Following the firing of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer on Sunday, speculation now centers on how another Navy official will fare in the wake of the Eddie Gallagher case.
Rear Adm. Collin Green, who leads Navy Special Warfare Command, pursued actions against Gallagher after the SEAL was found not guilty of various war crimes. Against a tweeted countermand from President Trump, Green last week ordered a review against Gallagher for posing with other SEALs — who were not punished — alongside a dead enemy fighter.
Military lawyers told the Washington Examiner that Green would not have made such a controversial move without some kind of “top cover” from Navy leadership. Now, with top cover from Spencer gone, some observers are looking at what’s next for Green.
Brad Bailey, a former Navy SEAL and Gallagher supporter, told the Washington Examiner that Green’s review has caused serious backlash within the community. “Green is not going to survive this,” he said. “People are just tired of it. They’re tired of him dragging us through the mud.”
Bryan McGrath, a former Navy destroyer captain, believes Green will fall on his sword. “I suspect [Rear Adm.] Green may request to retire,” he said. “To call this unusual does injustice to the word. It is bizarre.”
Green has been grappling with the SEAL force’s image following several scandals, including instances of drug use and drinking while on deployment.
“I don’t know if we have a culture problem, I do know that we have a good order and discipline problem that must be addressed immediately,” Green wrote to his subordinates in a July 25 letter.
In August, Green issued a four-page directive to senior SEAL leaders aimed at bringing the force “back to basics” by instituting traditional grooming standards and regular inspections. As part of that effort, Gallagher supporters charged, Green overstepped on the embattled SEAL.
Gallagher’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, has accused Green of “conspiring” to remove his Trident. Gallagher has filed an inspector general complaint against the admiral. accusing Navy brass of inflicting “irreparable damage” against Gallagher for nearly two years. It claims Green held a staff meeting in which he “made clear his contempt of the President and disagreement with the President’s decision, before declaring that he intended to remove SOC Gallagher’s trident anyway.”
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper met with acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modley and Adm. Michael Gilday on Monday “to discuss the way ahead” following the Gallagher fallout. In a Pentagon briefing on Monday, Esper said the SEAL’s case had dragged on for too long and had become distracting.
When asked about the future of Rear Adm. Green, the Pentagon directed the Washington Examiner to Esper’s Monday press briefing.
“I want the SEALs and the Navy to move beyond this now and get fully focused on their war-fighting mission, and I also want them focused on resetting their professional standards, ethics, and conduct,” Esper said in the briefing.
