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Happy Friday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Ellen Mitchell, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.
THE TOPLINE: The Navy has recommended reinstating Capt. Brett Crozier as commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, in a move that would be unprecedented.
The recommendation was first reported by The New York Times and shortly after was reported by several other outlets as well.
Top Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement that Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperOvernight Defense: Navy recommends reinstating Crozier | Virus outbreak on US destroyer | Troops sue Pentagon to become naturalized citizens Navy recommends reinstating Crozier as captain of USS Theodore Roosevelt: report Navy: 18 sailors aboard USS Kidd test positive for coronavirus MORE received a verbal update on the recommendation from acting Navy Secretary James McPherson and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday.
The two made the recommendation when briefing Esper about the results of the investigation into the coronavirus outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier, according to the Times.
Esper asked for more time to consider whether to reinstate Crozier, the Times noted.
“After the Secretary receives a written copy of the completed inquiry, he intends to thoroughly review the report and will meet again with Navy leadership to discuss next steps. He remains focused on and committed to restoring the full health of the crew and getting the ship at sea again soon,” Hoffman said.
Lawmakers respond: Following the reports, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Calif.) called on Esper to reinstate Crozier “immediately.” A congressional aide said Smith has not yet been briefed on the investigation.
“While Capt. Crozier’s actions at the outset of the health crisis aboard the TR were drastic and imperfect, it is clear he only took such steps to protect his crew,” Smith said in a statement. “Not only did Captain Crozier have the full support of his crew, he also attempted to work within his chain of command. During this time of crisis, Capt. Crozier is exactly what our sailors need: a leader who inspires confidence.”
Esper ‘inclined’ to back Navy recommendation: Crozier was removed from his position as the commander of the Roosevelt earlier this month after a letter he wrote pleading for help with a coronavirus outbreak aboard leaked to the press.
The Pentagon said earlier Friday that Esper would be “generally inclined” to support the Navy’s recommendation.
“He’s going into this with an open mind, and he is generally inclined to support Navy leadership in their decisions,” the chief Pentagon spokesman told reporters at a briefing before Esper was given the recommendation.
“But he will go into it with an open mind, and we will, once he’s briefed, we will see where that takes us,” Hoffman added.
The background: The Navy opened an investigation into the situation on the Roosevelt after its coronavirus outbreak turned into a political firestorm.
Crozier’s letter asked for permission to offload all but 10 percent of the ship’s crew and warned that “sailors do not have to die.”
Crozier was fired by then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly after the letter leaked. Modly resigned after he traveled to Guam to give a speech about the Roosevelt that berated Crozier as “stupid” or “naive.”
When he fired Crozier, Modly publicly justified the move by saying the letter was sent to “20 or 30” people, something Modly called “just not acceptable.”
But a copy of the letter obtained by The Washington Post last week showed Crozier sent it to the three admirals and copied it to seven captains.
Top officials, including Esper, had not ruled out reinstating Crozier when the Navy’s investigation was complete.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NAVY, AN OUTBREAK ABOARD THE USS KIDD: Eighteen sailors aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer deployed near Central America have tested positive for the coronavirus, the military confirmed Friday.
The Navy became aware of the outbreak aboard the USS Kidd after a sailor needed to be medically evacuated to a treatment facility in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday, where he tested positive for COVID-19, the Navy said in a statement.
Within 24 hours after the positive test, the Navy deployed an eight-person medical evaluation team to the ship to further test sailors aboard and to conduct contact tracing, working to isolate individuals believed to have been exposed to the virus.
“As of this morning, 17 additional Sailors have tested positive,” the statement said.
More cases expected: The Navy said it expects additional cases onboard, and that the ship will return to port to be cleaned.
“The first patient transported is already improving and will self-isolate. We are taking every precaution to ensure we identify, isolate, and prevent any further spread onboard the ship,” Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander of the U.S. 4th Fleet, said in the release. “Our medical team continues coordinating with the ship and our focus is the safety and well-being of every Sailor.”
Top Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman on Friday also confirmed the outbreak and said when the ship returns to port, a portion of the crew will be removed, adding that there is a “high level of attention to the issue from the Navy.”
A second outbreak: The Kidd, which had been deployed to the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific region, marks the second significant outbreak aboard a deployed Naval vessel.
The coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in March garnered national attention after Capt. Brett Crozier wrote a letter imploring the Navy for help with the outbreak.
TROOPS SUE PENTAGON OVER SLOWED NATURALIZATION PROCESS: Six U.S. troops filed a class-action lawsuit Friday alleging the Pentagon is blocking their ability to use an expedited process to become naturalized U.S. citizens.
The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of the troops, alleges a 2017 Pentagon policy has “unlawfully obstructed the ability of thousands of service members to obtain U.S. citizenship, placing them in a state of personal and professional limbo.”
The current rule: Non-citizens who serve in the military are eligible for expedited citizenship under the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act. In order to qualify for the expedited process, troops must get a certification from the Pentagon that they have served honorably.
The process: Troops used to be able to get that certification a day after starting service. But in 2017, the Pentagon changed the process, including requiring additional background screenings, limiting who can approve the certifications to the service secretaries or high-ranked officers and requiring active-duty troops to have served for at least 180 days and members of the Selected Reserve for at least a year.
The Pentagon has cited national security concerns for the additional steps, saying when the policy was announced that while it “recognizes the value of expedited U.S. citizenship achieved through military service, it is in the national interest to ensure all current and prospective service members complete security and suitability screening prior to naturalization.”
What the lawsuit claims: The lawsuit claims the 2017 policy “makes it difficult, if not impossible, for service members to benefit from expedited naturalization.”
“The DoD’s subversion of the statutory scheme is so significant that it is now harder for many service members to naturalize through the expedited process than through the ordinary civilian process,” says the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The lawsuit says that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services statistics showed a 72 percent drop in military naturalization applications in 2018 compared to before the new policy.
Previous lawsuits: Two lawsuits have previously been filed against the policy. But those challenges were specifically on behalf of members of the Selected Reserve who enlisted through the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program, while the ACLU describes the new suit as the first to represent all non-citizen service members.
ICYMI
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