Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Little comfort for this Navy skipper

The commander of the USNS Comfort got the big boot last Monday, just days before the ship deployed. Interestingly, her predecessor also was relieved.

150401-N-JO245-100
150401-N-JO245-100
150401-N-JO245-100 NORFOLK (April 1, 2015) The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (TA-H 20) departs Naval Station Norfolk. Comfort is deploying to support Operation Continuing Promise 2015, a series of humanitarian exercises conducted under the direction of U.S. Southern Command to provide medical, dental and veterinary aid to people in the Caribbean, Central and South America. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Justin Yarborough/Released)

The commander of the USNS Comfort got the big boot last Monday, just days before the ship deployed. Interestingly, her predecessor also was relieved.

The commander of the USNS Comfort got the big boot last Monday, just days before the ship deployed. Interestingly, her predecessor also was relieved.

Again, congratulations to the Navy for showing both accountability and transparency. Now how about the other services realizing that their obligations to the public should outweigh their misplaced belief that relieved senior officers deserve to be shielded from scrutiny?

United States Navy

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.