Navy draws heavy fire for sacking skipper of coronavirus-infected aircraft carrier

“What he did that was correct, was recognize the situation, recognize that he needed to communicate what was going on in the ship,” said Modly. “The manner in which he chose to do it, not going directly to his strike group commander who’s right down the hall from him and talking it through, is the reason I have a problem.”

Crozier “demonstrated extremely poor judgment,” which Modly said caused him to lose confidence in his leadership.

“I could reach no other conclusion that Capt. Crozier had allowed the complexity of his challenge with the COVID breakout on the ship to overwhelm his ability to act professionally when acting professionally was what was needed most at the time,” he said. “To allow those emotions to color our judgment when communicating the current operational picture can at best create unnecessary confusion and, at worst, provide an incomplete picture of American combat readiness to our adversaries.”

BLINDSIDED: Modly said at the very same time his office was in direct contact with Crozier, making arrangements for most of the ship’s crew to be isolated in hotel rooms ashore, the commanding officer was blasting an email, which went outside the chain of command, and worse, ended up in the San Francisco Chronicle.

“At no time did the CO relay the various levels of alarm that I, along with the rest of the world, learned from his letter when it was published by the CO’s hometown newspaper,” Modly said. “The letter was sent over nonsecure, unclassified email, even though the ship possesses some of the most sophisticated communications equipment in the fleet. And it wasn’t just sent up the chain of command; it was sent and copied to a broad array of other people.”

BAD OPTICS: The action will likely end the Navy career of Crozier, whom Modly called “an honorable man who, despite this uncharacteristic lapse of judgment, has dedicated himself throughout a lifetime of incredible service to our nation.”

And that drew immediate criticism that the Navy was itself overreacting by firing an officer who put his career on the line to protect the lives of his crew.

“Captain Crozier was justifiably concerned about the health and safety of his crew, but he did not handle the immense pressure appropriately. However, relieving him of his command is an overreaction,” wrote four Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee, including Chairman Adam Smith. “We are very concerned about the chilling effect this dismissal will have on commanders throughout the Department of Defense. Dismissing a commanding officer for speaking out on issues critical to the safety of those under their command discourages others from raising similar concerns.”

“This incident raises critical questions about the Navy’s strategy to combat COVID-19 within the ranks and onboard ships and submarines. Should the Navy be doing more? What adjustments are they making?” said Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “The first obligation of any commander is to protect those under their command. The Armed Services Committee’s role is to provide meaningful oversight, and that is something we are aggressively doing.”

TRUMP ON BOARD: Asked if Crozier was punished for trying to save the lives of his sailors, President Trump pushed back. “I don’t agree with that at all. Not at all. Not even a little bit,” he said during yesterday’s coronavirus update.

That prompted retired Marine Col. Dave Lapan, a former Pentagon and Homeland Security spokesman, to tweet, “He intervened with the Navy to protect a war criminal whose sailors testified against him. Will he do the same for a true leader looking out for the welfare of his sailors?”

Lapan, who briefly worked for the Trump administration, was referring to the case of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, whom Trump ordered restored to rank and his punishment dropped for posing for a picture along with a dead ISIS fighter.

BLOWBACK: “I understand the ‘trust & confidence’ argument. It’s sacrosanct in the Navy,” tweeted retired Rear Adm. John Kirby, another former Pentagon spokesman. “But based on justification put forth by acting SECNAV for why he lost trust & confidence in the TR CO, hard to see it as anything other than an over-reaction & unwarranted at a vital time for the ship.”

“Deeply surprised to learn that Navy has fired the Captain of carrier Roosevelt who is battling coronavirus in his 5,000 sailor crew in Guam,” tweeted former Supreme NATO Commander retired Adm. James Stavridis, who has just penned an op-ed for Bloomberg in which he wrote, “I cannot imagine how wrenching the feeling of signing that letter must have been for the captain. But he made the right choice, and the Navy will back him up.”

Kelly Magsamen, vice president of national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress, called the dismissal “outrageous” and called the criticism of his judgment “spurious.”

“It is yet another unjustified punishment of a whistleblower who went through the proper chain of command to raise concerns,” said Magsamen, a former top Pentagon official, in a statement. “Crozier should be promoted for putting the welfare of his sailors first.”

Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by David Sivak. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.

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HAPPENING TODAY: Air Mobility Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Jon “Ty” Thomas will brief reporters at the Pentagon on AMC’s support to the whole-of-government response to COVID-19. Watch live at 11 a.m. https://www.defense.gov/Watch/Live-Events/

A SOLDIER’S STORY — THE MILITARY’S FIRST COVID DEATH: Before this is all over, all of us will have our own story of loss. A parent, a child, a friend, a coworker, someone we’re close to, someone we only just met, a celebrity we admire, an unsung hero on the front lines.

There will be many heart-wrenching stories to come, but I hope you might take a few minutes to read a story written by my colleague, Abraham Mahshie, the Washington Examiner’s defense reporter, about the first military casualty of the COVID war, 57-year-old Douglas Linn Hickok, an Army captain in the New Jersey National Guard.

His 26-year-old daughter, Shandrea Hickok, shared with Mahshie poignant details of how this Army officer lived and died, and it’s a somber reminder of how quickly our lives have changed.

Here’s a short, edited excerpt. You can read the full story here.

Hickok joined the National Guard in 2009, and though separated from his first wife and living out of state, he took advantage of Guard duty in New Jersey to visit his children. He was scheduled to meet with the Army on March 21 to discuss how he could also be part of the COVID-19 response. Instead, he checked into Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono near his home in Pennsylvania.

At around 1 a.m. early that Saturday morning, he called his daughter Shandrea. “He was having trouble breathing and was going to the hospital,” she said. He had a fever earlier in the week, but he felt better and went to work on Friday.

“He had told us that the Army was planning on calling him for active duty in the National Guard,” Shandrea Hickok said, noting that it could be balanced with his part-time work as a physician’s assistant at an orthopedic office. “He was very excited and looking forward to meeting with them to see how he could be of service.”

When he checked into Lehigh, he had the symptoms of viral pneumonia consistent with COVID. “He was just doing really well the first couple of days, he was improving a lot, and it turned very suddenly like you hear all the other cases on the news,” she said.

The next call she got from her father was on March 25. “He was in a lot of pain and didn’t think he was gonna make it.” Her father feared going on a ventilator. His work in hospitals had taught him that recovery once he was on a ventilator was bleak.

Douglas Hickock died three days later on Saturday, just one week after his diagnosis. His daughter now believes that every COVID case should be treated as if the patient is in critical danger. “Low risk can turn into high risk in a very short amount of time,” she said.

THE LATEST COVID NUMBERS: Here are the numbers of COVID-19 infections for U.S. military members and civilians so far this week, as reported by the Pentagon. The numbers are as of 5 a.m. each day, which means they reflect numbers from the previous day. The numbers for yesterday will be reported later today.

CURRENT CASES:

• March 30: 1,087 total — 569 military, 220 civilian, 190 dependent, 64 contractor
• March 31: 1,259 total — 673 military, 247 civilian, 212 dependent, 72 contractor
• April 1: 1,405 total — 771 military, 273 civilian, 225 dependent, 74 contractor
• April 2: 1,638 total — 893 military, 306 civilian, 256 dependent, 95 contractor

CURRENT HOSPITALIZATIONS:

• March 30: 56 total — 26 military, 16 civilian, 10 dependent, 4 contractor
• March 31: 65 total — 31 military, 17 civilian, 13 dependent, 4 contractor
• April 1: 74 total — 40 military, 22 civilian, 9 dependent, 3 contractor
• April 2: 120 total — 35 military, 34 civilian, 12 dependent, 4 contractor

CURRENT RECOVERED:

• March 30: 42 total — 34 military, 4 civilian, 4 dependent, 0 contractor
• March 31: 51 total — 42 military, 5 civilian, 4 dependent, 0 contractor
• April 1: 57 total — 42 military, 7 civilian, 8 dependent, 0 contractor
• April 2: 83 total — 59 military, 11 civilian, 12 dependent, 1 contractor

CURRENT DEATHS:

• March 30: 2 total — 0 military, 0 civilian, 1 dependent, 1 contractor
• March 31: 4 total — 1 military, 1 civilian, 1 dependent, 1 contractor
• April 1: 5 total — 1 military, 2 civilian, 1 dependent, 1 contractor
• April 2: 5 total — 1 military, 2 civilian, 1 dependent, 1 contractor

CHILLING ANNOUNCEMENT: The Pentagon confirmed that, in response to a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 100,000 “human remains pouches,” i.e. body bags, the Defense Logistics Agency will be acting as the procuring agent.

“The Department of Defense and the Defense Logistics Agency have a longstanding arrangement with FEMA to procure key commodities from DLA’s industrial partners during crisis response operations,” said Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a Pentagon spokesman in a statement. “DLA is currently responding to FEMA’s prudent planning efforts for 100,000 pouches to address mortuary contingencies on behalf of state health agencies.”

WHAT WAS TRUMP TALKING ABOUT?: Trump, explaining his cryptic tweet alluding to a planned “sneak attack” on U.S. troops in Iraq by Iranian-backed forces, said his intention was to put Iran on notice.

“I’m just giving them a warning,” he said Wednesday. “I’m saying, if you do anything to hurt our troops, they’re going to pay a price.”

A new analysis from the Institute for the Study of War notes that Iran is continuing to escalate proxy attacks against the United States in Iraq, “demonstrating that it remains undeterred despite the January 3 strike that killed IRGC — Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani.”

“Iran’s proxy network in Iraq is advancing its campaign to compel an American withdrawal by increasing the operational tempo of its attacks on U.S. and allied personnel. Iran’s proxies are responsible for at least 15 attacks on American and U.S.-led Coalition personnel since January 3,” according to ISW analysts Katherine Lawlor and Brandon Wallace.

“A new militia group, Usbat al-Thairen, claimed several recent attacks, indicating that the proxy network may be reorganizing in observance of the shared vision of Soleimani and Muhandis and that Iran may have reached a new phase in its campaign to expel U.S. forces from Iraq.”

DAY LATE, DOLLARS SHORT: The National Guard Association of the United States says the Trump administration still is doing right by the citizen-soldiers who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight.

The administration took care of one concern when it approved Title 32 status for Guard troops under state control in many states.

“This action covers the troops’ pay, while keeping them under the command of their governor, who knows best how to employ them in this crisis,” said retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, NGAUS president. “It was also supposed to provide healthcare in the form of the military’s TRICARE medical coverage. Unfortunately, that is not happening.”

“Federal authorities are only allowing state and territories to put their Guardsmen on federal orders in increments of 30 days. To be eligible for TRICARE, they need to be on orders of at least 31 days. They are just one day short,” he writes. “Guardsmen on the front lines of this fight need our nation’s full support. They are not getting it.”

IF AT FIRST …: Texas Republican Rep. Mac Thornberry, who is wrapping up his time in Congress, is once again pushing for legislation that seeks to reform the Pentagon’s acquisition process by expanding oversight on the sustainment process and the vulnerabilities in the Defense Industrial Base.

“One of the lessons we have already learned from the country’s COVID-19 response is that we must pay closer attention to the vulnerabilities in the industrial base, especially the Defense Industrial Base,” said Thornberry, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.

“I am also encouraged by Secretary Esper’s efforts to prioritize projects relevant to great power competition, and I want to ensure those efforts continue in the future,” he said. “I also want to ensure that Congress has an ability to exercise oversight on the process and its results.”

SEE YOU IN OCTOBER: The Space Foundation has rescheduled its annual Space Symposium for Saturday, Oct. 31, through Tuesday, Nov. 3, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

The annual assembly of the world’s space community gathers leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs from the civil, commercial, military, research, and international sectors to share, explore, and partner on efforts that will affect our lives beyond Earth and upon it.

INDUSTRY WATCH: Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun is calling for workers to volunteer for layoffs as the coronavirus has slowed demand for the company’s products, writes Jay Heflin in the Washington Examiner.

“We are initiating a voluntary layoff (VLO) plan that allows eligible employees who want to exit the company to do so with a pay and benefits package. This move aims to reduce the need for other workforce actions,” he wrote in a letter to employees.

The VLO plan is expected to “bridge us to recovery as long as we’re not confronted with more unexpected challenges,” the letter stated. It also noted that “it will take time for the aerospace industry to recover from the crisis.”

Boeing, as well as the entire aviation industry, has been battered by the coronavirus as air travel has nearly come to a complete stop. Calls for workers to be at home has challenged production.

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: ‘We were very proud of him’: Daughter grapples with National Guardsman’s death from coronavirus

Washington Examiner: New Marine commandant is implementing a radical makeover to confront China

Military.com: Commandant Says He Won’t Force Out Marines as the Service Shrinks

New York Times: The 1,000-Bed Comfort Was Supposed to Aid New York. It Has 20 Patients.

Washington Examiner: Ventilators sit idle as Navy hospital ships and Army field hospitals refuse COVID-19 patients

AP: Nearly 3,000 Sailors To Leave US Navy Carrier Amid Virus Outbreak

Kitsap Sun: Aircraft Carrier Nimitz Prepared For Quarantine As Pandemic Continues

Military Times: The Pentagon Is Looking At Reducing, But Not Eliminating, Operations During COVID-19 Pandemic

Military Times: Family Separations, Training “For Nothing” And Rock-Bottom Morale. How The Travel Ban Is Affecting Troops.

Defense News: Inside U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s $20 Billion Wish List To Deter China — And Why Congress May Approve

AP: Taliban ready to begin cease-fires in virus-hit Afghan areas

Air Force Magazine: USAF, Boeing Reach Plan to Replace KC-46’s Problematic Remote Vision System

Popular Mechanics: The Pentagon Just Bought A Bunch Of F-35s

Forbes: Five Reasons Raytheon Technologies Is Destined To Dominate Aerospace & Defense

The Hill: US inaction is hurting the chance for peace in Libya

Calendar

NOTE: Many events in Washington have been canceled or moved online in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Pentagon has been conducting almost-daily pop-up briefings, which are often only announced at the last minute. Check https://www.defense.gov for updates to the Pentagon’s schedule.

FRIDAY | APRIL 3

9 a.m. — Brookings Institution webinar: “Fighting COVID-19: Experiences and lessons from the frontlines in Asia.” https://www.brookings.edu/events/webcast

10 a.m. — Atlantic Council webcast: “How Russia is Handling Coronavirus,” with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center; E. Wayne Merry, senior fellow for Europe and Eurasia at the American Foreign Policy Council; Vladimir Milov, Russian opposition politician; Judyth Twigg, professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University; Konstantin Eggert, columnist at Deutsche Welle; and Jakub Kalensky, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. https://atlanticcouncil.org/event

11 a.m. — Hudson Institute webcast: “China’s Charm Diplomacy: Beijing’s Attempts to Reinvent Reality,” focusing on “the geopolitical consequences of China using the COVID-19 crisis to establish a ‘global health silk road’ spanning Europe, South Asia and East Asia,” with Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute; Liselotte Odgaard, visiting senior fellow at the Hudson Institute; Aparna Pande, director of the Hudson Institute’s Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia; and Peter Rough, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. https://www.hudson.org/events/1793-video-livestream

12:25 p.m — Canadian Lt. Gen. Christopher Coates, NORAD deputy commander, and Nicole Young, Canadian Element NORAD chief warrant officer, host a virtual town hall. Livestream at https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/23691.

THURSDAY | APRIL 9

8 a.m. — Defense Writers Group audio conference call with Gen. Timothy Ray, commander, Air Force Global Strike Command and commander, Air Forces, U.S. Strategic Command. https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu/

WEDNESDAY | APRIL 29

8 a.m. — Northrop Grumman Corporation webcasts its first quarter 2020 conference call, with Kathy Warden, chairman, chief executive officer and president, and Dave Keffer, chief financial officer. http://investor.northropgrumman.com