Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly Resigns

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned Tuesday afternoon, capping a bizarre few days marked by outrage at his half-dozen attempts to justify and explain why he fired the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently sidelined in Guam by the spread of the coronavirus on board.

Undersecretary of the Army James McPherson will take over for Modly, becoming the second person to hold the sea service's top civilian job in an acting capacity since Defense Secretary Mark Esper fired then-Secretary Richard Spencer in November for disagreeing with President Donald Trump's intervention in the case of a former Navy SEAL commando.

In a statement Tuesday, Esper said Modly "resigned on his own accord" so that "the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy as an institution, can move forward." Esper thanked Modly, himself a Naval Academy graduate who had previously served as the Navy Department's No. 2 civilian, and said of his service, "his care for the sailors was genuine."

McPherson, who will become the new acting Navy secretary, served in the Navy for 26 years, rising to the rank of admiral before retiring. Esper described him as "a smart, capable and professional leader who will restore confidence and stability in the Navy during these challenging times."

Sen. Jim Inhofe, the chairman of the influential Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday he supported Esper's decision, but criticized the "turmoil at the top of the Department of the Navy over the last year" as "disturbing."

"In this difficult time, the Navy needs leaders now more than ever who can provide continuity and steady, insightful leadership," the Oklahoma Republican said, adding that he expects the administration to nominate a permanent Navy secretary soon.

Modly's resignation followed his decision on April 2 to fire Navy Capt. Brett Crozier from command of the aircraft carrier for reasons that have shifted in the subsequent week. They include Crozier's having sent an email through unclassified servers begging for more help from the Navy, which subsequently was leaked to The San Francisco Chronicle, and for behavior that Modly attributed to "panicking" amid the spread on board of the virus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19. Defenders of Crozier have pushed back against these claims.

After firing Crozier, Modly addressed the crew of the Theodore Roosevelt directly, and later apologized for telling them Crozier was "naive" or "stupid." Modly called a columnist at The Washington Post on Sunday to explain his decision, and wrote a letter to The New York Times in response to a separate opinion piece by Roosevelt's great-grandson criticizing the then-acting secretary's decisions.

Multiple lawmakers who oversee the Pentagon agreed with Modly's decision to resign.

"These actions were inappropriate for the leader of the U.S. Navy at any time, particularly in a crisis, and did a disservice to Capt. Crozier, the sailors of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and all Navy personnel," Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the influential Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. "The new leadership of the Navy must do better in leading and protecting sailors, Marines and their families in this unprecedented crisis."

Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters before Modly's resignation, "After that speech on the carrier, I just don't see how he can lead the Navy."

Smith had called for Modly's resignation Monday evening, and said the subsequent apology did little to change his mind.

Smith also pointed to Modly's justification in making his decision that he wished to act before Trump himself intervened. The Washington Democrat identified that as another example of "undue command influence" from Trump, whose handling of the case of former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher also wrought widespread criticism.