Navy boss resigns amid uproar over firing of ship captain
By LOLITA C. BALDOR and ROBERT BURNS Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the acting civilian leader of the Navy, Thomas Modly, has resigned. He says in a written statement that Modly, who has been the acting Navy secretary since last November, resigned of his own accord. Modly had publicly apologized Monday for his upbraiding of the officer he fired as captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt. Modly’s designated replacement will be James McPherson, a Navy veteran who is currently serving as undersecretary of the Army. The leadership crisis comes as the Navy struggles with COVID-19 on land and at sea.