No we don’t need more like him. His only concern was to keep his kids from getting sick. He didn’t care if it took the entire ship out of action. He wanted 10% skeleton crew. He prattled on and on about that.
You know what he never mentioned? He never mentioned a plan to get replacements flown out immediately to get the ship back into readiness. He never asked for additional supplies to sanitize. He never asked for additional medical personnel. He never recommended the next carrier accelerate its deployment schedule to relieve them. Operational readiness was dead last on his list.
He even use the weasel term, “we are not at war”. That is always used by people intending to perform to a sub standard level. Next, he sent it to his hometown newspaper. His communication was already childish and not fitting of a man leading a strategic asset, but he still could’ve sent it to the chain of command via secure and encrypted communications links.
Last, his official portrait is an embarrassment to the Navy. He sitting there with a moronic grin. In most parts of the world, if someone sits there grinning that way, people think they are a simpleton. Look at the official portraits of Admirals Halsey, Nimitz, Kincaid, King, Spruance, Mitscher, Badger... They all look halfway pissed off and a little bit annoyed that they have to sit there for a photo. And they look suspicious. Thank God this guy got relieved of duty. He is most definitely not one of the top 11 men in the Navy. That’s how many fleet carriers we have.
And he’s already been passed over for promotion twice
On a carrier he has machine shops and parts and supplies, enormous quantities of PPEs. He has hotshot pilots, super maintenance mechanics, nuclear trained officers and at the top of the intellectual and creative pile - nuclear trained enlisted personnel. He has his own medical staff. If there was something to be made or something to be done the guys working for him could have figured it out and done it. You can whip everything down with disinfectant every watch change. You can modify watchstanding schedules to minimize spread of contagion, and maximize the ability to provide sanitation. Like I said before, the human and material resources at hand to a carrier CO are unmatched anywhere in the world. There are lots of large spaces on a carrier that you could repurpose in an emergency.
Did he immediately impose command wide training and instruction on sanitation and contagion control?
He is supposed to be able to operate independently at sea for months at a time.
Instead he whines and talks about not being able to comply with instructions,etc. The man is CO of a nuclear aircraft carrier for chrissakes.
Dear Abe, enemy on other side of Missippi. Don't know what to do. Please send help. Useless Grant, Commanding.
Doubtless he was not sacrificing himself for his men. What his men needed was to see courage and integrity. Perhaps he was sacrificing his command in hope of a job with CNN. I am sure they would love him.