Yesterday, senior Navy officials recommended that Captain Brett Crozier be reinstated as commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Captain Crozier was fired after a letter expressing concern about the health and safety of his crew in a shipboard coronavirus outbreak was leaked to the press.
“Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday has presented recommendations to the acting secretary of the Navy, James McPherson,” the Navy said in a statement on Friday. “Secretary McPherson is continuing discussions with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.”
Rather than accept the recommendation Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper is taking time to consider whether to sign off on reinstating the captain of the nuclear-powered carrier. Reportedly, Esper’s decision to hold up the investigation has surprised Navy officials, who believed that the defense secretary would leave the process in the hands of the military chain of command. Ironically, Captain Crozier was fired for going outside the chain of command to express concern for the health of his sailors.
After being fired, Captain Crozier was given a rousing sendoff by the crew of the Roosevelt and is considered by many active-duty Navy personnel and veterans to be a hero for his willingness to sacrifice his career for the health of his sailors. Captain Crozier himself was infected wi the coronavirus and is recovering in isolation in Guam.
The Trump political appointee, acting Navy secretary, Thomas B. Modly, who fired Captain Crozier, has since resigned under pressure.
Thanks to Miro Antic for contributing to this post.
Maybe this will turn out to be a wonderful case of a successfully delivered object lesson creating multiple improvements and little cost other than the political appointee becoming jetsam.
Chain of command should be a two-way communications link. Deafness from above to important information forces elliptical communications.
Hear, hear — the sooner, the better. Capt. Crozier shouldn’t have suffered at the hands of some hack.