WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has submitted a letter of resignation to Defense Secretary Mark Esper. That’s according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the matter before an official announcement. The officials say Modly has also told staff he is quitting. Modly had publicly apologized Monday for a profanity-laced 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 undersecretary of the Army.
