Navy leader calls fired carrier captain ‘naive’ or ‘stupid’
In an extraordinary broadside punctuated with profanity, the Navy’s top leader accused the fired commander of the cornavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt of being “too naive or too stupid” to be in charge of an aircraft carrier. He delivered the criticism to sailors who had cheered the departing skipper last week.
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly harshly criticized Capt. Brett E. Crozier — and by implication those among the crew who had vocally supported him — in a lengthy and passionate speech aboard the ship, which is pier-side at Guam. Crew members are being taken off the ship to be tested for the coronavirus. At least 173 sailors aboard the ship have tested positive, as of Monday, and about 2,000 of the 4,865 crew members had been taken off. The Navy has offered no estimate of when the ship might return to duty.
While skewering Crozier, Modly also admonished the crew. He suggested that by
WASHINGTON —
In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly is toured through the patient transfer process at the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) March 31. Mercy deployed in support of the nation’s COVID-19 response efforts, and will serve as a referral hospital for NON-COVID-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals. cheering Crozier when he love him.” departed the carrier last President Donald Trump week, they were overlooking on Monday said he may their most basic duty to get involved, agreeing that defend U.S. interests. Modly’s criticism of Crozier
“So think about that when was “a rough statement.” you cheer the man off the He said Crozier made a misship who exposed you to take when he sent a memo that,” he said. “I underto several people laying out stand you love the guy. It’s his concerns about the crew good that you love him. and the virus. The memo
But you’re not required to was leaked to the media.
Trump said Crozier had a good career prior to this incident, adding, “I don’t want to destroy somebody for having a bad day.”
Speaking on the ship, Modly urged the crew to stop complaining about their predicament, which he said made the Navy look weak. He suggested that some aboard the Roosevelt, including Crozier, had forgotten what matters most.
“It is the mission of the ship that matters,” he said. “You all know this, but in my view your Captain lost sight of this and he compromised critical information about your status intentionally to draw greater attention to your situation.”
Modly relieved Crozier of command of the ship last week, saying he had lost confidence in him for having shown “extremely poor judgment” in widely distributing the memo pleading for an accelerated evacuation of the crew. The dismissal quickly turned into a hot political issue, with Democrats saying Crozier was wrongly fired for defending his sailors, and Trump denouncing Crozier and backing Modly.
U.S. officials said Navy leaders, including Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, argued that an investigation should be done before taking action. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The Sunday comments by Modly added fuel to the political fire, with at least one member of Congress urging he be fired.
An unofficial transcript of Modly’s remarks, as well as an audio recording, circulated widely on the internet Monday — demonstrating the slippery landscape that Modly accused Crozier of failing to navigate. Hours after the latest furor erupted, Modly issued a brief statement saying he stood behind his remarks but had not heard a recording and therefore could not confirm every detail in the transcript.
“The spoken words were from the heart, and meant for them,” Modly said, referring to the crew. “I stand by every word I said, even, regrettably any profanity that may have been used for emphasis. Anyone who has served on a Navy ship would understand. I ask, but don’t expect, that people read them in their entirety.”
Modly, a 1983 Naval Academy graduate, became the acting Navy secretary last November after Richard Spencer was ousted from the position. Trump last month nominated retired Rear Adm. Kenneth Braithwaite, the current ambassador to Norway, to be the next Navy secretary.