Controversy Over Naval Ship Theodore Roosevelt Lays Bare Larger Problems Within The Military Under Trump
A Navy investigation into the controversy is expected to be made public this week, but The New York Times spoke with two dozen current and former Navy and Defense Department civilian and uniformed personnel to get a sense of what's going on behind the curtains.
The New York Times:
‘There Will Be Losses’: How A Captain’s Plea Exposed A Rift In The Military
The captain had reached a breaking point. The aircraft carrier he commanded, the Theodore Roosevelt, was docked in Guam as the coronavirus raced unchecked through its narrow corridors. The warship’s doctors estimated that more than 50 crew members would die, but Capt. Brett E. Crozier’s superiors were balking at what they considered his drastic request to evacuate nearly the entire ship. Captain Crozier was haunted by the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship of 2,600 passengers in individual cabins where the virus had killed eight people and infected more than 700. (Gibbons-Neff, Schmitt, Cooper and Ismay, 4/12)
The Associated Press:
Guam Worries As Sailors From Virus-Hit Ship Take Over Hotels
People in Guam are used to a constant U.S. military presence on the strategic Pacific island, but some are nervous as hundreds of sailors from a coronavirus-stricken Navy aircraft carrier flood into hotels for quarantine. Officials insist they have enforced strict safety measures. An outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt began in late March and has thrust the Navy into a leadership crisis after the ship’s commander distributed a letter urging faster action to protect his sailors. (Kelleher, 4/12)
