ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy is expanding its program to prepare more minority students for the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, a senior Navy admiral said, to increase officer accessions of more black officers.

Speaking at a July 2 media roundtable about the Navy’s new Task Force One Navy, which was established on June 30 “to address the issues of racism, sexism and other destructive biases and their impact on naval readiness,” Vice Adm. John B. Nowell Jr., chief of naval personnel, said the Navy is increasing its efforts to increase the percentages of racial minorities in the officer corps.

Nowell said the Navy has made efforts for years to make the officer ranks more representative of the racial make-up of the U.S. population but has still fallen short.

He said that officers of African-American origin fill 8% to 9% of the officer corps, somewhat less than the 13% of the U.S. population. In the enlisted ranks, the Navy has been much more successful, with African-Americans making up 19% to 20% of the force.

“We want to look like the nation,” Nowell said. “If we don’t bring enough African-American officers in the front door, then I don’t have any hope of the person sitting here talking to you as CNP being African-American. … How do we mentor them prior to coming in?”

He said the Navy’s past studies of underserved communities that “they just don’t compete as well in getting in the officer corps, for some of the tests that [they] then have to do, for a community like aviation or like the SEALs,” he said.

At the U.S. Naval Academy, the Navy has long had the Naval Academy Preparatory  School, “designed for folks who need just a little bit more of a leg up from the academic side, typically based upon the kind of education they received prior to [entering] and then compete for and then do well at the Naval Academy,” he said.

“We didn’t have something like that for ROTC,” Nowell said. “So, three years ago, we started a pilot called our NROTC Prep Program.”

Under the program, universities were asked to provide one year of education, room and board to a student and, if the student succeeds, the Navy would guarantee a four-year NROTC scholarship at the participating university.

“We went from four [students] the first year, to 67 last year, and we’ll have probably between 100 and 150 this coming year,” he said. “The goal is about 200 per year.”

Howell said that “while that certainly will help any underserved community,  whether you’re white or African-American, the diversity we see there is one of the ways we’ll try to get more African-American officers into ROTC.”

He also said that sometimes a lack of awareness of opportunities hampers efforts to recruit minorities. “So, we are partnering with the National Naval Officers Association, an African-American affinity group of officers, to help us in those local communities to get that word out,” he said.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The U.S. Coast Guard repatriated 86 of 87 migrants to the Dominican Republic navy between June 30 and July 1 following the interdiction of three illegal migrant voyages in the Mona Passage off the west coast of Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard’s 7th District reported. 

The 87 interdicted migrants were Dominican nationals. One remains hospitalized in Puerto Rico after he was medically evacuated due to an existing medical condition. 

The interdictions are the result of ongoing efforts in support of Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group CBIG. 

“The strong collaboration between the Coast Guard and our Caribbean Border Interagency Group partner agencies involved in this case, as well as, with our allies in the Dominican Republic navy, led to the interdiction of three migrant vessels and ensured the quick and safe return of 86 migrants,” said Capt. Gregory Magee, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan. 

“This same effort allowed for one of the migrants in need of urgent medical care to be transported to a local hospital in Puerto Rico. We are committed to safeguarding our nation’s southernmost maritime border against existing threats and call for anyone thinking of taking part in an illegal voyage to not take to the sea, you are placing your life at great risk as well as the life of everyone else taking part in the voyage.” 

The first illegal voyage was detected June 29 by the crew of a patrolling Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, about 40 nautical miles off Aguadilla. The Coast Guard Cutters Richard Dixon and Heriberto Hernandez diverted to the scene. Richard Dixon arrived on-scene and stopped the 30-foot migrant vessel that was transporting 39 men and six women. The Richard Dixon escorted the migrant vessel back to Dominican territorial waters, where they met with the Dominican navy vessel Bellatrix and completed the repatriation. 

The second illegal voyage was detected the evening of June 29 by the crew of a Customs and Border Protection Marine Enforcement Aircraft, about 22 nautical miles off the southwest coast of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. The Heriberto Hernandez diverted to the scene, while a marine unit from Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine also responded to interdict. 

The CBP marine unit stopped the 35-foot vessel that was transporting 31 men and eight women, while the Heriberto Hernandez arrived on scene shortly thereafter and embarked the migrants. 

One of the migrants in this case was medically evacuated to a local hospital in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, while the remaining migrants were transported by the Heriberto Hernandez to Dominican territorial waters, where they met and completed the at-sea repatriation to a Dominican Navy vessel just off Santo Domingo. 

The third illegal voyage was detected the morning of July 1 by the crew of a Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 maritime patrol aircraft, about 12 nautical miles west of Aguadilla. The crew of a responding Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit interdicted the 21-foot makeshift vessel that was transporting three men. 

Shortly thereafter, the Heriberto Hernandez arrived on scene, embarked the migrants and transported them to waters just of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where the repatriation was completed to a Dominican navy vessel that afternoon. 

Once aboard a cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. Throughout the interdiction Coast Guard crew members were equipped with personal protective equipment to minimize potential exposure to any possible case of COVID-19. No migrants were reported to have any COVID-19 related symptoms. 

Heriberto Hernandez and Richard Dixon are 154-foot fast-response cutters homeported in San Juan. 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy stood up a special task force on June 30 to address the issues of racism, sexism and other destructive biases and their impact on naval readiness, the chief of naval personnel public affairs office said in a release. 

“Task Force (TF) One Navy” will be led by Rear Adm. Alvin Holsey, who will report his findings to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday via the Navy’s chief of personnel, Vice Adm. John B. Nowell Jr.   

“As a Navy — uniform and civilian, active and reserve — we cannot tolerate discrimination or racism of any kind. We must work to identify and eliminate individual and systemic racism within our force,” Gilday said. “That is why we are standing up Task Force One Navy, which will work to identify and remove racial barriers and improve inclusion within our Navy.” 

Holsey will be supported by fleet commanders and leadership from a number of organizations such as the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, Chief of Chaplains, Surgeon General of the Navy, Chief of Legislative Affairs, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Russell Smith and many others. 

The task force will seek to promptly address the full spectrum of systemic racism, advocate for the needs of underserved communities, work to dismantle barriers and equalize professional development frameworks and opportunities within the Navy. 

“We are at a critical inflection point for our Nation and our Navy and I want to ensure that we are fully responding to this moment as we work to facilitate enduring change,” Nowell said. “We must use the momentum created by these events as a catalyst for positive change. We need to have a deeper inclusion and diversity conversation in our Navy and amongst our own teams.” 

TF One Navy will focus their efforts in recommending reforms in several key areas. These areas include: 

• Recruiting/barriers to service entry 
• Pre-accession mentorship frameworks/scholarship opportunities 
• Diversity of talent by community/talent management 
• Training/education along the service member career continuum 
• Detailing/milestone job opportunities 
• Fitness reporting/evaluation systems 
• Promotion/advancement processes 
• Military justice analysis of racial disparity 
• Health care and health disparities 

TF One Navy leadership and membership will represent the diversity of thought, experience, and perspectives within the Navy and will include membership reflecting the diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, age, and ranks from across the sea service. 

“We must demand of each other that we treat everyone with dignity and respect. If you won’t do that, then our Navy is not the best place for you,” Gilday said. “We are one team, and we are one Navy.” 

MIAMI — The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies interdicted about 1,500 packages testing positive for cocaine on a 72-foot motor vessel approximately 46 miles northeast of Panama on June 8, the Coast Guard 7th District said. 

While on routine patrol, a Coast Guard HC-130 maritime patrol aircraft crew detected a suspect motor vessel traveling northeast of Panama. The Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant crew launched an over-the-horizon small boat with an embarked law enforcement team, who proceeded to board the vessel and discovered that it was taking on water. 

The Vigilant sent a rescue and assistance team aboard, who were able to contain the source of flooding at the request of the motor vessel crew. The Vigilant’s law enforcement team continued the boarding and discovered general cargo that was suspected of containing contraband. After completing the initial boarding, the crew recommended a further inspection be completed in port due to sea-state and safety concerns and to more fully access the cargo and cargo holds. 

Coordinating with Colombian authorities, the Vigilant crew placed the motor vessel, which had experienced a mechanical problem, in tow and transferred it to the Colombian coast guard and navy. 

The Colombian navy continued the boarding pier side and discovered over 16,700 pounds of suspected contraband. Lab test reports yielded positive hits for cocaine, which validated both the efforts of the Vigilant crew and the Colombian partners. As final lab testing continues, this drug seizure is predicted to be worth up to $286 million. 

“Despite the various challenges our crew faced during this multi-day boarding, they demonstrated the utmost professionalism and resiliency, identifying numerous indicators of contraband in arduous conditions while preserving the seaworthiness of the vessel,” said Cmdr. Fred Bertsch, commanding officer of the Vigilant. 

“We are extremely appreciative of the coordination and substantial efforts undertaken by our Colombian partners to continue the law enforcement efforts where we left off. As transnational criminal organizations continue to adapt their techniques and procedures, we will continue to work with our partner nations to thwart their illicit activities is the region.”  

“As we address the persistent threats our nation faces across our maritime approaches, the success of this highly collaborative operation speaks to the value of our relationship with our valued international partner, Colombia, and of the mutual successes we achieve when we coordinate our efforts,” said Rear Adm. Eric C. Jones, commanding officer of the Coast Guard’s 7th District. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has ordered four F-35C Lightning II joint strike fighters from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., the Defense Department said in a release. 

Naval Air Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin a $360.8 million not-to-exceed undefinitized contract modification to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract for the procurement of four Lot 14 F-35Cs. 

The aircraft are being procured with fiscal 2020 funds. 

The Navy operates one fleet F-35C squadron, Strike Fighter Squadron 147 (VFA-147). The service also operates one F-35C fleet replacement squadron, VFA-125. 

The Marine Corps’ first F-35C squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314, completed transition this year.  

On June 29, Lockheed Martin also received a $67.7 million contract modification for long-lead materials parts, and components to “maintain on-time production and delivery of nine lot 16 F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the government of The Netherlands, as well as seven F-35A semiconductors and two F-35B Lightning II aircraft for the government of Italy,” the release said.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a $936 million contract for the construction of an additional Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) Flight III guided-missile destroyer for the U.S. Navy, the company said in a June 30 release. 

In 2018, Ingalls was awarded a $5.1 billion fixed-price incentive, multiyear contract for six Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers for the Navy. 

“We take great pride in the craftsmanship of our shipbuilders, and in the capabilities of our world-class shipyard,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said. “This contract award provides great momentum for Ingalls and our more than 600 suppliers, in nearly 40 states, as we enter the second half of the year. We continue to focus on high performance and providing the greatest value possible to our customers.” 

Ingalls has delivered 32 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy and has four more under construction, including the Frank E. Petersen Jr., the Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee, the Jack H. Lucas and the Ted Stevens. Ingalls delivered the Delbert D. Black to the Navy in April. 

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are multimission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of U.S. military strategy. 

These guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. They contain myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

WASHINGTON — Gregory J. Slavonic was selected by the president as acting undersecretary of the Navy on June 22, the Navy secretary’s public affairs office said in a release. 

Slavonic has been serving as the 18th assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs since June 2018. 

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Greg Slavonic for a number of years and value his leadership abilities, foresight and friendship,” Navy Secretary Kenneth J. Braithwaite said. “I look forward to the innovation and inspiration he will continue to bring to the Department of the Navy in his new position.” 

As the acting undersecretary of the Navy, Slavonic serves as the deputy and principal assistant to Braithwaite as well as chief operating officer and chief management officer for the Department of the Navy. 

Additionally, he oversees intelligence activities, intelligence-related activities, special access programs, critical infrastructure and sensitive activities within the department. 

“Over the past two years, I’ve been very fortunate to work with a great team of Sailors, Marines and civilians to make advances and improvements in manpower and reserve component affairs for the [department],” Slavonic said. “I am honored to have been selected to this new position, being able to do a job that I love, engaging with a broader scope of issues and personnel.” 

The majority of Slavonic’s professional life has been in service to the Department of the Navy, both in uniform and out. He enlisted as a seaman recruit and retired after a distinguished military career at the rank of rear admiral in the Navy Reserve. 

During his time as a service member, he held four command assignments, served in combat deployments to Vietnam, Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His final assignment was as the Navy’s sixth special assistant to the chief of information and director of the Navy Reserve Public Affairs Program.  

The secretary also served as the co-chair for the design and building of the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor to remember the 429 Sailors and Marines who served aboard the battleship and lost their lives on Dec. 7, 1941. 

Prior to serving as ASN (RA), Slavonic served as chief of staff for U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), and was Lankford’s last chief when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

For the past 40 years, Slavonic has held various civilian senior level positions in the communications industry and held positions with broadcasting and print organizations.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Marine Corps has activated a second fleet replacement squadron to train aviators to fly its F-35B Lightning II strike fighters. 

Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 502 (VMFAT-502) was activated on June 26 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, and eventually will help carry the load of F-35B training as the Marines increase the number of F-35Bs in the Corps. 

Beaufort also is the location of the first F-35B replacement training squadron, VMFAT-501. Sometime in the future, the VMFAT-502 will move to MCAS Miramar, California. 

VMFAT-502 actually is a reactivation of Marine Attack Squadron 513 (VMA-513), an AV-8B Harrier II squadron that was deactivated in 2013. Upon reactivation, VMA-513 was redesignated VMFAT-502 the same day of the reactivation ceremony. 

VMFAT-502 will be known as the “Nightmares,” carrying on the traditions of VMA-513. The squadron originally was activated in 1944 and in its various iterations over the years has seen combat in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and Operation Enduring Freedom. 

Lt. Col. Carlton A. Wilson is the first commanding officer of VMFAT-502.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble returned June 25 to its homeport of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam following the ship’s surge deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations, the U.S. 3rd Fleet said in a release. 

Preble, along with a detachment from “Easyriders” from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 37, deployed in March to conduct U.S. Southern Command and Joint Interagency Task Force South’s enhanced counter-narcotics operations missions in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean. 

During their deployment, Preble, with their embarked U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment, recovered 100 bales of suspected cocaine totaling an estimated 2,000 kilograms, with an estimated wholesale value of $40 million. 

“The success of this deployment was due to our Sailors and embarked Coast Guardsmen working together daily for a common cause – enhanced counter-narcotics operations,” said Cmdr. Leonardo Giovannelli, Preble’s commanding officer. “We thank our Preble families and friends whose unwavering support made it possible for their loved ones, our Sailors, to succeed at sea and complete our mission.” 

With the deployment conducted in a COVID-19 environment, the primary focus of ship’s leadership was crew safety. 

“We took all available precautions before the start of the deployment,” said Cmdr. Peter Lesaca, Preble’s executive officer. “I credit our Sailors for understanding the gravity of the pandemic, keeping themselves in good health, and taking care of their shipmates to keep the ship safe.” 

Preble joined other Navy warships, numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security cooperating in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, are all playing a role in counter-drug operations.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Capt. Brett Crozier, the former skipper of the first U.S. Navy warship to suffer a novel coronavirus outbreak at sea, wasn’t restored to command last week as many had expected following a weeks-long investigation, but the detailed report on the affair spreads fault to other officers as well in the response to the outbreak that infected hundreds, hospitalized several and killed one Sailor.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and new Navy Secretary Kenneth J. Braithwaite announced the decision on June 19 at a Pentagon press briefing on the results of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Command Investigation, which was begun April 2, the day Crozier was fired. The probe was conducted by Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Robert Burke.

That day, Gilday said he would not reassign Crozier as the commanding officer of the nuclear aircraft carrier, “nor will he be eligible for future command. Capt. Crozier will be reassigned.”

Gilday also said the promotion of Crozier’s immediate superior, Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, commander of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, to a second star was being put on hold “pending further review.”

The investigation’s 81-page report also faults the actions of the carrier’s air wing commander and the TR’s medical officer during the outbreak. Gilday said those officers would be subject to administrative action by Adm. John Aquilino, the Pacific Fleet’s commander. Gilday also criticized a breakdown in communications with the U.S. 7th Fleet staff, leading to mistrust among the Theodore Roosevelt’s leadership.

The investigation also ruled out resupply flights to the carrier from the Philippines as the source of the COVID-19 outbreak aboard, leading officials to conclude the ship’s port visit to Da Nang, Vietnam, likely was the cause of infection among crew members.

However, both Gilday and the report took pains to explain why no one — including commanders of the Pacific Fleet and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command — was disciplined for ordering a port call to a country where dozens of COVID-19 cases had been reported.

The cases were all in the Hanoi area, 450 miles north of Da Nang, and both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization advised Navy planners that Vietnam was — and remains — transparent and reliable in its outbreak reporting.

Also, several precautionary measures were taken, including briefing the TR’s crew to the risks, checking their symptoms before they left the ship and upon their return, Gilday said. Only locations approved by the State Department could be visited and crew members were not allowed to buy food in port. “Based upon the pre-event risk analysis, the decision to execute the Da Nang port visit was appropriate,” the report concluded, adding: “The visit was executed with sensible precautions, based on the world’s understanding of COVID-19 at the time.”

Braithwaite, who took office just a month ago, said he fully supported the report’s findings and recommendations. He also said he had received “no communication whatsoever with anybody at the White House” and had discussed the controversial decision not to reinstate Crozier only up the chain of command to Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

The 81-page report may not be the end of the saga, however.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), said his committee will launch an investigation into the Theodore Roosevelt’s COVID-19 outbreak “in order to better understand the full range of mistakes that were made throughout the entire chain of command.”

Gilday’s Change of Heart on Crozier

Gilday conceded that he previously believed Crozier should be reinstated after conducting an initial investigation following the captain’s removal, but that a wider investigation had a much deeper scope.

“It is my belief that both Admiral Baker and Capt. Crozier fell well short of what we expect of those in command,” he said at the June 19 briefing.

“Had I known then what I know today, I would not have made that recommendation to reinstate Capt. Crozier. Moreover, if Capt. Crozier were still in command today, I would be relieving him,” Gilday added.

Gilday’s mind was changed, he said, by the investigation’s conclusion that the carrier’s captain and the strike force commander “did not do enough, soon enough” to prevent the spread of COVID-19 aboard the Theodore Roosevelt.

Missteps included not enforcing physical distancing in many public areas of the carrier once crew began testing positive and releasing quarantined crew from the carrier’s aft section to ease crowding conditions.

The 81-page report may not be the end of the story. The House Armed Services Committee will launch its own probe into the outbreak.

Once portside in Guam, Crozier did not “forcefully and expeditiously execute the best possible and available plan” for evacuating the ship’s crew.
Instead, Gilday maintained, Crozier focused on obtaining single-room occupancy hotel rooms with separate bathrooms, in compliance with CDC recommendations, rather than moving crew to hundreds of beds spaced 6 feet apart in Naval Base Guam facilities as well as unoccupied hotel rooms and barracks on base and ships in port with extra berth space.

Crozier was relieved of command April 2 by then acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly after a March 30 letter that Crozier wrote to top Navy officers and fellow naval aviators, pleading for faster intervention from his superiors to assist his crew, was leaked to a San Francisco newspaper.

In the letter, which was sent, unencrypted, via e-mail, Crozier expressed alarm over the slow pace of disembarking his crew at Naval Base Guam while the virus spread rapidly on the ship. Publication of the letter in the San Francisco Chronicle sparked an outcry and worldwide media attention over the captain’s actions and the fate of the carrier’s crew.

The decision not to reassign Crozier to command either afloat or ashore was not based on the letter nor its contents, Gilday said. Rather, the investigation found it was unnecessary because higher commands were already responding to Crozier’s requests to find sufficient places to lodge crew members on Guam.

A deal brokered by Guam’s Gov. Lou Guerrero to place thousands of Sailors in hotels there was closed six hours before Crozier sent his letter. Not only did the letter not speed up the crew disembarkation, the tone caused problems for Guerrero, whose constituents feared depositing thousands of Sailors and Marines, many of whom might have been infected, on Guam.

Gilday said Crozier did not have his facts straight when he sent his letter up the chain of command and confused the situation by skipping over the 7th Fleet.

Pressed by reporters asking if Crozier was being held to a higher standard than the commanders who authorized the TR’s stop in Vietnam, Gilday said he didn’t think so.

“If I take a look at what Crozier was dealing with and yes, we had a lot of questions at that time about the transmission of asymptomatic cases,” Gilday said, adding “[but] we surely knew that we were in a better place getting those people off the ship. So even given what we didn’t understand about COVID, we understood that.”

Eventually, 1,100 of the Theodore Roosevelt’s nearly 5,000 crew members — including Crozier himself — tested positive for COVID-19. Only a fraction required hospitalization, but one Sailor, Aviation Ordnanceman CPO Charles Thacker Jr., did succumb to the virus.

TR Affair Forces Examination of Pacific Fleet Chain of Command

Crozier was hailed as a hero by his crew — who were seen on video cheering for him as he departed the ship in Guam — while others criticized the captain for circumventing the chain of command.

Modly said at the time that Crozier was not fired in retaliation for his letter but because the secretary had lost confidence in the captain’s leadership. Crozier, Modly said, had allowed the complexity of the COVID-19 challenge “to overwhelm his ability to act professionally, when acting professionally was what was needed.”

However, Modly complicated matters by flying to Guam to defend his actions in an April 6 profanity-laced address to the TR’s crew. Modly called Crozier “too naive or too stupid to be the commanding officer of a ship like this,” according transcripts of the Navy secretary’s remarks made by several crew members. Less than 24 hours after the speech, Modly issued an apology to Crozier, the Theodore Roosevelt’s crew and the Navy, and offered his resignation to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who accepted it.

Gilday directed Burke to investigate the circumstances and climate of the entire Pacific Fleet affecting the chain of command. Previously, Gilday spoke of “a potential comms breakdown, wherever it occurred,” adding: “We’re not looking to shoot the messenger here, we want to get this right.”

The completed initial report was delivered April 24 to Modly’s replacement, acting Navy Secretary James McPherson, who directed Gilday to conduct the second probe, saying he had “unanswered questions that the preliminary inquiry has identified and that can only be answered by a deeper review.”

COVID-19 was detected on board the aircraft carrier in late March, 15 days after the TR made the Da Nang port visit. Stopping at Guam for a scheduled visit on March 27, Crozier began disembarking crew as the number of Sailors testing positive for the virus continued to rise. Finding suitable accommodations for thousands of personnel on the island was a slow process.

In his letter, Crozier said the carrier had inadequate space to isolate or quarantine Sailors. “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,” he wrote. “If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our Sailors.”

Testing the entire crew for COVID-19 was completed in mid-May. They began returning to the carrier in waves after 14 days of isolation and after twice testing negative for the virus. Despite those efforts, at least 14 returning Sailors tested positive again for COVID-19. Following a bow-to-stern deep-cleaning process by about 700 crew members and recertifying aviation activities for its Carrier Air Wing 11, the carrier left Guam and resumed it mission on June 4.