[dw1]

The captain of the TR screwed up big time (2) ways:

1. Bypassed chain of command

2. Sent information regarding the readiness of a US Navy vessel to perform its mission via an unsecured method of communication.

The captain of a ship the size of the TR has the responsibility to manage the situation and request through appropriate channels whatever support resources or guidance required to fulfill his assigned missions.

That being said, one has to also wonder how much "Navy politics" and his relationship with his boss played into this.

Full disclosure: I was an enlisted man in the USN in a prior life, many many years ago.