Navy removes USS Theodore Roosevelt captain

[garb811]

Although it was first mentioned in one of the COVID threads...

Navy removes USS Theodore Roosevelt captain who spoke out about coronavirus response from his post

The Navy dismissed the captain of an aircraft carrier crippled by the coronavirus from his job on Thursday, two days after the officer's unusually blunt letter warned that if the service did not remove sailors from the vessel more quickly, the service would fail them.

Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, the commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, was relieved of command at the direction of acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly. The Navy removed him after becoming increasingly convinced that he was involved in leaking the letter to the media to force the service to address his concerns.

The decision comes one day after Modly said that there was nothing wrong with Crozier writing the letter, but that leaking it to the media "would be something that would violate the principles of good order and discipline."

"How it got out into the media I don't know," Modly said. "I don't think anyone would ever know."

I guess the message here is don't make the boss look bad, even if your sailors are being forced to continue to live in conditions which are causing the spread of a virus...

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Likely he knew the result and put his sailors before his career and this will blow up badly if things get messy onboard.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Just send Trump a tweet.

 

[FJAG]

"We don't know how the letter got out and we'll probably never know" --- Soooo, we'll just fire the Captain out of an abundance of caution. Typical.

:brickwall:

 

[tomahawk6]

2700 sailors will be moved out of the ship. I agree that the skipper did the right thing by his crew and the Navy did him a disservice.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/navy-will-remove-2700-sailors-from-aircraft-carrier-hit-by-coronavirus/ar-BB122no7?ocid=spartanntp

 

[tomahawk6]

I exercised my rights today by dashing off an email suggesting that the SECNAV be fired and the skipper be reinstated. I hope many others have complained as well so we shall see if the Navy reverses course.

 

[Haggis]

I read an article yesterday (which I cannot seem to find now) which stated that the Captain was removed because he failed to exercise discretion in his dealings with the Navy leadership which resulted in a loss of confidence in his ability to command.

This was because his memo was sent to what the Navy considered to be an unusually large distribution list. One of those recipients could've leaked it as well.  But, as the originator, he should've known this and been more discreet.

In short, he embarrassed the family, either directly or indirectly and now he's sacked for it.

 

[FSTO]

That is was the Acting Sec of the Navy was stating yesterday in his press conference.

There is a video on FB of the send off the Capt received from the TR crew. I don't envy the new CO's (former XO) job now.

You can read the full BN here:
https://www.scribd.com/document/454273751/TR-COVID-19-Assistance-Request

To bad it doesn't have the distribution list.

 

[Good2Golf]

Can’t comment on the distribution list, or on how the BN was leaked to the press, but the BN itself appears to me as a well-considered assessment of the situation and proposed course of action to maximize TR’s ability to fight if required, while considering the health of the crew both both their individual sake and that of the fighting capability of the Ship’s company.

 

[FSTO]

Can’t comment on the distribution list, or on how the BN was leaked to the press, but the BN itself appears to me as a well-considered assessment of the situation and proposed course of action to maximize TR’s ability to fight if required, while considering the health of the crew both both their individual sake and that of the fighting capability of the Ship’s company.

Thats my assessment as well.

 

[FJAG]

Can’t comment on the distribution list, or on how the BN was leaked to the press, but the BN itself appears to me as a well-considered assessment of the situation and proposed course of action to maximize TR’s ability to fight if required, while considering the health of the crew both both their individual sake and that of the fighting capability of the Ship’s company.

Totally agree. Anything less than the very clear assessment of the situation and the course suggested would have been negligence on his part. There's clearly nothing wrong with the BN. It would be interesting to see the distribution list and also what if any earlier discussions he may have had with the CoC.

:cheers:

 

[Kat Stevens]

So what happens to the skipper now for showing genuine concern for his ship and those who keep it alive? Is there a reeducation centre for officers who actually give two shit about their men? Not a good look, USN.

 

[FJAG]

So what happens to the skipper now for showing genuine concern for his ship and those who keep it alive? Is there a reeducation centre for officers who actually give two crap about their men? Not a good look, USN.

It's called "sit in cubicle until you retire in grade". Maybe the next Secretary of the Navy will resurrect him.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Statement From SECNAV on Relief of CO Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)
https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=112537

 

[PuckChaser]

This video will tell you what kind of leader Capt Crozier is... https://twitter.com/AmberSmithUSA/status/1246052144115077120?s=19

 

[Good2Golf]

Valuable context to the issue.  An interesting point raised by SECNAV that RDML Baker’s cabin was just down the passage from the CO’s and one might expect there to have been dialogue enough between the CO and his immediate superior that the Strike Group Commander would not have heard about the letter the way he did.

 

[mariomike]

I guess the message here is don't make the boss look bad,

:goodpost:

 

[FSTO]

Valuable context to the issue.  An interesting point raised by SECNAV that RDML Baker%u2019s cabin was just down the passage from the CO%u2019s and one might expect there to have been dialogue enough between the CO and his immediate superior that the Strike Group Commander would not have heard about the letter the way he did.

I was thinking the same thing as well. I find it pretty hard to believe that the CO wouldn't have that conversation with the Strike Commander. But then again the safety and security of the ship itself is the CO's responsibility, still, pulling into Guam with out the RAdm noticing?..............hmmm.

Edit-Should read messages before going off.

The BN should have gone to his boss first before being sent off the ship. But I have a feeling that it would have died right there.
The Capt feel on his sword for the good of the crew. He must have known that his career was done as soon as he hit send.

 

[dimsum]

This video will tell you what kind of leader Capt Crozier is... https://twitter.com/AmberSmithUSA/status/1246052144115077120?s=19

And one of the responses: 

@amuse Replying to @AmberSmithUSA and @RyanAFournier

He was a hot mess... passed over for promotion twice, he was disgruntled and disgraced serving his last days aboard the carrier. Decided to blame his admiral for his own failings by leaking a bullshit memo to the press... he’s not the sort of leader I would follow.

The USN may have different criteria, but I would think "hot messes" don't end up being COs of CVNs.

 

[Infanteer]

Valuable context to the issue.  An interesting point raised by SECNAV that RDML Baker’s cabin was just down the passage from the CO’s and one might expect there to have been dialogue enough between the CO and his immediate superior that the Strike Group Commander would not have heard about the letter the way he did.

I'm going to take an opposite PoV here for the sake of discussion and argue that the relief was entirely appropriate.

If the CO didn't leak the document, he certainly set conditions for it to be leaked.  In doing so, he deliberately got out in front of the entire chain of command.  He is not the CO of some backwoods reserve unit, he commands an aircraft carrier, probably one of the single biggest strategic assets on the U.S. shelf, and one deployed to an extremely sensitive area.  By doing so, he broadcast readiness levels of a critical national platform, and clearly tries to put the chain of command into a corner with regards to options on deployment of such an asset to counter actions by regional pacing threats.  I'm only guessing that the CO was hearing answers he didn't like, and decided to escalate.  First off, the decision to ground such an asset is not his decision to make, and second of all, there is a reason we prioritize mission, then men and women, and then self.  While he may of been putting his sailors over his career, was he putting his sailors over the mission?

Admiral Davidson probably didn't appreciate his decision cycle being influenced by a leaked Scribd memo for the North Koreans to read.

Just another way of looking at this - but my sense tells me that if you're going to mass distribute something like this, when you occupy a position as he did, it should come with a letter of resignation.