WHY THE USS ROOSEVELT’S CAPTAIN HAD TO BE RELIEVED:
[Acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly] said that the captain’s ability to react professionally was overwhelmed by the challenge of the virus, “when acting professionally was what was needed most.” The Navy, he added, should “expect more from the commanding officers of our aircraft carriers.” The secretary didn’t suggest it was the captain who leaked the memo. Yet had Captain Crozier communicated only with his leadership, Mr. Modly said, he’d still have a job.
What struck us as particularly off in the captain’s letter was his statement: “We are not at war.” He added that “sailors do not need to die” and that “if we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.” The Navy, though, doesn’t need to be instructed on the value of its own sailors. Plus, too, under our system it’s not carrier captains who decide whether we’re at war.
The good news is that the Navy has, as it contends it would have absent a public letter, started moving crew off the Roosevelt and onto Guam. Better, by our lights, that were done with as much secrecy as possible. Even total secrecy. We may not be at war at the moment, but if our enemies find out that a weapon like the Roosevelt is lying at anchor with but a skeleton crew, as is now widely reported, who knows what could happen?