Less than four weeks before he was set to begin his tenure as the next chief of naval operations, Admiral William Moran has confirmed that he has declined the position and plans on an early retirement. The somewhat surprising decision comes as the Navy Times reports there is “an open investigation” into emails exchanged between Moran and Cmdr. Chris Servello. Moran is said to have continued a “professional relationship with Servello after the latter had retired in disgrace. Servello was investigated over allegations that he acted inappropriately toward a number of women during a holiday party at the Pentagon in 2016. According to USNI News, the Navy found that, while it believed Servello’s harassment didn’t constitute “criminal sexual harassment,” it was enough to result in Servello’s retirement from the Navy.
“I made this difficult decision based on an open investigation into the nature of some of my personal email correspondence over the past couple of years and for continuing to maintain a professional relationship with a former staff officer, now retired, who had while in uniform been investigated and held accountable over allegations of inappropriate behavior.”
“To be clear, my decision to maintain this relationship was in no way an endorsement or tacit approval of this kind of conduct. 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.”
Servello had been the chief spokesman for Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson. Richardson found himself on the hot seat in 2017, when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, in her capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, began examining hundreds of sexual assault and harassment complaints logged in the armed forces for which there seemed to be little or no record of disciplinary action taken on the part of leadership. Richardson was forced to apologize for not censuring Servello earlier, allowing Servello to stay in his post for months after the allegations came to light.
The Navy has had strange directives issued to it recently with regard to chickenhawk in chief Donald Trump —covering up the USS John McCain during Trump’s trip to Japan comes to mind. His tenuous relationship with our armed forces aside, Trump didn’t create the systemic patriarchal problems facing our country, but he does embody, promote, and embolden them.