WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate confirmed Navy secretary-nominee Kenneth “K.J.” Braithwaite by voice vote May 21. Braithwaite, a former ambassador to Norway and executive for American oil and health care companies, assumes the job after financier Richard V. Spencer was forced out of office amid a fight with the White House and senior defense leaders over the handling of a legal case against a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes. At his confirmation hearing this month, Braithwaite vowed to improve public trust in leadership. A Michigan native and 1984 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Braithwaite was an anti-submarine warfare pilot who tracked Soviet subs in the western Pacific and Indian oceans. He later served in various communications and legislative affairs roles before leaving active service in 1993 and the Naval Reserve in 2011. His nomination had been stalled since fall, and comes a month after the resignation of then-SECNAV Thomas Moldy amid his handling of an outbreak of coronavirus aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, which included Moldy’s decision to fire the CO after complaints about a slow response that went public, and a caustic speech to crew members for applauding the dismissed ship's commander. (Source: Defense News 05/21/20)
Shipbuilding and maritime related news from the Central Gulf Coast region
