(NewsNation) — Brittany Alkonis, the wife of a U.S. Navy lieutenant sentenced to three years in a Japanese prison says she’s still asking herself, after 19 months, why the Navy is willing to let one of their own sit in jail.

“I don’t understand it, and no one seems to understand it. Anyone looking in from the outside … other branches of the government, they don’t understand the DoD’s actions. And I would love to know,” Brittany Alkonis told NewsNation’s “On Balance.”

Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis is imprisoned for a fatal car accident he and his family say was caused by a medical emergency. Now, the Department of Defense wants to stop his pay, affecting his family members who are still in Japan.

Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis’s sentence:

• 3 years in a Japanese prison
• Convicted of killing 2 pedestrians in May 2021 (negligent driving)
• The sentence was upheld last month

Brittany Alkonis also said she learned that the chief of Naval Operations recently attributed false statements to her husband while giving a speech to naval officers. She called it “wildly unprofessional, and inappropriate.”

“They’re not just not being helpful. They’re actively causing harm and they have been for 19 months now. And I don’t understand it.”