US navy chief quits over mishandling virus outbreak

WASHINGTON: US Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned Tuesday over his mishandling of an outbreak of the coronavirus on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, Defence Secretary Mark Esper announced.

Modly stepped down five days after removing the Roosevelt´s captain, Brett Crozier, for writing a letter, which was leaked to the media, describing the virus-struck vessel´s dire situation and alleging the Pentagon was not paying adequate attention to it. The removal of Crozier, respected in the military and popular with his crew, was seen as heavy-handed and decided too quickly, before an investigation was carried out. Modly sparked outrage Monday after he flew from Washington to Guam, where the warship is docked to defend his actions to the crew.