U.S. Navy aircraft carrier
The captain turned to the cheering crowd, saluted and walked alone down the gangway.
That is how Captain Brett Crozier ended his sojourn aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a nuclear power aircraft carrier based in the Pacific. One sailor said in a video quoted by the Stars and Stripes, “That’s how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had… The GOAT, the man for the people.”
Such send offs are not typical for officers who have been fired. Crozier’s offense was to send an email to between 20 and 30 colleagues, stating that he feared for the safety of his crew who had been exposed to the novel coronavirus and a number have tested positive. “We are not at war,” Crozier wrote in his letter, “and therefore cannot allow a single Sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily.”
"I lost confidence in his ability to lead that warship as it continues to fight through this virus, get the crew healthy, so that it can continue to meet its national security requirements,” said Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly at a press conference.
"He's being relieved because to me that demonstrated extremely poor judgment in the middle of a crisis," said Modly. "Because of what it's done, it's has created a firestorm. It's created doubts about the ship's ability to go to sea if it needs to. It's created doubt among the families, about the health of their sailors."
"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's not on the job, and it's just not true," Modly said.
Softening the blow
Secretary Modly later modulated his tone when speaking to talk show host Hugh Hewitt, "I know that in my heart and in the heart and mind of [Captain Crozier], every single thing that he was doing was [with] the best interests of the crew in mind, for their lives and their safety.”
"I know that he loves this crew. I know that the crew loves and respects him. But that's not an excuse for exercising the judgment that he did," Modly said. "So it was very, very difficult for me. I had wished that I would never have to make a decision like this."
The problem may continue. Admiral James Stravridis, a former commander of NATO, wrote in email to the San Francisco Chronicle, “we should expect more such incidents because warships are a perfect breeding ground for coronavirus.” Furthermore, the TR, as it is known, is not built for passengers. “It is full of weapons, billions of dollars of equipment, fire hazards, and nuclear reactors.” Protecting sailors will be more challenging but not impossible. [It was the Chronicle that first broke the story about coronavirus on board the TR.]
Reaction to the firing
Reactions to Crozier's sacking is not uniform. Senator Jack Reed, Democrat from Rhode Island, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was informed in advance of the firing. According to ABC News, Reed, a former Army Ranger, said, "that naval leadership must make it clear the decision to relieve Captain Crozier is in no way interpreted as inhibiting any commanding officer from taking necessary steps, through their chain of command, to protect fellow sailors and Marines."
By contrast, Reed’s fellow Democrats in the House were not pleased, calling Crozier’s sacking "a destabilizing move" and "an overreaction." "Throwing the commanding officer overboard without a thorough investigation is not going to solve the growing crisis aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt," Reps. Adam Smith, Joe Courtney, John Garamendi and Rep. Jackie Speier of the House Armed Services Committee wrote in a statement released to the media.
"What’s more, we are very concerned about the chilling effect this dismissal will have on commanders throughout the Department of Defense," they added. "Dismissing a commanding officer for speaking out on issues critical to the safety of those under their command, discourages others from raising similar concerns."
What the removal from command means
That last comment provokes the worry. While it is true that Crozier went outside of his chain of command, why did he do so? Crozier’s email is essentially a detailed planning document written to protect the sailors under his command. Admiral Robert Burke, vice chief of naval operations, is investigating.
One does not rise to the rank of the captain of a carrier without playing by the rules. Crozier is an accomplished pilot and a naval officer. Crozier put his those under his command first, and his commanders second. That is a choice that civilians would embrace. The first duty of a commander is to put the needs of troops first. He or she must, at times, put them into harm's way; that is the nature of the military. At the same time, putting them in harm’s way when not at war seems unwise.
Modly’s sacking of Crozier echoes the firing of his predecessor, Richard Spencer, who was dismissed by Secretary of the Defense Mark Esper. Spencer, a Navy veteran, refused to allow Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher to retire as a SEAL after being convicted of unlawfully posing with a dead prisoner but acquitted of war crimes. President Trump disagreed, and Esper followed the president's orders against the wishes of naval commanders.
Military officers take an oath to uphold the Constitution. Its Preamble reads in part, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Each of those precepts requires a government and a military to work together for the greater good of the nation.
Update: Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly has resigned. He did so in the wake of the backlash he provoked when he labeled Captain Crozier as “stupid” in a closed circuit broadcast to the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
