US Navy secretary resigns

Washington

The acting secretary of the US Navy Thomas Modly resigned on Tuesday, adding a new wrinkle to a saga that began with a coronavirus outbreak aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and which saw the captain of the ship controversially ousted.

Modly was also caught in a recording bashing the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, saying Captain Brett Crozier was "too naive or too stupid." Modly later apologized, after the recording leaked, Deutsche press agency (dpa) reported.

Crozier was removed from his post after sounding an alarm about the outbreak and demanding the thousands of sailors under his command be able to get off the ship, to stem the spread. His letter leaked to the media, with the Pentagon implying he knew this would happen.

There is blowback against the military leadership over the ousting of Crozier, who left his ship to sustained cheers from his crew. Online, some soldiers have expressed outrage, saying the captain was protecting his crew. Democrats called for Modly to be sacked.