China News Service, April 9th, nearly 300 sailors were infected, the original captain was sacked, and more than 2,000 people were still unable to disembark and quarantine ... In the past week, the new crown pneumonia epidemic spread on the US aircraft carrier Roosevelt docked in Guam.

To stabilize the military, Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Modley resigned on the 7th local time, and repeatedly apologized to the captain who was dismissed from him. However, the crisis caused by the epidemic in the US military continues.

On March 5, local time, the USS "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier entered Da Nang, Vietnam.

Seeking help letter

The navy secretary was forced to resign after being dismissed

On the 7th, US Secretary of Defense Esper approved Modley's resignation application. The reason for Modley's resignation also stems from a letter of assistance from Crozer, the original captain of the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier, more than a week ago.

On March 30, the "San Francisco Chronicle" published Crouse's "letter of help". In the letter, he requested high-level US Navy permission to allow the more than 4,000 sailors of the USS Roosevelt to disembark as soon as possible. Otherwise, the aircraft carrier might fear the tragedy of the “Princess Diamond”.

At the time, at least 38 people on board had contracted new coronary pneumonia. 15 days before the first case, the aircraft carrier visited Da Nang, Vietnam.

After the letter was published by the media, the US Navy quickly responded that it planned to transfer more than 2,700 sailors to Guam. However, on April 2, Modley announced that he would dismiss Krozer's captain's duties on the grounds of improper handling.

In addition, Modley flew to Guam on the 6th and issued harshly worded and swearing criticism on the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier, accusing Kroze of "too naive" and "too stupid" in responding to the epidemic. "Hero" sent off Crozet.

Modley's remarks angered the officers and men on board. After the recording was exposed, Modley couldn't calm down the outside anger even though he repeatedly apologized. In the end, he offered to resign and apologize to the entire navy.

The US "Navy Times" said on the 7th that this may be the worst 24-hour face of the Navy's public relations in history.

Figure: Former U.S. Navy Secretary Modley.

U.S. aircraft carrier outbreak is worrying

Former senior officials warn: the epidemic is weak, the fleet is paralyzed within six weeks

How serious is the outbreak of the aircraft carrier "Roosevelt"?

As of 8th Eastern Time, 286 crew members have been diagnosed on the "Roosevelt". At present, 90% of the crew have completed the detection of the new coronavirus, but of the nearly 5,000 crew members, only 2,329 are disembarked and isolated, which is lower than the previous US military plan to arrange for 2,700 crew members to disembark and isolate before April 3.

Despite the severe epidemic, the US Navy may not completely evacuate the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier. Naval Operations Secretary Gildi had previously stated that the Navy would have to retain nearly 1,000 core crew members to monitor nuclear reactors, supervise fighter aircraft and weapons, and maintain the operation of aircraft carriers.

However, the New York Times reported on the 3rd that for the military, the key issue is that as the virus spreads, it becomes increasingly difficult to continue training and perform tasks.

The report pointed out that the military, especially those deployed, live in public spaces. Each ship has a closed living area, canteen, and public bath. The crew cannot go anywhere else. This is a crowded cell, and it is almost impossible to maintain social distance.

James Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy retired former North Atlantic Treaty Commander, warned: "There will be more warships with similar problems, because it is impossible to maintain social distance on the warships, so it is a virus. Perfect place. "

"Think about the Diamond Princess," former Navy Secretary Sean O'Keefe said. "Before the virus spread throughout the ship, it failed to effectively isolate a large number of crew members. It is not difficult to imagine that if the US Navy cannot develop an effective containment strategy , Its deployed fleet may be paralyzed within six weeks. "

Data Map: US Secretary of Defense Esper.

The outbreak hit the Pacific Fleet,

How does the US military respond?

In fact, the condition of the USS Roosevelt is only a microcosm of the epidemic situation in the US military. In the first half of this year, the US military planned to deploy aircraft carriers in the Pacific—the “Reagan”, “Nimitz”, and “Karl Vinson” —which are both part of the Pacific Fleet and the “Roosevelt” —had all confirmed cases.

As of April 6, the number of US military diagnoses reached 1,435, and the Navy has more than 400 cases.

However, because the US military had previously announced that it would no longer disclose details of US infections, the outside world could not know where there was a large-scale outbreak other than the USS Roosevelt. The U.S. military stated that the no longer disclosing details was due to security considerations in military operations, especially to protect U.S. forces operating overseas.

At present, in order to curb the infection in the military, the US military has adopted a series of anti-epidemic measures, including shifting the recruitment process from offline to online, implementing strict anti-epidemic inspections before recruits are recruited, and suspending the sending of recruits to participate in basic training, but Soldiers already in training are not affected.

On April 5, Esper also ordered the personnel of the Department of Defense, including troops, to wear masks when they were unable to maintain a distance of 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) from other people in public or work places. Esper encouraged the troops to purchase and even sew masks themselves, because the military will not provide them with masks for the time being.

Pentagon officials warned that the epidemic in the United States may continue into the summer and urged troops to take protective measures to ensure health. These measures include compliance with guidelines for maintaining social distance and hand washing advocated by public health officials. (Finish)