Modly steps down as acting US Navy Secretary
Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly has submitted his resignation to US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed that Esper accepted the resignation on 7 April and that Modly will be replaced by current Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson.
It comes after Modly removed the captain, Brett Crozier, from command of the coronavirus-hit USS Theodore Roosevelt for writing a letter, raising concerns about the safety of the sailors on board, which was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Capt Crozier’s sacking led to a backlash from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier’s 4,000-strong crew.
In a statement, Esper noted that Modly ‘resigned on his own accord, putting the Navy and the Sailors above self so that the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy as an institution, can move forward’.
McPherson is a retired admiral with 26 years of service in the USN. He is expected to remain as Acting Secretary of the Navy until a permanent replacement is found.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Agile, sovereign, edge-ready: rewiring defence IT for a contested decade]()
Agile, sovereign, edge-ready: rewiring defence IT for a contested decade
Today's rapidly changing security landscape means that armed forces can no longer treat their data in the same way as in the past. What are the key challenges they face, and how can industry help them?
-
![“The challenge is not demand, but delivery”: why rapid building of industrial capability is key to Europe’s future defence]()
“The challenge is not demand, but delivery”: why rapid building of industrial capability is key to Europe’s future defence
In today’s complex security landscape, military requirements are rapidly evolving across all domains. As European defence spending rises, industry is under growing pressure to expand production capacity, strengthen supply chains and accelerate delivery timelines to meet operational demand.
-
![How US Special Operations Forces are using AI to transform modern warfare]()
How US Special Operations Forces are using AI to transform modern warfare
USSOCOM is expanding the use of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and human-machine teaming to improve decision-making, survivability and operational reach in contested environments.
-
![DARPA, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman join forces to improve missile production]()
DARPA, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman join forces to improve missile production
Working together with DARPA in the Burn n’ Go programme, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon are supporting the development of a common, single-use solid rocket motor design to equip diverse weapon systems.
