The Navy's top admiral will soon decide the fate of the ship captain who was fired after pleading for commanders to move faster to safeguard his coronavirus-infected crew on the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
In the glare of a public spotlight, Adm. Mike Gilday will decide whether Navy Capt. Brett Crozier stepped out of line when he went around his chain of command and sent an email pushing for action to stem the outbreak.
As of Friday, 660 sailors on the aircraft carrier, now docked at Guam, had tested positive for the virus and seven were hospitalised.
One sailor has died, and more than 4,000 of the ship's 5,000 crew members have been moved onto the island for quarantine. Gilday's review won't be limited to Crozier.
It will also look at the command climate on the ship and higher up within the Pacific-based fleet, to determine if there are broader leadership problems in a region critical to America's national security interests.
Gilday has many options as he reviews what was an extraordinarily rapid investigation by Adm. Robert Burke, the vice chief of naval operations.
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Burke and his staff finished the review in about a week, conducting interviews almost entirely online and by phone between Washington and Guam.
A look at some of Gilday's options, and their benefits and pitfalls.
REINSTATEMENT:
FORGIVE AND MOVE ON:
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS:
FIRE ONE, FIRE ALL: