Posted on 11/13/2012 8:01:26 PM PST by haffast
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has demoted the former head of U.S. Africa Command who was accused of spending thousands of dollars on lavish travel and other unauthorized expenses, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.
Panetta stripped Gen. William "Kip" Ward of a star, which means that he will now retire as a three-star lieutenant general despite arguments from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff against the demotion. Ward also has been ordered also repay the government $82,000.
(snip)
The demotion comes as retired Army Gen. David Petraeus resigned as CIA director because of an extramarital affair and Marine Gen. John Allen is being investigated for improper communications with a woman.
According to the official, Panetta reviewed the Ward matter and concluded that the wrongdoing found by the Defense Department Inspector General, in a report released earlier this year, demanded accountability.
Retiring as a three-star will cost Ward about $30,000 a year in retirement pay - giving him close to $208,802 a year rather than the 236,650 he would get as a four-star.
Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged Panetta to allow Ward, the former head of U.S. Africa Command, to retire at his full four-star general rank, according to defense officials. Other military leaders had noted that the demotion would cost Ward a lot of money.
(Excerpt) Read more at fayobserver.com ...
Navy Replaces Admiral Leading Mideast Strike Group Because of Ongoing Investigation
Oct 27, 2012 8:27pm
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/navy-replaces-admiral-leading-mideast-strike-group-because-of-ongoing-investigation/
There is a major failure in leadership. If officer’s know that the general is violating the rules..they are more inclined to violate the rules also. Good olde Kip did a lot of stupid things trying to live large on his expense account.
I just heard from a friend in Afghanistan that it is effecting the field grade officers. A CO Col was just relieved for sleeping with a female DOD employee..he was married. Plus two officers just got relieved for sleeping together..boss and subordinate.
This is a failure of leadership..not a plot. It just means we got some leaders on all levels that are abusing the system. Maybe the top leaders are being selected for the wrong PC reasons...Petreaus thought he was safe with his affair..his superiors knew about it. I bet some of his subordinates did also..and he lost his authority over them.
So, when are we going to see the equivalent of Kristallnact and night of the long knives (killing of the brown shirts)?
0bama is not one of us, otherwise he'd not be able to get away with this. Imagine if Nixon were president while this was happening.. IT WOULD BE ALL ABOUT NIXON, NIXON, NIXON 24/7!!!
This General is an African-American. Which means he is one of the elite. A minority in a position of power.
If a normal American stole $80,000 he would be in jail. Minimum he would lose his job.
When you’re evaluating yourself, what qualities do you try to focus on?
Petraeus: On every bit of guidance I give, the last instruction is: Learn and adapt. We also work very hard on [being] **first with the truth**. That’s a powerful admonition: First of all, we’re going to **tell the truth**. We’re not going to put lipstick on pigs. We’re going to be absolutely **100% forthright** and **brutally honest** with — not just with ourselves and with our subordinates and our superiors — but **with the press**. The credibility of leaders is of enormous importance.
How do you identify which officers are going to make the best leaders?
Petraeus: “There has to be a foundational level of just sheer physical fitness. As we say sometimes, soldiering is still an outdoor sport. There is a certain degree of mental toughness. There’s obviously **integrity**. There is sheer professional expertise — technical and tactical competence. But what then starts, I think, to separate the future stars from the rest of the pack are some other qualities. And now you’re getting into judgment, **just hugely important**. Whether you think about it or not, subconsciously, **who** do you go to when you really want to **bounce** an idea off someone? That’s the person who has judgment that you value.”
http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/04/news/companies/petraeus_leadership.fortune/index.htm
....and then Adam saw Eve.....
If Michelle is demoted, does she become Second Lady, or can she be demoted straight to Third Lady for particularly egregious vacationing?
From Wikipedia:
"The Reichstag fire (German: Der Reichstagsbrand (help·info)) was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The event is seen as pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany.
"At 21:25 (UTC +1), a Berlin fire station received an alarm call that the Reichstag building, the assembly location of the German Parliament, was ablaze. The fire started in the Session Chamber,[1] and, by the time the police and firemen arrived, the main Chamber of Deputies was engulfed in flames."
I hope there is a fire station close to Capital Hill.
Appears to be another Coleen Powell-type Affirmative Action General....and with a modus operandi very similar to Mooochelle’s.
$208,000.00 a Year in RETIREMENT????? OMG!!! That is ridiculous!!
FR needs to start quarterly fund raising projects to help him fund his retirement in the style to which he has become accustomed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.