Controversy Over Dismissed Naval Captain Offers Window Into Administration’s Crisis Priorities
Captain Brett Crozier raised health concerns about the sailors on his aircraft carrier. After his memo to senior officers went public, he was relieved of duty, and acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly berated Crozier in a speech to the crew as being “too naïve or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this." Modly later apologized, but the controversy created a furor within the Navy, and may be illustrative of the Trump administration's response to the outbreak.
The New York Times:
How The Theodore Roosevelt's Coronavirus Outbreak Became A Moral Crisis For The Military
President Trump’s acting Navy secretary, in a profanity-laced reprimand delivered Monday, criticized sailors aboard the stricken aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt for cheering their captain, who was removed after he appealed for help as coronavirus spread throughout the warship. The Navy’s top civilian, Thomas B. Modly, delivered his message over the ship’s loudspeaker system and deepened the raw us-versus-them atmosphere that had already engulfed the carrier. It also exposed the schism between a commander in chief with little regard for the military’s chain of command and the uniformed Navy that is sworn to follow him. (Cooper, Gibbons-Neff and Schmitt, 4/6)
The Associated Press:
Navy Leader Calls Fired Carrier Captain 'Naive' Or 'Stupid'
In an extraordinary broadside punctuated with profanity, the Navy’s top leader accused the fired commander of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt of being “too naive or too stupid” to be in charge of an aircraft carrier. He delivered the criticism to sailors who had cheered the departing skipper last week. Hours after the remark was widely reported in the news media, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly issued a written public apology, saying he does not believe Capt. Brett E. Crozier is stupid or naive. (Baldor and Burns, 4/7)
The Washington Post:
Navy Official’s Fiery Speech Deepens A Political Crisis As Warship Battles Coronavirus
Acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly told the sailors that Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, relieved of command on Thursday, committed a “betrayal” by writing the letter and distributing it to some people who were not in his chain of command. Modly left open two possibilities, both of which were damning. “It was my opinion that if he didn’t think information was going to get out into the public in this information age that we live in, then he was either A, too naive or too stupid to be the commanding officer of a ship like this,” Modly said. (Lamothe and Sonne, 4/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Acting Navy Secretary Apologizes For Berating Ousted Captain Of Coronavirus-Hit USS Roosevelt
In an about-face, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly apologized Monday night for his profanity-tinged remarks over the loudspeakers of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, in which he called the aircraft carrier’s former commander stupid or naive for writing and distributing a memo about a coronavirus outbreak. (Youssef, Kesling, Lubold and Craymer, 4/6)
Reuters:
Trump Says May Jump Into Navy Furor After Captain Ridiculed In Speech
U.S. President Donald Trump said he may get involved in a deepening crisis in the Navy after its top civilian on Monday ridiculed a revered former commander whose letter pleading for help for his coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier was leaked to the public. (Stewart and Ali, 4/6)
ABC News:
Crewmember On Navy Hospital Ship Comfort Tests Positive For Coronavirus
A crew member aboard the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is currently in isolation aboard the ship that is currently docked in New York City, according to a U.S. Navy statement. The news comes on the same day that the hospital ship was designated to begin treating COVID-19 patients in New York City, a reversal from the earlier policy that it could only treat patients not infected with the coronavirus. (Martinez, 4/6)
