Report: Navy upholds firing of carrier captain in virus outbreak


WASHINGTON — A U.S. official says the Navy has upheld the firing of the aircraft carrier captain who urged faster action to protect his crew from a coronavirus outbreak.

That decision is a complete reversal for Adm. Mike Gilday, the top Navy officer. Gilday also extended the blame for the ship’s pandemic crisis and delayed the promotion of the one-star admiral who was also onboard. He concludes that both men made serious errors in judgment.

The U.S. official spoke anonymously to describe a report not yet public.

The spread of the coronavirus aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt while on deployment in the Pacific in March exploded into one of the biggest military leadership crises of recent years.