WASHINGTON, DC – Today, after Navy leadership decided to permanently reassign Captain Brett Crozier, former commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

“Secretary Braithwaite and Chief of Naval Operations Gilday informed me the Navy completed a comprehensive command investigation of the actions surrounding COVID-19 infections of the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

“There appears to be plenty of blame and questionable judgment to go around.  We’ve got to learn from mistakes to prevent them from happening in the future.

“Now that the Navy has concluded its probe, the committee needs to do its own due diligence.  There is bipartisan commitment to oversight and we must conduct a thorough review to ensure accountability at every link within the chain of command, including civilian leadership.”