Navy secretary sought OK for $243,000 flight to COVID-stricken ship after returning from Guam
WASHINGTON – Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly took his $243,000 trip to the COVID-19 ravaged USS Theodore Roosevelt before formally asking for approval to use extra pilots to accommodate his schedule, according to documents and a Navy official.
Once in Guam, Modly made a brief appearance on the ship, gave a 15-minute speech excoriating the captain he had fired for beseeching the Navy for help for his crew, and potentially exposed himself to coronavirus. Modly and two staff members are in quarantine, according to a Navy official who was not authorized to comment publicly. The pilots were not exposed to potential infection, the official said.
A 2018 policy instituted under then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis prompted Modly's office to file the request for a waiver, a copy of which was obtained by USA TODAY. The directive seeks to limit senior officials to one air crew per trip to curb the cost of travel by military aircraft. Waivers have been issued to senior officials visiting troops in combat zones.
Modly's office had informed the Pentagon orally before the trip that he intended to use more than one crew, the Navy official said.
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