WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th November, 2019) Trident review panels for three US special operations officers involved in a war crimes case have been scrapped, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly announced in a statement.
The three officers were in danger of losing their Trident pin - which designates one as a member of the US Navy SEALs - because they were in the chain of command above a soldier accused of war crimes.
"I have directed the Chief of Naval Operations to terminate the Trident Reviews for three Naval Special Warfare officers," Modly said on Wednesday. "I have determined that any failures in conduct, performance, judgment or professionalism exhibited by these officers be addressed through other administrative measures."
The move came only three days after US Defense Secretary Mark Esper fired Modley's predecessor, Richard Spencer, over his controversial handling of Navy Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, an elite soldier earlier demoted and accused of committing war crimes.
US President Donald Trump pardoned Gallagher, ordered his rank restored and his medals returned following a conviction for posing for a photo with a dead Islamic State (banned in Russia) terrorist group fighter. Gallagher was cleared of murdering an IS captive and opening fire on civilians.
