The United States Navy is best by problems and is facing a string of crises that stem mostly from failed leadership, President Donald Trump's nominee to become the force's next secretary Kenneth Braithwaite said in prepared testimony to Congress on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th May, 2020) The United States Navy is best by problems and is facing a string of crises that stem mostly from failed leadership, President Donald Trump's nominee to become the force's next secretary Kenneth Braithwaite said in prepared testimony to Congress on Thursday.
"It saddens me to say: the Department of the Navy is in troubled waters due to many factors, primarily the failings of leadership," Braithwaite said. "Whether Glen Marine Defense, ship collisions, judicial missteps or the crisis on USS Roosevelt, they are all indicative of a breakdown in the trust of those leading the service."
If confirmed by the Senate, Braithwaite, currently the US ambassador to Norway, would fill the post left vacant since the November resignation of Richard Spencer.
Spencer quit the post after clashing with Trump over the president's pardon of Navy Seal Edward Gallagher, who was accused of committing war crimes during a 2017 deployment to Afghanistan.
Braithwaite was supposed to immediately fill Spencer's role but his confirmation was delayed, possibly due to his reported ties to Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm accused of involvement in alleged foreign meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
During his confirmation hearing on Thursday, Braithwaite cited the recent crisis aboard the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt as evidence of the force's leadership shortcomings.
The COVID-19 crisis aboard the ship was first made public when an email written by the ship's captain Brett Crozier was leaked to the media. The email warned of an outbreak among the crew and said there was an urgent need to quarantine affected sailors.
On April 9, former Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly announced that he had removed Crozier from his post, saying the captain improperly sent the email about his concerns, using channels that were not secure to convey confidential information.
Modly soon thereafter resigned when he came under fire for removing the captain and calling him "stupid" for sounding the alarm about the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier.
More than 1,000 service-members aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, including Captain Crozier, have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least one sailor died after contracting the disease. Crozier has since recovered from the disease.
