Navy leadership recommended Friday that Capt. Brett Crozier, the recently fired commanding officer of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, be reinstated to his prior command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The proposal is the result of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the former skipper\u2019s dismissal approximately three weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday and recently-appointed acting Navy Secretary James McPherson \u2014 who replaced former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly after his tumultuous resignation \u2014 suggested Crozier be reinstated, according to information first obtained by the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gilday and McPherson discussed their findings Tuesday with Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Mark Milley, and met Friday with Defense Secretary Mark Esper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Navy\u2019s inquiry covered a complex timeline of communications between Naval officers, as well as response efforts spanning a dozen time zones and multiple commands,\u201d a senior defense official speaking on background told Navy Times. The official was not authorized to speak on the record while the investigation remains ongoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGiven the importance of the topic and the complex nature, [Esper] is going to read the full written report,\u201d the official continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlthough many in the media are focused on one aspect of the initial inquiry, it is, in fact, about far more than one person. The secretary wants to ensure that the report is thorough and can stand up under the rightful scrutiny of Congress, the media, the families and crew of the Theodore Roosevelt, and the American people. To ensure that, he wants to actually read the report.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reinstatement of Crozier as commanding officer of Theodore Roosevelt would mark yet another bewildering twist in the carrier\u2019s month-long debacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On March 24, the first three cases of COVID-19 onboard the carrier were announced by the Pentagon. Within 24 hours, the number of infected more than doubled, prompting Navy leadership in Washington to order Crozier to sideline the 4,800-person ship in Guam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each subsequent day yielded more confirmed cases. As of Friday, 840 sailors assigned to TR have tested positive for COVID-19, a number that includes Crozier, who is in isolation and reportedly improving, according to the Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A \u201csmall number\u201d of tests are still pending, Navy officials said. Four sailors are currently receiving care at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam. Nearly 90 percent of the crew has been moved onto the island, where the ship has been ported since March 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crozier reportedly contacted an unnamed admiral in Washington seeking assistance prior to sending the email containing the letter that would subsequently be leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle. The following day, March 29, the captain emphasized the urgency of the rapidly evolving situation in a conversation with Modly\u2019s chief of staff, Robert Love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unwilling to stall any longer, Crozier fired off his email just as Modly and Navy leadership were debating which course of action would expedite the safe removal of the carrier\u2019s crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,\u201d Capt. Brett Crozier wrote in the letter. \u201cIf we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset \u2014 our Sailors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crozier was dismissed as commanding officer of Theodore Roosevelt within 48 hours of sending the email. He departed the ship to rousing applause and chants of his name as he walked along the carrier\u2019s gangway for what was assumed then to be the final time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Modly<\/a> said the decision to fire Crozier was made due to the wide distribution of the communication over a \u201cnon-secure, unclassified\u201d email that included \u201c20 or 30\u201d additional recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a betrayal,” Modly told Roosevelt sailors<\/a> over the ship\u2019s 1MC intercom during a visit to Guam days later. \u201cIf he didn\u2019t think, in my opinion, that this information wasn\u2019t going to get out to the public, in this day and information age that we live in, then he was either A, too na\u00efve or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this. The alternative is that he did this on purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a Washington Post report<\/a>, however, Modly characterized the dissemination of Crozier\u2019s email as significantly more careless than the distribution list actually implied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The email, which was copied to seven other Navy captains, was primarily addressed to Crozier\u2019s commanding officer, Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. John Aquilino, and Naval Air Forces commander Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n