Fired captain has virus

The US naval commander whose widely publicized plea for help for his coronavirus-affected crew led to his dismissal has reportedly tested positive for the disease.

Captain Brett Crozier's Covid-19 test result was reported by the New York Times, hours after Defense Secretary Mark Esper defended his firing.

Esper said that Navy Secretary Thomas Modly had "made a tough decision, tough call" in deciding to fire Crozier from his command of the aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt, now docked in Guam.

Asked about a report that President Donald Trump wanted Crozier fired, Esper replied: "This was the secretary's call. He came and briefed me ... It was the secretary's call. I told him I would support it."

The firing was widely condemned as a callous and unfair punishment of a respected officer who was looking out for his crew when he implored his superiors to let him quickly vacate the ship.

"We are not at war," Crozier wrote in a letter that leaked to the press. "Sailors do not need to die."

But some senior Pentagon officials said Crozier erred by letting his plea go public.

Crozier "demonstrated extremely poor judgment in the middle of a crisis," needlessly worrying family members and undermining the chain of command, Modly said.