Acting US Navy Secretary resigns over mishandling of COVID-19 outbreak on aircraft carrier

The acting secretary of the US Navy Thomas Modly on April 7 resigned from his position after facing criticism for mishandling the coronavirus outbreak on USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. The announcement was made by the Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who in a statement said, Modly resigned on his own accord, putting the Navy and the Sailors above self so that the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy as an institution, can move forward. The statement was published on the official website of US Department of Defense.

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Modly's resignation came five days after he fired the USS Theodore Roosevelt's captain, Brett Crozier, who had written a letter alleging that the Pentagon was not paying adequate attention to the situation on Roosevelt. The letter was leaked to the media following which Crozier was fired with Modly accusing him of betrayal and calling him 'too naive or too stupid'. Modly became the second Acting Navy Secretary in four months to resign from the position. 

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Current Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson was appointed as Modly's replacement for the time being as announced by Mark Esper in his statement. The statement read, "I briefed President Trump after my conversation with Secretary Modly. With the approval of the President, I am appointing current Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson as acting Secretary of the Navy. Jim is a retired Admiral with a distinguished 26-year naval career, serving ashore, afloat, and overseas during his time in uniform. Jim will serve as acting Secretary of the Navy until a permanent Navy Secretary is confirmed."

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The letter

The letter by Crozier was leaked and published in the San Francisco Chronicle following which Esper and Modly called it a deliberate action and that it violated Pentagon's chain of command. In the letter, Crozier had described the dire situation on Roosevelt and wrote that it was not a war zone and sailors do not need to die. Following Crozier's firing, US President Donald Trump had said that he will look into the matter but added that the letter should not have been sent to many people. Roosevelt is currently docking in Guam where more than 1,000 sailors who had tested negative are staying in hotels. As per reports, over 155 crew members have tested positive for coronavirus. 

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