Happy Thursday 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. If you haven’t already, CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.
THE TOPLINE: An email containing a now-famous memo from the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier reportedly was sent to fewer people than the Navy said it was when officials justified firing him.
The email from Capt. Brett Crozier was sent to three admirals and copied to seven other captains, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post. The revelation contradicts former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly’s assertion it was sent to “20 or 30” people.
Attached to the email was the letter Crozier wrote pleading for help because of a coronavirus outbreak aboard the Roosevelt. The letter has now been widely reported, but the email it was attached to had not been released before the Post’s report.
The unseen email: In the email Crozier called the recipients “incredible leaders” who he would “gladly … follow into battle whenever need.”
“I fully realize that I bear responsibility for not demanding more decisive action the moment we pulled in, but at this point my only priority is the continued well-being of the crew and embarked staff,” Crozier wrote. “As you know, the accountability of a commanding officer is absolute, and I believe if there is ever a time to ask for help it is now regardless of the impact on my career.”
The email was addressed to Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, commander of the Roosevelt’s carrier strike group; Adm. John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet; and Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller, commander of Naval Air Forces along with seven other captains.
The fallout: Crozier was fired after the attached memo — which warned that “sailors do not have to die” — leaked to the press.
At a news conference announcing Crozier’s firing, Modly cited the number of people the email was sent to as one of the reasons he lost confidence in Crozier’s ability to command the ship.
“It was copied to 20 or 30 other people,” Modly said then. “That’s just not acceptable. He did not take care and what that did is it created a little bit of a panic on the ship.”
Modly later resigned after traveling to Guam to give a speech aboard the Roosevelt where he called Crozier “stupid” or “naive.”
A possible reinstatement?: Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Robert Burke conducted an investigation into the situation on the Roosevelt. The results are being reviewed by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday and are expected to be released as soon as this week.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Thursday said that he has “an open mind” to the possibility of reinstating Crozier after the investigation makes the rounds.
“I directed that investigation a couple weeks ago; it concluded late last week. It is now with the Navy; it will come to me at some point in time. As I am in the chain of command I can’t comment on it further, but I’ve got to keep an open mind with regard to everything,” Esper said on NBC’s “Today.”
Growing cases: As of Thursday, 655 sailors from the Roosevelt have tested positive for the virus. One sailor has died, and six are in the hospital, with one of them in intensive care.
In other coronavirus news …
First service member with coronavirus cleared: The first U.S. service member to test positive for the coronavirus has been declared virus-free after seven weeks of isolation, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday.
The 23-year-old male soldier was cleared to leave isolation after being asymptomatic for more than a week, being fever-free without using medicine, testing negative for the virus on two tests taken 24 hours apart and being cleared by military medical providers, U.S. Forces Korea said in a news release.
The soldier is now at his off-base home near Camp Carroll in South Korea and is waiting for a decision on when he will return to duty, the release added.
The soldier was first diagnosed with COVID-19 on Feb. 26 and his wife tested positive for the virus two days later.
Low numbers: USFK has had only two active-duty service members test positive for the virus out of the 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, while 22 other cases have been reported among dependents, contractors and civilians.
“USFK remains at a high level of readiness with only two active duty service members who’ve tested positive for COVID-19, and continues to maintain a robust combined defense posture to protect the Republic of Korea against any threat or adversary while maintaining prudent preventive measures to protect the force,” the news release said.
In addition to the soldier cleared Thursday, 10 U.S. and Korean dependents and civilians connected to USFK have been declared virus-free since March 15, the release added.
IN OTHER NEWS … TOP REPUBLICAN PROPOSES $6B TO COUNTER CHINA: The top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee proposed a new fund focused on countering China in the Indo-Pacific region, starting with $6 billion next year.
Dubbed the Indo-Pacific Deterrence Initiative, the draft legislation unveiled Thursday by Rep. Mac ThornberryWilliam (Mac) McClellan ThornberryOvernight Defense: Pentagon chief open to reinstating fired captain | First service member with virus cleared | Republican proposes B fund to counter China Key Republican proposes B to counter China in Indo-Pacific Pentagon gets heat over protecting service members from coronavirus MORE (R-Texas) is modeled off the European Deterrence Initiative created in 2014 to counter Russia.
“Senior officials from both parties, military commanders, and international security experts have told us for years that the Indo-Pacific must be this country’s priority theater,” Thornberry said in a statement. “They are absolutely correct, and it is time to put our money where our mouth is.”
A likely add: A counter-China fund appears likely to make it into the annual defense policy bill in some form. A spokeswoman for House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam SmithDavid (Adam) Adam SmithOvernight Defense: Pentagon chief open to reinstating fired captain | First service member with virus cleared | Republican proposes B fund to counter China Key Republican proposes B to counter China in Indo-Pacific Top Democrats push Trump administration on lapsed cost-sharing deal with South Korea MORE (D-Wash.) said Thursday he has already been looking at including such a program in the next National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“Mr. Smith is glad that Mr. Thornberry supports the creation of an Indo-Pacific Reassurance Initiative,” committee Democratic spokeswoman Monica Matoush said in statement. “It is a policy priority that the chairman has been working on since last fall with the intention of including a related provision in the FY21 NDAA.”
What the $6B would cover: The $6 billion in Thornberry’s legislation would cover missile defense, intelligence activities, the prepositioning of equipment, troop rotations, military construction, work with allies and partners, and training exercises.
“These are not all new programs, but by pulling them together under one policy we will be better able to judge our own commitment here at home, demonstrate our resolve to our allies and partners, and deter China,” Thornberry said in his statement.
He acknowledged all $6 billion he is proposing may not be approved this year but said “it is important that we make a start, and then use this legislation to measure our progress going forward.”
ON TAP FOR TOMORROW
The Navy League’s “Sea-Air-Space 2020: Virtual Edition” continues with a panel on space and artificial intelligence with several defense officials at 1 p.m.
ICYMI
— The Hill: FBI sees spike in cyber crime reports during coronavirus pandemic
— The Hill: 11 Iranian ships come close to U.S. military vessels in ‘dangerous and provocative’ move
— The Hill: US officials investigating whether coronavirus originated in Chinese laboratory: report
— The Hill: Opinion: Excessive nuclear force modernization should be the next COVID-19 victim
— CNBC: Army launches ‘Shark Tank’-style competition for ventilator designs, successful ideas get $100,000
— Army Times: One training battalion at Fort Jackson had 50 coronavirus cases; basic combat training to continue
— Military.com: Navy Believes Delivery Flights, Not Vietnam Port Stop, Brought Virus to Carrier
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