Virus Captain Kicked Out!!

Pentagon ENDS the career of USS Theodore Roosevelt Captain Crozier after
upholding decision to fire him over leaked letter and blames HIM for coronavirus
outbreak that infected 1,000 on ship

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-outbreak.html

*Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, announced findings on Friday

*Found Capt. Brett Crozier and Rear Adm. Stuart Baker at fault in outbreak

*Crozier sent letter to superiors warning of virus which leaked to the press

*He was fired as captain of Roosevelt but Navy initially considered reinstating

*But a deeper probe upheld the decision to fire him because he 'made serious
errors in judgement' that failed to stem the outbreak, Gilday said

*More than 1,000 members of the USS Theodore Roosevelt crew were infected with
coronavirus, and one died

*The ship was sidelined for weeks at Guam but recently returned to duty

In a stunning reversal, the US Navy said Friday it would not reinstate the
captain of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, saying he was in part to
blame for the severity of the crisis on the warship.

Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, said Captain Brett Crozier,
who was fired as captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in April, was guilty of
'questionable judgment' in handling an outbreak of COVID-19 aboard the
nuclear-powered ship in March.

Gilday likewise faulted Rear Admiral Stuart Baker, Crozier's direct supervisor
as the carrier's strike group commander, for poor leadership.

'It is my belief that both Admiral Baker and Captain Crozier fell well short of
what we expect of those in command,' Gilday said at a Pentagon press conference.

'In reviewing both Admiral Baker's and Captain Crozier's actions, they did not
do enough, soon enough, to fulfill their primary obligation' to keep the ship's
5,000 crew members safe, he added.

The controversy exploded in April after Crozier sent a letter to Navy leaders
asking that most of the crew be taken ashore, which was subsequently leaked to
the press.

After a two-month investigation, the Navy decided that Crozier would not return
to the Roosevelt and not be eligible to captain another ship.

Baker's expected promotion meanwhile has been placed on hold, pending further
review.

Based on the findings, Crozier and Baker would be able to remain in the Navy and
move on to other jobs at their current rank, but the admonishments are likely
career-enders for both men.

The spread of the coronavirus aboard the carrier while on deployment in the
Pacific in March exploded into one of the biggest military leadership crises of
recent years.

More than 1,000 members of the crew eventually became infected, and one sailor
died. The ship was sidelined for weeks at Guam but recently returned to duty.

The decision by Adm. Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, to hold both
Crozier Baker, accountable is a confirmation of concerns expressed by top
Pentagon officials who demanded a deeper investigation last month when the
initial probe recommended Crozier's reinstatement as the ship's captain.

The investigation, done by Adm. Robert Burke and endorsed Friday by Gilday,
defends the abrupt turnaround on Crozier, saying that the more detailed probe
uncovered poor decisions he made that failed to stem the outbreak or properly
communicate the escalating crisis to senior commanders.

It also concludes that the ship's slow response to the virus was not just his
fault, and that Baker also failed to take decisive actions to address the
problem.

Gilday's recommendations cap a drama that has engulfed the Navy for nearly three
months, sidelining the carrier for 10 weeks in Guam, and setting off a dramatic
series of events that led to Crozier´s dismissal, the abrupt resignation of the
acting Navy secretary who fired him, and the push for a broader review of the
Pacific fleet's top commanders and how they handled the virus outbreak.

Crozier's firing upset the carrier's crew, and he received an ovation as he
walked off the ship in April.

The recommendations reflect concerns expressed by Navy Secretary Kenneth
Braithwaite who told a Senate committee in early May that the service was in
'rough waters' and suffering from leadership failures.

Braithwaite, who the official said endorsed Gilday´s report, pledged to the
Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing that he would
restore a culture of good order and discipline to the service.

In late April, after a preliminary review, Gilday recommended that Crozier be
returned to command the Roosevelt.

But Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, pressed for a delay and a wider investigation of the
coronavirus crisis on the ship, suggesting the need for deeper scrutiny of
actions and decisions by senior admirals in the Pacific, a region critical to
America's national security interests.

The COVID-19 outbreak on the Roosevelt was the most extensive and concentrated
spread of the virus across the U.S. military.

It eventually sent all of the 4,800 crew members ashore for weeks of quarantine,
in a systematic progression that kept enough sailors on the ship to keep it
secure and running.

More broadly, it put out of commission a massive warship vital to the Navy´s
mission of countering China´s power in the Asia-Pacific region.

When the coronavirus outbreak was discovered on the Roosevelt, Crozier sent an
email to several commanders pleading for more urgent Navy action, including the
removal of nearly all sailors from the ship to protect their health.

That email was leaked to media, and the acting Navy secretary at the time,
Thomas Modly, accused Crozier of bad judgment and directed that he be relieved
of command April 2.

Days later, amid an uproar of his handling of the matter, Modly resigned and was
replaced by James McPherson.

Braithwaite´s nomination to be secretary was still pending at the time. He took
over earlier this month after he was confirmed by the Senate. In the report
Friday, Gilday concluded that Crozier did not intentionally leak the email.

The Roosevelt, meanwhile, spent weeks in port in Guam, as crew members rotated
ashore for quarantine and isolation at the military base and in hotels around
the island.

After about two weeks of training at sea, the carrier returned to operations at
sea with a reduced crew on June 4.

Sailors have continued to fly back to the ship from Guam after they have
recovered from the virus or completed two-weeks of quarantine.

On Thursday, two of the ship´s aviators ejected from their F/A-18 fighter jet
while conducting a training flight and were rescued in the Philippine Sea and
found to be in good condition.

The incident is under investigation and it's not clear whether the crew´s long
layoff in Guam or rapid return to sea played any role in the crash.

The Roosevelt's experience with the virus, however, spurred the development of
widespread cleaning and health precautions across the military. And it also gave
federal health authorities a population of sailors to test, providing greater
insight into the science and the spread of the virus.



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