From Center on National Security at Fordham Law

The U.S. Navy announced Thursday that it had relieved Capt. Brett Crozier, who commands the USS Roosevelt, after he sounded the alarm about an outbreak of COVID-19  aboard the ship earlier this week. Capt. Crozier had written a four-page letter urging his superiors to allow him to take the carrier to port in Guam to offload sailors infected with COVID-19. “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset—our sailors,” he wrote. After the letter was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle, the ship’s leadership began testing everyone on board, producing 93 positive test results by Wednesday and forcing more than 1,000 people to depart the ship in Guam. In total, 2,700 people are expected to disembark the ship this week, with a smaller crew remaining to maintain the ship.

The decision to remove Crozier came as a surprise to some Navy leaders, whose focus had been getting resources to the ship, defense officials said. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said Thursday he made the decision to relieve Capt. Crozier because the commander’s memo left the impression that the Navy was only responding to the outbreak due to the plea. “It creates a panic, and it 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, adding that the letter could have also emboldened U.S. adversaries in the Pacific region. The official reason for Crozier’s relief of duty is reportedly a loss of trust and confidence. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) said the removal of the captain raised questions about Navy leadership and would draw inquiries from Congress. Crozier will keep his rank and remain in the Navy. NBC News, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal