Pentagon chief defends firing of navy captain who voiced virus concern

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday defended the firing of a naval commander whose plea for help for a coronavirus-affected crew angered his superiors but drew widespread public support. Esper told ABC that Navy Secretary Thomas Modly “made a tough decision, tough call” in deciding to fire Captain Brett Crozier, commander of the carrier USS Roosevelt, whose plea to the Pentagon to allow him to quickly vacate the ship after it docked in Guam became public. Asked about a report that President Donald Trump wanted Crozier fired, Esper replied, “This was the secretary´s call. He came and briefed me ... It was the secretary´s call. I told him I would support it.” The firing was widely condemned as a callous and unfair punishment of a respected officer who was looking out for the welfare of his crew. “We are not at war,” Crozier pleaded in a letter to superiors. “Sailors do not need to die.”