Brett Crozier, Captain of the aircraft carrier (U.S. rank O-6) USS Theodore Roosevelt, was dismissed from the ship.
The subject took its place in the media after the article of Crozier, who wrote a letter to the Pacific Fleet to report the incident of coronavirus on board, leaked to the internet. Captain, who asked for the evacuation of the crew in the letter, said, “We are not in war and the staff do not have to die.”
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper's statements about the letter drew more attention than the incident itself. Esper stated that there is no need for the evacuation of the crew at the moment.
Before the week when the incident broke out, the Pentagon announced that three staff tested positive, and two days later, the number of people detected the virus rose to 25. It was revealed that the rapidly spreading virus affected more than 70 staff and spread rapidly.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday evening, Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said that Crozier was dismissed because he sent the “unsecured secret e-mail” letter to a “wide range of people” rather than the chain of command, and unnecessarily alarmed his crew, their families and the navy.
Crozier left the ship with the crew's “Hero” slogans. He will keep his rank and remain in the Navy.
