Coronavirus infections spread among crew of USS Theodore Roosevelt as results of Navy investigation expected this week

INVESTIGATION WRAPPING UP: A Navy investigation into the actions of the former commanding officer of the carrier, Capt. Brett Crozier, and the response of his superior officers is expected to be released this week.

The investigation looked into whether Crozier acted improperly by sending an email to 20 other Navy officials urging the evacuation of the carrier after crew members began getting sick following a port call in Vietnam. The emailed letter warned that sailors could die if quick action wasn’t taken to isolate the crew and thoroughly disinfect the massive ship.

The letter so angered acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly that he fired Crozier for going outside the chain of command even before the investigation determined the facts. That, followed by intemperate remarks delivered to the crew in Guam denigrating Crozier as “too naive or too stupid” to command an aircraft carrier, led to Modly’s resignation.

A KEY QUESTION: Modly insisted that the letter, which found its way to the San Francisco Chronicle, was a “betrayal” because at the time it was sent, the Navy was already doing everything possible to help the ship.

Modly accused Crozier of blindsiding his immediate boss, Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, commander of the carrier strike group, who was embarked on the Roosevelt “right down the passageway” from Crozier’s stateroom.

But a New York Times report based on what the newspaper says are two dozen current and former Navy and Defense Department civilian and uniformed personnel, including Roosevelt crew members, said Baker overruled Crozier, favoring “less drastic measures” that “would still protect the crew and leave the Roosevelt in operation.”

On April 1, the day before Crozier was fired, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday, the Navy’s highest officer, acknowledged that there are times a commander going outside the chain of command might be justified.

“They should not be inhibited from telling us and being transparent about the issues that they see, but they need to do it through their chains of command,” Gilday said at a Pentagon press briefing. “And if they’re not getting the proper responses from the chains of command, then they need to maybe go outside of it.”

REINSTATING THE COMMANDER: The findings of the investigation could pave the way for Crozier to be reinstated as commanding officer of the Roosevelt — something Gilday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and President Trump have not ruled out.

Speaking on CBS This Morning on Friday, Esper said he will rely heavily on Navy leadership. “We’ve taken nothing off the table. What I look to do is hear from the chain of command. My inclination is always to support the chain of command and to take their recommendations seriously.”

“When I replaced the acting Navy secretary three days ago, I called him and the chief of naval operations into my office,” Esper said. “I gave them some guidance. One of the things I told them is this: No further action will be taken against Capt. Crozier until the investigation is completed. And once that’s completed, we’ll see where that takes us.”

Good Monday morning, and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by David Sivak and Tyler Van Dyke. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.

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HAPPENING TODAY: Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Milhorn, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division, takes part in a conference call briefing, “COVID-19 Update: Latest Developments in the Fight Against Coronavirus,” sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations.

MILLER MEETS TALIBAN: With the U.S. withdrawal agreement with the Taliban foundering, Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, met with Taliban leadership Friday in Doha, Qatar. The meeting came as the Taliban accused U.S. forces of breaching an agreement signed between the two sides in February.

“Gen. Miller met with Taliban leadership last night as part of the military channel established in the agreement,” a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan told Reuters. “The meeting was about the need to reduce the violence,” he said.

Last week, the Taliban accused U.S. forces of continuing to fight in support of Afghan security operations in some parts of the country. The spokesman for the U.S. forces described the actions as defense of Afghan forces.

Peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government have broken down over the issue of prisoner exchanges. The Taliban announced Sunday it will be releasing 20 Afghan government prisoners the group has been holding, according to the Associated Press.

LINDSEY GRAHAM ON YEMEN WAR CEASE-FIRE: Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, praised the decision by the Saudi-led coalition to declare a cease-fire in the Yemen war.

“I hope and expect that all parties will take advantage of this moment to end this conflict and to give relief to the long-suffering people of Yemen,” Graham said in a statement. ““Iran needs to step up to the plate and push their Houthi proxies to the negotiating table to reach a comprehensive solution to stop the suffering.”

“The Yemen conflict has created great instability throughout the region and untold suffering for the citizens of Yemen. I know both Congress and the Trump administration will be supportive of any reasonable effort to end this conflict,” he said.

INDUSTRY WATCH: The Pentagon is moving ahead with its first project under the authority of the Defense Protection Act after receiving approval from the White House.

“The $133 million project will use these authorities to increase domestic production capacity of N95 masks to over 39 million in the next 90 days,” said Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a Pentagon spokesman. “The increased production will ensure the U.S. government gets dedicated, long-term industrial capacity to meet the needs of the nation.”

Additional details, including the names of the companies, will be provided in the coming days when the contract is awarded.

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Department of Defense says some undercapacity medical assets will stay put

Washington Examiner: Saudi Arabia and Russia finalize ‘big’ oil deal to cut production after prodding from Trump

Washington Examiner: US fears Huawei coronavirus health tools are subterfuge for China to gather data on people

New York Times: ‘There Will Be Losses’: How a Captain’s Plea Exposed a Rift in the Military

USNI News: Navy, Pentagon Struggling With Lack Of Reliable COVID-19 Testing

AP: Guam Worries As Sailors From Coronavirus-Hit U.S. Aircraft Carrier Take Over Hotels

Business Insider: Navy Admiral Admits That Morale Has Taken A Hit After USS Theodore Roosevelt’s Coronavirus Outbreak And Commander Firing

Marine Corps Times: Marine Drill Instructors And Recruits Now Training With Skivvy Shirt Face Masks

Task & Purpose: The Marine Corps Is Keeping Barber Shops Open Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic, Defying Common Sense

Task & Purpose: The Theodore Roosevelt fiasco shows how paranoid the Pentagon is about China

USNI News: French Navy: 50 COVID-19 Cases Aboard Carrier Charles de Gaulle

Air Force Magazine: AETC Commander on Stop-Loss: We’re Not There Yet

San Diego Union-Tribune: Navy Says Destroyer Captain Removed After Lying To San Diego Fleet Command About Ship’s Position

Washington Examiner: Opinion: Only way to end forever war in Afghanistan is Trump ordering troops home

Task & Purpose: Steve Carell’s ‘Space Force’ parody actually got military awards right

Calendar

NOTE: Many events in Washington have been canceled or moved online in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Pentagon has been conducting almost daily pop-up briefings, which are often only announced at the last minute. Check https://www.defense.gov for updates to the Pentagon’s schedule.

MONDAY | APRIL 13

10 a.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center conference call briefing: “What’s Happening Inside North Korea,” with former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for East Asia Abraham Denmark; Katharina Zellweger, founder of KorAid Limited; Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent at the New York Times; and Jean Lee, director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy and former Pyongyang bureau chief at the Associated Press. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event

10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “Unpacking the COVID-19 Crisis in Africa,” with Judd Devermont, director of the CSIS Africa Program. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event

1 p.m. — The Navy League of the United States takes its annual Sea-Air-Space 2020 conference online with a series of five online webinars beginning today and running through Friday. Monday’s topic is “The U.S. Coast Guard” with Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz and a panel discussion with Rear Adm. Doug Fears, assistant commandant for response policy, and Dave Hogan, acting director of the Office of Marine Conservation. Broadcast locally on WJLA-TV in Washington and streamed live at FedInsider.com. Register at: https://www.fedinsider.com

TUESDAY | APRIL 14

9 a.m. — United States Institute of Peace webcast: “The Impact of Coronavirus on North Korea.” with Jessica Lee, senior research fellow in the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft’s East Asia Program; Keith Luse, executive director of the National Committee on North Korea; David Maxwell, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Scott Snyder, director of the Council on Foreign Relations Program on U.S.-Korea Policy; and Frank Aum, senior expert on North Korea at U.S. Institute of Peace. https://www.usip.org/events

11:30 a.m — Atlantic Council webinar with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on “What needs to be done now to define tomorrow?” with Ali Cinar, president of the Turkish Heritage Organization; Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council; and Defne Sadiklar Arslan, director of the Atlantic Council IN TURKEY program. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

1 p.m. — The Navy League of the United States Sea-Air-Space 2020 webinar “U.S. Maritime Administration,” with retired Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, administrator of the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, and a panel discussion with John McCown, founder of Blue Alpha Capital; former Rep. Ernest Istook, an Oklahoma Republican; and Anthony Fisher, deputy associate administrator for commercial sealift at the Maritime Administration. Broadcast locally on WJLA-TV in Washington and streamed live at FedInsider.com. Register at: https://www.fedinsider.com

1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “Synthetic Biology and National Security: Risks and Opportunities,” with Tara O’Toole, senior fellow and executive vice president of In-Q-Tel. https://www.csis.org/events

2 p.m. — Hoover Institution webcast: “COVID-19 and National Security,” with former National Security Council Director Condoleezza Rice, professor in global business and the economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. https://www.hoover.org/profiles/condoleezza-rice

2 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center’s Canada Institute webcast: “COVID-19 and the Northern Border,” with Assistant Homeland Security Secretary for International Affairs Alan Bersin; Laurie Trautman, director of the Western Washington University Border Policy Research Institute; Kathryn Friedman, director of cross-border and international research at the University of Buffalo; and Solomon Wong, president and CEO of InterVISTAS. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event

WEDNESDAY | APRIL 15

All Day. Brussels, Belgium — Meeting of NATO defense ministers, including U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, via secure teleconference. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s press conferences will be broadcast live on the NATO website as well as on social platforms Twitter and Facebook. No physical access to NATO headquarters will be allowed for news media, who will be able to ask questions remotely.

11 a.m. — Heritage Foundation webinar: “Examining the Trump Administration’s Recent Actions on Venezuela,” witn Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Cuba and Venezuela Carrie Filipetti; Ana Quintana, senior policy analyst for Latin America and the Western Hemisphere at Heritage; and David Shedd, visiting fellow at Heritage. https://www.heritage.org/global-politics/event

1 p.m. — The Navy League of the United States Sea-Air-Space 2020 webinar, “U.S. Navy,” with Adm. James Foggo, commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, U.S. Naval Forces Europe, U.S. Naval Forces Africa; and James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, acquisitions and development. Broadcast locally on WJLA-TV, Washington and streamed live FedInsider.com. Register at: https://www.fedinsider.com

2 p.m. — The Project On Government Oversight discusses findings of a new report about key lessons learned during the course of the war in Afghanistan with Dan Grazier, the Jack Shanahan military fellow at the Project On Government Oversight. Register for the Zoom briefing here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register

THURSDAY | APRIL 16

11 a.m. — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs webcast: “Why Has Data Become a National Security Issue?” with Carrie Cordero, senior fellow and general counsel at the Center for a New American Security; Army Col. Sarah Albrycht, senior military fellow; and Susan Aaronson, senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation. https://elliott.gwu.edu/event-calendar

1 p.m. — The Navy League of the United States Sea-Air-Space 2020 webinar “Modern Warfighter,” with a Space panel featuring Rear Adm. Marcus Hitchcock, director of strategy, plans and policy, U.S. Space Command; Dr. Derek Tournear, director, Space Development Agency; Christian Zur, executive director, procurement and space industry council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and an artificial intelligence panel featuring Jennifer Edgin, assistant deputy commandant for information, U.S. Marine Corps; and Rear Adm. David Hahn, chief of naval research. Broadcast locally on WJLA-TV in Washington and streamed live at FedInsider.com. Register at: https://www.fedinsider.com

2 p.m. — Bloomberg Government webcast: “Cyber Defense Acquisition and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification” with Katherine Arrington, chief information security officer with the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and Laura Criste, IT analyst at Bloomberg. https://about.bgov.com/event/cyber-defense-acquisition

3 p.m. — The Middle East Institute webinar: “The Middle East in an Era of Great Power Competition,” with Barry Posen, political science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Stephen Walt, international affairs professor at the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; and Bilal Saab, senior fellow and director of the MEI Defense and Security Program. https://www.mei.edu/events

4 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “Implications of Growing U.S.-China Friction: Perspectives from East Asia,” with Ben Bland, director of the Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia Program; Rory Medcalf, head of the Australian National University’s National Security College; Sheila Smith, senior fellow for Japan studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Bonnie Glaser, director of the CSIS China Power Project. https://www.csis.org/events

6 p.m. — Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies webcast: “Wargaming Gone Wrong: Contemporary Applications and Lessons Learned from Millennium Challenge 2002” with Micah Zenko, author of Red Team: How to Succeed By Thinking Like the Enemy; Jeremy Sepinsky, lead wargame designer at CNA; and Rebecca Wasser, senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events

FRIDAY | APRIL 17

9 a.m. — Center for a New American Security webinar: “U.S. Sanctions Policy and COVID-19” with Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control; John Smith, partner and co-head at Morrison and Foerster LLP National Security Practice; and Juan Zarate, chairman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Economic and Financial Power. https://www.cnas.org/events

1 p.m. — The Navy League of the United States Sea-Air-Space 2020 webinar “Cyber” with Rear Adm. Kathleen Creighton, Navy Cyber Security Division director, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, and Gregg Kendrick, executive director, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command. Broadcast locally on WJLA-TV in Washington and streamed live at FedInsider.com. Register at: https://www.fedinsider.com

WEDNESDAY | APRIL 29

8 a.m. — Northrop Grumman Corporation webcasts its first-quarter 2020 conference call with Kathy Warden, chairman, chief executive officer, and president, and Dave Keffer, chief financial officer. http://investor.northropgrumman.com.