Veterans and lawmakers on Capitol Hill are blasting the Navy for its decision to fire the commander of a U.S. aircraft carrier after he pleaded with the Pentagon for more help with a coronavirus outbreak aboard his ship.
As of Friday, 3,000 sailors were due to disembark and move into quarantine, according to The Associated Press. More than 100 sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for the virus, but so far none have been hospitalized. Some will remain behind with the ship, which is docked in Guam in the South Pacific.
U.S. Navy Capt. Brett E. Crozier was relieved of his duty Thursday because he “demonstrated extremely poor judgment,” by sending an urgent but unclassified memo to his superiors that was later leaked to the press, said acting Navy Sec. Thomas Modly.
Modly also took sole responsibility for the decision to fire Crozier and emphasized that he was not under any pressure from the White House.
“I did not come to this decision lightly,” Modly added. “I have no doubt in my mind that Captain Crozier did what he thought was in the best interests of the safety and well-being of his crew.”
Members of the House Armed Services Committee later called the firing a “destabilizing move” that will “likely put our service members at greater risk and jeopardize our fleet’s readiness.”
What’s the issue
On Monday Crozier wrote a four-page letter to his superiors in Washington about the dire situation unfolding aboard the Roosevelt, which is docked with more than 4,000 sailors aboard, dozens of them infected with the virus. In the communication, Crozier criticized Navy leadership for failing to provide the proper resources to combat an outbreak.
“We are not at war,” Crozier wrote. “Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.”
After firing Crozier, Modly held a news conference about the matter and said the captain “demonstrated extremely poor judgment” in the middle of a crisis and created a panic by sending a non-secure email to people outside his chain of command.
The letter eventually found its way to the San Francisco Chronicle, which was the first to report the matter on Tuesday. From there the story quickly spread around the country.
Modly added that he had no information to suggest that Crozier leaked the memo, but said the captain should have gone directly to his immediate commanders, who were already planning to send assistance.
“What it does, it undermines our efforts and the chain of command’s efforts to address this problem and creates a panic and creates the perception that the Navy is not on the job, the government is not on the job, and it’s just not true,” Modly said at a press conference Thursday.
Across the internet on Friday, Crozier was being called a hero.
Videos were circulating on social media of the moment when Crozier disembarked the Roosevelt for a final time as the ship’s crew repeatedly chanted “Captain Crozier! Captain Crozier!”
Amid an outpouring of support for Crozier, Modly revealed on Friday that the captain would be reassigned rather than discharged from the Navy, according to a report by NPR.
Reaction on Capitol Hill
Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee issued a joint statement in support of Crozier. They said that while the captain went outside his chain of command, the pandemic presents a new set of challenges.
“Captain Crozier was justifiably concerned about the health and safety of his crew, but he did not handle the immense pressure appropriately,” the lawmakers said. “However, relieving him of his command is an overreaction.”
Chairman Adam Smith and subcommittee chairs Joe Courtney, John Garamendi, and Jackie Speier were all in agreement.
“Throwing the commanding officer overboard without a thorough investigation is not going to solve the growing crisis aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt,” the statement said. “What's more, we are very concerned about the chilling effect this dismissal will have on commanders throughout the Department of Defense.
“Dismissing a commanding officer for speaking out on issues critical to the safety of those under their command discourages others from raising similar concerns.”
Sen. Jack Reed, a leading Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he told Modly that Navy leaders must make it clear that the decision to fire Crozier doesn’t deter others from taking steps to protect their sailors and Marines.
And he said the incident “raised critical questions” about the Navy’s strategy to combat the virus across the fleet.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, called for an inspector general to investigate Crozier’s dismissal.
"I don't think he deserved to be fired," she told MSNBC. "I think what he displayed was extraordinary leadership under a crisis situation. He put his sailors first, he obviously sacrificed himself for the good of his sailors. And I think he should be commended not fired."
The Democratic senator also said she supports having a full committee hearing on the matter.
New Jersey Congressman Andy Kim called the decision to fire Crozier “shameful” and said he should be reinstated immediately.
“Our servicemen and women sign up and put themselves in harm's way for the defense of our country, they shouldn’t be put in harm’s way because of indecision by leadership at the Pentagon to address a crisis that endangered thousands who wear the uniform,” Kim said, according to Newsweek. “Dismissing him sends a dangerous message to our leaders across the military.”
Congressman Ted Lieu also wrote a letter to the Defense Department inspector general urging an investigation.
Joe Biden weighs in
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden addressed Crozier’s firing Thursday in a statement to Reuters, saying it sent a “chilling message” to anyone who was willing to speak truth to power, and was an example “poor judgement” by the Trump administration in a time of crisis.
“Donald Trump’s Acting Navy Secretary shot the messenger," Biden said. “A commanding officer who was faithful to both his national security mission and his duty to care for his sailors, and who rightly focused attention on a broader concern about how to maintain military readiness during this pandemic.”
Veterans outraged
Some Navy veterans were just as vocal in criticizing Crozier's dismissal, Newsweek reported.
“I understand the ‘trust & confidence’ argument. It’s sacrosanct in the Navy,” said John Kirby, a retired rear admiral. “But based on justification put forth by acting SECNAV for why he lost trust & confidence in the TR CO, hard to see it as anything other than an over-reaction & unwarranted at a vital time for the ship.”
Malcolm Nance, former Navy senior chief petty officer, accused officials of "abject stupidity" for relieving Crozier, according to Newsweek.
“You had better drop your anchors on this one. This ‘sailors first’ admiral may be Secretary of the Navy next Jan. He should be because he cares more about my beloved Navy than you do.”
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