US Navy gets fourth new leader in six months

The US Senate on Thursday confirmed the Navy's fourth new leader in six months - an avid supporter of President Donald Trump who will lead the service as it grapples with morale problems amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kenneth Braithwaite, a retired rear admiral who currently serves as the US ambassador to Norway, was approved as the next Secretary of the Navy in the upper chamber in a voice vote.

During his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Braithwaite made a point of emphasizing his smooth relations with the administration. His confirmation follows the tumultuous tenures of several recent Navy leaders.

"While I recognize the challenges for all they are, I am ready," the 60-year-old former pilot said. "It saddens me to say that the Department of the Navy is in rough waters due to many factors, but primarily the failure of leadership," he said.

The Navy was recently rocked by a crippling outbreak of coronavirus on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt.