FACTS
Two Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee say Navy commanders of a destroyer and a submarine were relieved this fall without notice to Congress. Reps. Joe Courtney of Connecticut and Adam Smith of Washington wrote to Navy leaders on Nov. 12 and asked for answers by Nov. 20, according to Courtney’s office. The Navy has not commented publicly, according to The Associated Press.
Which Navy commanders were relieved
Cmdr. Caitlin Cunningham was relieved as commanding officer of the destroyer USS Michael Murphy on Sept. 27 because of a “loss of confidence,” a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP, according to PBS NewsHour. She had led the ship for less than a year. Such removals are typically announced within days, but the Navy did not comment even when asked, the AP reported. The destroyer is deployed in operations against Iran, the AP and Middle East Eye reported.
On Oct. 14, the Navy relieved the commanding officer, executive officer and chief of the boat of the attack submarine USS South Dakota, according to Stars and Stripes. The lawmakers’ letter says the officers were removed after the submarine ran into something on the seabed, the AP reported. The Navy has not confirmed whether the submarine ran aground.
Rear Adm. Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress and the Supreme Court for nearly 18 years, also left his post while the Navy conducted an investigation, the AP reported. Sens. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, and Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, confirmed his departure on Thursday but gave few details.
What the lawmakers asked
Courtney and Smith addressed their letter to acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and Adm. Daryl Caudle, the chief of naval operations. They expressed “deep frustration” that the Navy did not notify the House Armed Services Committee, according to the AP. “The Department of the Navy’s failure to communicate these incidents to Congress is unacceptable,” they wrote, according to the House Armed Services Committee Democrats.
The letter lists seven questions for the Navy about the removals. The lawmakers asked for responses by Nov. 20.
The Navy’s side
The Navy had not publicly explained why these removals were not announced or why Congress was not told, according to the AP. The defense official cited by the AP did not give details of what led to Cunningham’s removal.
Cao, who is seeking to become the Navy’s top civilian official on a permanent basis, faces a confirmation hearing next week, the AP reported.
More coverage is in the Stay Current News U.S. section.
Photo: File photo of the destroyer USS Michael Murphy in the Arabian Sea. U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
