WASHINGTON — The appearing secretary of the Navy on Wednesday ordered a wider investigation into occasions aboard the plane service Theodore Roosev
WASHINGTON — The appearing secretary of the Navy on Wednesday ordered a wider investigation into occasions aboard the plane service Theodore Roosevelt, shelving for now a advice by the Navy’s high admiral to revive Capt. Brett E. Crozier to command the virus-stricken warship.
“I’ve unanswered questions that the preliminary inquiry has recognized and that may solely be answered by a deeper evaluation,” the appearing secretary, James E. McPherson, mentioned in an announcement.
Mr. McPherson mentioned he was directing the chief of naval operations, Adm. Michael M. Gilday, to analyze, increasing a preliminary evaluation that the Navy accomplished and introduced to Protection Secretary Mark T. Esper final week.
“This investigation will construct on the great work of the preliminary inquiry to offer a extra fulsome understanding of the sequence of occasions, actions and choices of the chain of command surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak aboard U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt,” Mr. McPherson mentioned.
His announcement got here simply days after Admiral Gilday recommended giving Captain Crozier his job back. But Mr. Esper, who initially said he would leave the process largely in the hands of the military chain of command, declined to endorse the findings last week until he said he could review the Navy’s investigation into the matter.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had also told associates that he favored a wider inquiry into the Roosevelt matter.
Reinstating Captain Crozier could be a remarkable reversal to a story that has seized the attention of the Navy, the military and even a nation struggling with the coronavirus. Instead, it is unclear who will be at the helm of the nuclear-powered carrier as its 4,800-member crew prepares to leave its weekslong quarantine in Guam to resume operations in the Western Pacific.
An ill-fated trip to the carrier afterward by the acting secretary, Thomas B. Modly, backfired when he criticized the crew for supporting their deposed captain. Mr. Modly resigned.
General Milley had agreed with Admiral Gilday, the Navy’s top officer, in advising that Captain Crozier not be removed until an investigation into the events aboard the Roosevelt was complete. But Mr. Modly waved off those warnings, fearing that President Trump wanted Captain Crozier fired, according to his acquaintances, and dismissed the skipper.
Mr. Trump’s position appeared to ease, however, given support for Captain Crozier in the Navy and among the general public. The president has not made clear where he stands on Captain Crozier’s reinstatement, leading some Pentagon officials to conclude that Mr. Esper’s hesitation in accepting the Navy’s recommendations would allow time to account for the views of the president.