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Author: TriSec    Date: 04/07/2020 11:08:33

Good Morning.

'tis true; we've all been living under a rock for the last few weeks. But unless your internet is down, you're aware of the controversy swirling around the USS Theodore Roosevelt.


Of course, at the heart of the controversy, Captain Crozier was right - and he's now infected.


Capt. Brett E. Crozier, the Navy captain who was removed from command of the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, has tested positive for Covid-19, according to two Naval Academy classmates of Crozier’s who are close to him and his family.

A Navy spokesman declined to comment on Crozier’s Covid status.

The commander began exhibiting symptoms before he was removed from the warship on Thursday, two of his classmates said. Crozier was fired following a leak to The San Francisco Chronicle of a letter he had emailed to Navy leaders that detailed the failures on the service’s part to provide the necessary resources to swiftly move sailors off the carrier and disinfect areas on board as the virus spread through the ship.

Thomas B. Modly, the acting secretary of the Navy, said he had lost confidence in Crozier’s ability to command the ship effectively as it dealt with the evolving crisis after Crozier sent the letter on an unclassified email system to 20 to 30 people. Sending such a letter, Modly said, caused unnecessary alarm about the operational readiness of the ship and undermined the chain of command. “In sending it out pretty broadly, he did not take care to ensure that it couldn’t be leaked,” Modly said. “And that’s part of his responsibility.”


But of course, the comments of Acting Secretary Modly weren't actually that calm and reserved. Much harsher comments were made.


Three days after firing Capt. Brett Crozier as commander of the coronavirus-sickened nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly boarded the warship docked in Guam and delivered a stinging, profanity-laced denunciation of its deposed skipper.

NPR has obtained an audio recording of Modly's remarks.

Much of the diatribe delivered by the Navy's top civilian to the ship's audibly grumbling crew was a condemnation of a March 30 letter that Crozier emailed to his superior officials. It describes dire conditions on the Roosevelt as thousands of crew members remained on board despite dozens of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection.

The letter leaked and set off a furor on March 31, the day the San Francisco Chronicle broke the first story about it.

"It was my opinion that if he didn't think that information was going to get out into the public in this information age that we live in, then he was a) too naive or too stupid to be the commanding officer of a ship like this," Modly said to the sailors (at that point, a voice can be heard yelling, "What the f***?"). "The alternate is that he did it on purpose, and that's a serious violation of the uniform code of military justice, which you are all familiar with."


In the end, the Captain was looking out for his sailors; he blew the whistle, and he paid the ultimate price. Or did he? Well - of course President Poopyhead is involved now, and lo and behold - the Navy Secretary is trying to walk back those comments.


The US acting navy secretary has apologised for calling the ousted captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt “too naive or too stupid” to be in command, amid growing calls from Congress and former officers for him to resign.

“Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naive nor stupid,” Thomas Modly wrote on Monday evening. “I think and always believed him to be the opposite.”

“I apologize for any confusion this choice of words may have caused. I also want to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused.”

Modly sparked a leadership crisis at the Pentagon when an audio recording surfaced of a speech he gave to the crew of the aircraft carrier, in which he denigrated the commander he had fired for having circulated a memo calling for more help for his crew, who had been stricken by a coronavirus outbreak onboard.

The acting navy secretary’s apology came soon after Donald Trump said on Monday evening he would intervene in the situation, and hinted he might reinstate the former Roosevelt commander Captain Brett Crozier.

“His career prior to that was very good. So I’m going to get involved and see exactly what’s going on there because I don’t want to destroy somebody for having a bad day,” Trump said, while stressing that Crozier should not have circulated the memo.

Referring to Modly and Crozier, the president added: “Two good people ... they were arguing. And I’m good, believe it or not, at settling arguments … So I may look into it in great detail. And I’ll be able to figure it out very fast.”


But of course - that means this will be a circus for weeks, and there will be no real resolution.

In any case - does somebody want to write a blog tomorrow? My takeover here is complete.
 
 

9 comments (Latest Comment: 04/07/2020 20:19:47 by TriSec)
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