The former captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt may have been relieved from his duties last month in response to his concerns about coronavirus spreading on his ship. But Capt. Brett Crozier has a new job, as The Navy Times reports that Crozier has left Guam to take a temporary job with Naval Air Forces in San Diego _ a gig that could possible serve as a mere interlude before he gets his old position back.
Crozier, who was fired on April 2 in the aftermath of a leaked letter to his superiors, actually tested positive for coronavirus himself, and was quarantining with his former crew in Guam until this week. On Monday, he arrived in San Diego, where he'll begin work as special assistant to the Naval Air Forces chief of staff.
It's still an open question, however, whether or not Crozier might be able to return to his old post. The man who fired him, former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, also resigned in the firestorm of controversy surrounding the leak, leaving the decision up to his replacement, James E. McPherson. Last week, McPherson delayed his decision on Crozier's reinstatement, saying he still had "unanswered questions" that required more scrutiny.
A Naval Air Forces spokesman couldn't tell The Navy Times if Crozier's new job meant that any conclusions could be drawn about his reinstatement, saying that those decisions were out of their hands.
