Of course. Here's the background to what Jeff is alluding.
We just got off an hour-long conference call with Adm. Davidson...
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We just got off an hour-long conference call with Adm. Davidson...
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In it, @JeffSchogol asked a good accountability question about whether the admiral now thinks it was a mistake that he and other senior leaders sent the USS Theodore Roosevelt to Vietnam in March, in light of the covid crisis that ensued.
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Davidson responded by citing @EsperDoD's comments this morning in a different event, where he highlighted the importance of the visit. Not really a direct answer to what is effectively a yes-or-no question.
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I tried next. Said that, respectfully, I thought he had ducked the question. I also asked about whether culpability in the Theodore Roosevelt disaster went far enough, considering the Navy's report about it highlighted poor communication in 7th Fleet and Pacific Fleet.
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Davidson addressed my second Q, saying he would not answer questions about the report. He cited the possibility of his command influence being called into question, which raises the question whether additional personnel actions could still occur.
He didn't address my first.
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He didn't address my first.
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@ckubeNBC then raised the issue again. The strategic value of visiting Vietnam is clear, she acknowledged. But what about doing so as the pandemic hit?
Davidson then defended the decision, citing a CDC recommendation, among other things.
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Davidson then defended the decision, citing a CDC recommendation, among other things.
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About 1,000 sailors aboard the Theodore Roosevelt got coronavirus, and one died. The ship also was down for weeks, something with strategic implications.
Hindsight is always easiest, of course.
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Hindsight is always easiest, of course.
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