A speech by acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly to the aircraft carrier crew whose captain he relieved April 2 has exposed him to accusations of hypocrisy and led to calls for him to be fired.Modly said Thursday that he relieved Capt. Brett Crozier for circulating too widely a memo expressing the captain’s concerns about how the Navy was handling a COVID-19 outbreak that had forced his ship, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, to remain docked in Guam. The acting secretary doubled down on that criticism in his remarks Monday to Crozier’s crew, telling them that if the captain hadn’t realized that emailing the memo to “over 20” people meant it was likely to go public, then Crozier was either “too naive or too stupid” to be left in command. It wasn’t just the text, but the manner of Modly’s delivery that upset sailors, according to Snodgrass, adding that according to Theodore Roosevelt sailors he’d heard, Modley marched onto the ship, “gave a 15-minute ‘tirade’ and immediately left the carrier.” The acting secretary chose to speak over the ship’s intercom system rather than to address sailors in person in the carrier’s vast hangar bay, a decision that Snodgrass said “most sailors believe” was motivated by a desire “to avoid public backlash from the crew.”That backlash was nonetheless forthcoming, and from a much wider Navy audience, according to Snodgrass. “The unofficial Navy channels on social media lit up like a Christmas tree as reaction built, all of it negative,” he said. “The most pervasive question was, ‘How quickly will he be fired?’”The speech drew swift condemnation from Capitol Hill. “TR sailors are on the frontlines of this pandemic and our nation’s defense in the Pacific,” tweeted Virginia Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a retired Navy commander who served on multiple aircraft carriers. “Acting @SECNAV remarks to the crew show that he is in no way fit to lead our Navy through this trying time. [Defense Secretary Mark Esper] should immediately fire him.”Modly’s comments were “completely inappropriate and beneath the office of the secretary of the Navy,” said another Virginia Democrat, Sen. Tim Kaine, in a statement. “It’s deeply disappointing that he would deliver a speech on board a U.S. aircraft carrier suggesting Capt. Crozier might be ‘stupid’ and bashing the media for trying to report the truth. These dedicated sailors deserve better from their leadership.”By mid-afternoon Eastern Time on Monday, Modly had issued his own statement. "I have not listened to a recording of my remarks since speaking to the crew so I cannot verify if the transcript is accurate,” it said. “The spoken words were from the heart, and meant for them. I stand by every word I said, even, regrettably, any profanity that may have been used for emphasis. Anyone who has served on a Navy ship would understand. I ask, but don’t expect, that people read them in their entirety."That last sentence prompted some sarcastic comments online. “Oh, they’re definitely being read in their entirety,” tweeted Defense News Pentagon correspondent Aaron Mehta._____Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHO’s resource guides.
Source : aol.com/news
READ MORE:
- What to do if you think you have the coronavirus
- What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
- Suspected SARS virus and flu samples found in luggage: FBI report describes China's 'biosecurity risk'
- Carbon emissions have fallen, but climate change remains an existential threat
- Coronavirus good news: Community camaraderie, cute pets, funny videos and more
- Is $2 trillion enough to save the economy?
Source : aol.com/news