US President Donald Trump's choice to be the secretary of the Navy testified on Thursday (May 7) that the sea service had suffered through "rough waters" over its handling of the virus-stricken aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt and other recent episodes, largely because of poor leadership.
The comments by the nominee, Mr Kenneth Braithwaite, were a blunt indictment of senior civilians and admirals who have led a Navy that in recent years has been racked by scandals and accidents.
He cited the "Fat Leonard" bribery scandal that tainted much of the service's top leadership as well as two ship collisions in 2017, nine weeks apart, that together killed 17 sailors.
"They are all indicative of a breakdown in the trust of those leading the service," said Mr Braithwaite, a Naval Academy graduate and retired one-star admiral. "It saddens me to say that the Department of the Navy is in rough waters due to several factors however, primarily the failure of leadership."
He pledged to the Senate Armed Services Committee "to restore the appropriate culture in the United States Navy." He added: "I won't say it's broken. I think it's been tarnished."
Mr Braithwaite, 59, who is the US ambassador to Norway, also looked to distance himself from some decisions made by Mr Thomas Modly, the acting Navy secretary until the previous month.
Over the objections of top military advisers, Mr Modly fired Captain Brett Crozier, who pleaded for help fighting the coronavirus on the Theodore Roosevelt. Mr Modly afterwards resigned after he criticised the crew on an ill-fated trip to the Roosevelt in Guam for its support of the deposed captain.
Asked by Senator Tim Kaine, if he saw himself intervening in far-flung personnel decisions, Mr Braithwaite said, "No, I don't."
"Good order and discipline starts with the chain of command," Mr Braithwaite said. "If I'm confirmed, I'll ensure that is understood, from the secretary's office all the way to the smallest vessel in United States Navy."
Mr Braithwaite, who spent 27 years on active duty and in the Navy Reserve as an aviator and public affairs officer, also told senators that he supported a decision the previous week by the current acting secretary of the Navy, Mr James McPherson, to order a wider investigation into the events aboard the Roosevelt.
That new inquiry shelved for now a recommendation by the Navy's top admiral Michael Gilday to restore Capt Crozier to command of the Roosevelt.
Mr McPherson's decision was interpreted by some Defence Department officials as reflecting concern among both civilian and military leaders at the Pentagon over getting on the wrong side of Mr Trump.
Capt Crozier was fired in part because of fears that Mr Trump wanted him gone, and not knowing how the president feels about reinstating the captain has cast a shadow over the actions since.
However, Mr Braithwaite indicated he had no opposition to conducting the wider inquiry, which is expected to be completed by the end of the month by Admiral Robert Burke, the vice-chief of naval operations.
Mr Braithwaite said he was relying on lessons he learned preparing for and flying anti-submarine missions in the Pacific and Indian oceans.
"Whenever you're confronted with a challenge like this, it's best to pause, consider all the facts and then make the right decision," Mr Braithwaite said under questioning from Senator Richard Blumenthal.
Mr Braithwaite's meeting with senators in a near-empty hearing room on Capitol Hill under Covid-19 restrictions came as the issues surrounding the Roosevelt, the Navy's handling of the matter and the fate of the warship all remain under intense public scrutiny.
As sailors and other crew members who were quarantined on Guam return to the ship and begin preparations to return to sea, tensions have flared again between the ship's medical personnel and Navy leadership over whether the Roosevelt is ready to go back to work in the Pacific Ocean.
Meantime, Capt Crozier, who had tested positive for the coronavirus, completed his recovery and subsequent quarantine on Guam. He reported Monday to the Pacific Fleet's Air Forces headquarters in San Diego and is expected to remain there at least for the duration of the new investigation.
Over and over, Mr Braithwaite repeated Thursday that his priority would be to rebuild trust up and down the chain of command and hold those responsible accountable for any wrongdoings or misdeeds.
Mr Braithwaite reaffirmed this under questioning from Senator Tammy Duckworth, who asked about the extraordinary war crimes case involving a member of the Navy Seals, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher.
Late the previous year, the service was rocked by Mr Trump when he fired Mr Richard Spencer, the last permanent Navy secretary, after Mr Spencer publicly disagreed with the president's intervention on behalf of Mr Gallagher.
Mr Braithwaite said the Navy had gone through rough patches in the past and prevailed, and could do so again. "The department is resilient," he said.