Brett Crozier

"Captain Crozier" redirects here. For the Irish polar explorer, see Francis Crozier.

Brett E. Crozier
Birth nameBrett Elliott Crozier
Born (1970-02-24) February 24, 1970 (age 54)
Santa Rosa, California, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1992–2022
RankCaptain
CommandsUSS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)
VFA-94
Battles / warsIraq War
AwardsLegion of Merit (3)

Brett Elliott Crozier (born February 24, 1970) is a retired captain in the United States Navy. A United States Naval Academy graduate, he became a naval aviator, first flying helicopters and then switching to fighters. After completing naval nuclear training, he served as an officer on several aircraft carriers. In spring 2020, he was commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt when COVID-19 broke out among the crew.[1] He was relieved of command by then-acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly after sending a letter to Navy leaders asking that most of the crew be taken ashore which was subsequently leaked to the press.[2][3][4] Crozier himself was also later diagnosed with the virus. He was reassigned to a shore position and retired in March 2022.

  1. ^ Kube, Courtney; Gains, Mosheh (April 2, 2020). "Navy relieves captain who raised alarm about coronavirus outbreak on aircraft carrier". NBC News. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Welna, David (April 2, 2020). "USS Roosevelt Commander Removed After Criticizing Handling Of Coronavirus Outbreak". NPR.org. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  3. ^ Pickrell, Ryan (April 3, 2020). "US Navy fires the captain of the aircraft carrier stricken by a coronavirus outbreak". Business Insider. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  4. ^ "Captain of USS Roosevelt relieved of command after letter about coronavirus outbreak was leaked". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved April 3, 2020.