Admiral to lead Navy instead will retire; bad judgment cited

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Admiral to lead Navy instead will retire; bad judgment cited

By ROBERT BURNS
July 7, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — The four-star admiral set to become the Navy’s top officer on Aug. 1 will instead retire, an extraordinary downfall prompted by what Navy Secretary Richard Spencer on Sunday called poor judgment regarding a professional relationship.

The sudden move by Adm. William Moran may add to the perception of turmoil in the Pentagon’s senior ranks, coming less than a month after Pat Shanahan abruptly withdrew from consideration to be defense secretary after serving as the acting secretary for six months.

Leaders of the individual military services, both civilian and uniformed, play less critical roles in national security than the defense secretary, and they are not in the chain of military command. But they are responsible for ensuring that the armed forces are trained, equipped and prepared for combat and other roles.

Moran had been vetted for promotion to the top uniformed position in the Navy, nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate in May to succeed Adm. John Richardson as chief of naval operations and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Instead, Moran said in a written statement Sunday evening that he told Spencer he decided to decline his appointment as the next chief of naval operations and requested to be allowed to retire.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/8afc79b5ad554efd9b6b5ce9e6cf97b1


FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2018 file photo, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. William Moran describes the function of the USS Thomas Hudner prior to its commissioning ceremony in Boston. Moran, the Navy admiral set to become his service's top officer on Aug. 1, 2019, says he will instead retire. The extraordinary downfall of Moran was prompted by what Navy Secretary Richard Spencer on Sunday, July 7 called poor judgment. Spencer faulted Moran for having a professional relationship with a person who had been disciplined for what Spencer called "failing to meet the values and standards of the naval profession." (Paul Connors/The Boston Herald via AP, File)

[nitpicker]

1. More from Navy Times

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/07/08/adm-bill-moran-out-as-navys-next-cno/

(snip)
In a prepared statement provided to Navy Times, Moran said that he won’t become the next chief of naval operations and instead will retire due to “an open investigation” into emails he exchanged with a retired former staffer “who had while in uniform been investigated and held accountable over allegations of inappropriate behavior.”

Multiple senior Pentagon officials confirmed that the former officer is Chris Servello, who investigators previously found had behaved inappropriately with female colleagues in 2016 while dressed as Santa Claus at a boozy Pentagon holiday party.
(snip)

“My decision to maintain this relationship was in no way an endorsement or tacit approval of this kind of conduct,” Moran said. “I understand how toxic it can be to any team when inappropriate behavior goes unrecognized and unchecked. Every sailor is entitled to serve in an environment free of harassment or intimidation.”
(snip)