Navy officials address 2 racist incidents on West Coast February 9 Adm. John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, speaks with sailors assigned to the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) on Feb. 8, 2021. (Mass Communication Spc. Seaman Apprentice Mason Congleton/U.S. Navy via AP) WASHINGTON Senior U.S. Navy commanders met with sailors on ships on the West Coast Monday and Tuesday, after two recent racist incidents triggered one of the first military stand-downs to address extremism in the ranks. The meetings came after a noose was found on one ship, and hate speech was found written on a wall on another ship. But the discussions with sailors and admonishments by leadership were spurred by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recent orders for all military commanders to meet with troops in the next 60 days to talk about extremism and racism.
WASHINGTON (AP) Senior U.S. Navy commanders met with sailors on ships on the West Coast Monday and Tuesday, after two recent racist incidents triggered one