Navy recommends reinstating commander of USS Theodore Roosevelt

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/24/polit...der/index.html

Washington (CNN) — The Navy recommended to Defense Secretary Mark Esper that
Capt. Brett Crozier be restored to command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt
aircraft carrier on Friday, according to an administration official.

Esper was not prepared to immediately accept the recommendation from Admiral
Michael Gilday, the Chief of Naval Operations after being briefed on the
investigation into the circumstances around Crozier's removal, telling top Navy
officials he wanted more time to review their recommendations, two defense
officials told CNN.

The defense officials told CNN that the Navy intended to announce its
recommendation at a press conference Friday afternoon but it was canceled after
Esper did not immediately endorse it.

They added that the expectation had been Esper would accept the recommendation.

Earlier on Friday Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters Esper was
"going into this with an open mind" ahead of the meeting with Gilday and that
"he is generally inclined to support Navy leadership and their decisions."

Asked if top lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have
been notified of the Navy's recommendation, a Senate aide said they were
expecting individual calls Friday from the Navy and Esper but those calls were
postponed, then canceled and ultimately rescheduled for next week.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense and Navy both declined to comment

The New York Times was first to report the decision.

Crozier was fired earlier this month for what the then-acting Navy Secretary
Thomas Modly said was poor judgment by too widely disseminating a warning about
the spread of virus aboard his vessel, a warning that eventually made its way
into the press.

Modly resigned days later over his handling of the incident, actions which
included a $240,000 trip to Guam where he slammed Crozier and admonished sailors
for giving Crozier a rousing send off in public remarks to the crew.

While Modly publicly accused Crozier of sending his letter of warning to 20 to
30 people, the email to which the letter was attached shows that Crozier sent it
to 10 people including his direct superior, according to a copy of the email
obtained by The Washington Post.

"I believe if there is ever a time to ask for help it is now regardless of the
impact on my career," Crozier wrote in his email, the contents of which a US
official directly familiar with the message confirmed to CNN.

The email was addressed to Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, the commander of the carrier
strike group of which the USS Theodore Roosevelt is a component and Crozier's
immediate commanding officer.

The email was also addressed to Adm. John Aquilino, the commander of US Pacific
Fleet; and Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller, another senior officer in the Pacific
responsible for overseeing Naval Air Forces.

The message was also copied to seven Navy captains, all of whom were either
serving aboard the aircraft carrier or working as aides to the admirals
addressed in the email.

Following his ouster Crozier was initially reassigned to the headquarters of the
Naval Air Forces Pacific command in San Diego but has remained in Guam where he
is completing a mandatory quarantine period.

After he was fired Crozier was replaced as commanding officer of the aircraft
carrier by the ship's former captain, Rear Admiral select Carlos Sardiello.

Cases on ship have skyrocketed

The number of coronavirus cases aboard the Roosevelt have skyrocketed in recent
days, with 856 sailors testing positive as of Friday, and four sailors have been
hospitalized in Guam where they are being treated for coronavirus symptoms.

One sailor from the aircraft carrier has died due to contracting the virus.

The Navy has evacuated more than 4,200 sailors from the ship, representing more
than 85% of the Roosevelt's crew, and moved them into quarantine or isolation on
Guam, an evacuation that was urgently called for by Crozier in his letter.

On Friday morning, a US Navy official told CNN that a second US warship had been
hit by an outbreak of at least 18 cases of the virus.

The Pentagon later confirmed that there has been an outbreak on the USS Kidd
which has a crew of around 330.

On Wednesday another senior Navy official told CNN there were coronavirus cases
on 26 Navy warships, and another 14 have been hit by the virus but the crew
members impacted have recovered.

While President Donald Trump initially criticized Crozier for writing his letter
of warning, he later expressed sympathy for the captain following his ouster,
citing his accomplished record as a helicopter and F/A-18 jet pilot.

"I'm going to get involved and see what is going on there because I don't want
to destroy somebody for having a bad day," Trump said.

Asked last week about the investigation last week, Esper did not rule out
reinstating Crozier and the Navy has repeatedly said nothing is off the table
and that no final decisions have been made with regard to the investigation.

The Navy's top admiral told reporters earlier this month that he is "taking no
options off the table" as he reviewed the investigation and that he was under no
pressure from Pentagon or administration officials to drive toward a particular
outcome.

"I am taking no options off the table as I review that investigation I think
that that's my responsibility to approach it in a way with due diligence to make
sure it's completely fair and unbiased as I can possibly make it," Gilday told a
small group of reporters on a conference call.

Gilday also said that he has not spoken to Crozier and that he is under no
pressure in terms of the investigation.

"I'm under no pressure from anybody in terms of my pace or in terms of any kind
of influence, nobody has talked to me about that investigation -- you're the
first people that I'm talking to about the investigation outside of my office,"
Gilday said.




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