WASHINGTON – Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly took his $243,000 trip to the COVID-19 ravaged USS Theodore Roosevelt before formally asking for approval to use extra pilots to accommodate his schedule, according to documents and a Navy official.
Once in Guam, Modly made a brief appearance on the ship, gave a 15-minute speech excoriating the captain he had fired for beseeching the Navy for help for his crew, and potentially exposed himself to coronavirus. Modly and two staff members are in quarantine, according to a Navy official who was not authorized to comment publicly. The pilots were not exposed to potential infection, the official said.
A 2018 policy instituted under then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis prompted Modly’s office to file the request for a waiver, a copy of which was obtained by USA TODAY. The directive seeks to limit senior officials to one air crew per trip to curb the cost of travel by military aircraft. Waivers have been issued to senior officials visiting troops in combat zones.
Modly’s office had informed the Pentagon orally before the trip that he intended to use more than one crew, the Navy official said.
The 35-hour, $243,000 trip cost Modly his job and has roiled the Navy as it seeks to care for the 589 sailors from the Roosevelt who have tested positive for COVID-19. One sailor has died from the disease, and another is in intensive care, the Navy announced Tuesday.
On April 4, Modly flew with members of his staff and an additional air crew from Washington to Hawaii aboard a C-37B, a Gulfstream 550 business jet modified for military use. In Hawaii, Modly and his staff joined another party that included the new commanding officer of the Roosevelt. They then flew to Guam, leaving behind an air crew, according to his request for the waiver. Modly returned on April 6 to Hawaii, where the extra air crew was waiting to provide his “timely return” to Washington.
The waiver request is stamped April 7, the day Modly resigned amid criticism for calling Capt. Brett Cozier, the former commander of the Roosevelt, too naive and stupid to be in charge. Modly’s exposure to the virus forced him to tender his resignation offer remotely. Defense Secretary Mark Esper accepted and named James McPherson to fill Modly’s post.
President Donald Trump has waded into the controversy, criticizing Crozier for writing the letter but suggesting his career not be ruined for having a “bad day.” A Navy investigation into events surrounding Crozier’s letter is expected to be released this week.