it in headlines as the ‘Bug House.’
“Today at the Seabee Museum, we unveil a historic artifact, a concrete column from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, preserved exactly as it was found, one of the rare objects that transcends time,” said Abbott. “It was born of Cold War tension, embedded with real espionage, and preserved as a physical record of what it means to build trust in contested environments.”
Abbott thanked the Seabee Museum for providing a space to tell the story of ‘Seabee Special Assignments.’
“Every day, I walk through embassies around the globe and witness the Seabee craftsmanship in every room and safe haven,” said Abbott. “They may not sign their work, but I know it when I see it!”
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the USNSM was established in 1947 and is the second oldest Navy Museum in the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) system. The museum is dedicated to documenting and ensuring the construction and engineering accomplishments of the Seabees and the Civil Engineer Corps remain relevant.
For more information about the museum including visitor information, upcoming education programs and Seabee Archive online reading room, visit www.history.navy.mil/seabeemuseum.
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2025 00:01 |
| Story ID: | 544872 |
| Location: | PORT HUENEME, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 160 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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