The U.S. military’s top official said Monday that the debate about removing the Navy SEAL Trident pin from a disgraced officer convicted of taking a trophy photo with a corpse in Iraq is now “case closed” following a saga that saw Defense Secretary Mark Esper fire the Navy’s most senior civilian and set the force on a collision course with President Trump. Esper fired Navy Secretary Richard Spencer on Sunday over his handling of the case of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher. “I think at this point the secretary of defense has made decisions... the case is now, in my view, it is closed,” Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Monday in Bahrain. Trump publicly opposed Navy officials’ plan to take away Gallagher’s Trident pin—which would have removed his SEAL status—and previously intervened in the case to restore his rank following his demotion over the conviction. Esper asked for Spencer’s resignation after learning that Spencer privately told White House officials he’d ensure that Gallagher was able to retire as a Navy SEAL.
