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Navy Capt. Brett E. Crozier was relieved of his command of the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt after Thomas B. Modly, the acting secretary of the Navy, reportedly lost confidence in Crozier’s ability to command the ship effectively.
According to two Naval Academy classmates of Crozier’s who are close to him and his family, Crozier has tested positive for Covid-19. A Navy spokesman declined to comment on Crozier’s Covid status, the report added.
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.
Crozier is accused of sending a letter on an unclassified email system to 20 to 30 people. “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.”
Modly said the letter cause unnecessary alarm about the operational readiness of the ship and undermined the chain of command.
President Trump offered support for Modly’s decision, stating, “He shouldn’t be talking that way in a letter. I thought it was terrible what he did.”
Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper said, “There is an investigation ongoing.”
“All the services at times relieve commanders without the benefit of an investigation up front because they’ve lost confidence in them. It’s certainly not unique to the Navy.”
The news of Crozier’s diagnosis is likely to fuel further skepticism of the Navy’s handling of the outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier, which has already received notable criticism from the rank and file. On Friday, videos circulated showing hundreds of sailors aboard the Roosevelt cheering for Crozier as he disembarked the ship. Memes depicting the Navy captain rescuing his sailors from a burning building over saving his own career sprouted up across social media.
Crozier’s firing has also raised concerns with Democratic lawmakers. In a statement, the Democratic leaders of the House Armed Services Committee condemned his removal, although they acknowledged that Crozier might have made missteps in his handling of the situation. “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.”
“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 lawmakers added.
Former Vice President Joe Biden said, “I think it’s close to criminal the way they’
The sailors will join roughly 625 other service members from the Roosevelt who have already tested negative for the virus and have been sent to quarantine in hotels over the past few days.