THE US Navy has decided to uphold it’s decision to fire Captain Brett Crozier after he raised the alarm on the coronavirus pandemic. The news was announced in an investigation, that was seen by Politco on Friday. “The results of the investigation justified the relief,” someone who has seen the investigation told the outlet. “He […]
THE US Navy has decided to uphold it’s decision to fire Captain Brett Crozier after he raised the alarm on the coronavirus pandemic.
The news was announced in an investigation, that was seen by Politco on Friday.
“The results of the investigation justified the relief,” someone who has seen the investigation told the outlet.
“He failed to take appropriate action, to do the things that the commanding officer of a ship is supposed to do, so he stays relieved.”
However, a congressional aide told the outlet that no other punitive action will be taken against Crozier.
Two people told Politco that the Navy is also expected to uphold the promotion of the senior officer onboard the Roosevelt, and Crozier’s boss, Rear Admiral Stuart Baker, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 9.
“Strike Group Command will also be held accountable for poor decision-making and his second star is being put on hold.”
In March, Capt. Brett Crozier warned about a growing number cases among sailors on the vessel in a letter to the Navy’s top brass, and called for urgent help.
In his letter to Navy leaders, Crozier said: “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,” he said.
“If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.”
He said that removing all but 10 percent of the ship’s 5,000-person crew was a “necessary risk” in order to stop the spread of the virus.
The captain told bosses in Washington that action had to be taken immediately, and that as many crew should be taken off as possible to save lives — so they could be tested, isolated and treated if necessary.
“It will enable the carrier and air wing to get back underway as quickly as possible while ensuring the health and safety of our sailors,” Crozier wrote, adding that finding appropriate isolation for the crew “will require a political solution, but it is the right thing to do.”
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said Crozier had shown “extremely poor judgment” in widely distributing the letter via email, and added he “lost confidence in [Crozier’s] ability to lead that warship.”
He said the letter was sent outside the chain of command while the Navy was already “fully responding.”
Modly fired Crozier and flew to the USS Theodore Roosevelt, at a port in Guam, and told the ship’s crew Crozier was either “too naive or too stupid” to be in charge of an aircraft carrier, and said he would be reassigned within the Navy.
Modly then resigned after he came under fire for those remarks.
