Acting US Navy Secretary Resigns Amid Coronavirus Uproar

Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has resigned after coming under fire for the manner he handled a crisis involving the captain of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, US officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he had accepted Modly’s resignation offer on Tuesday morning.

“Modly resigned on his own accord, putting the Navy and the Sailors above self so that the USS. Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy, as an institution, can move forward,” Esper said in a statement.

Esper said that with President Donald Trump’s approval, Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson would take over as acting Navy Secretary

Modly removed Captain Brett Crozier of his command of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt after a scathing letter written by the commander urging the Navy to do more to halt the spread of the potentially lethal virus on board the ship the was leaked to the media.

The move sparked intense backlash as videos posted on social media showed sailors on board the vessel cheering Crozier as he departed and an online petition called for his reinstatement. It has also become a political lightning rod as the Trump administration faces intense criticism for its handling of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak.

Crozier had started showing symptoms of the coronavirus before he was relieved of his command on Thursday and has tested positive, the New York Times reported, citing two Naval Academy classmates who are close to Crozier.

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