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4-Star U.S. General Demoted over 5-Star Hotel Spending
[An Nahar] A four-star general who headed U.S. Africa Command has been demoted amid charges he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on pricey travel, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.Are we seeing a pattern of crap-splattered generals? Or should we wait for Number Three? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ...current SecDef, previously Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Panetta served as President Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993.... demoted General William "Kip" Ward, who was asked to reimburse $82,000 for having inappropriately used Pentagon travel funds, a senior defense official said. The four-star general "will retire at the rank of lieutenant general," a three-star post, a second senior defense official said. The travel mishaps included bringing Ward's wife on extended business trips, according to a Defense Department Inspector General's report released in June. One in Bermuda involved a suite for $747 a night at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. And his wife also allegedly made unauthorized use of armored vehicles. Ward, the first AFRICOM commander from 2007-2011 based in Stuttgart, has denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not! He currently serves as a special assistant to the U.S. Army's vice chief of staff. The inspector general's report found that Ward took an 11-day trip to Washington and Atlanta with his military entourage that cost $129,000 and of which only three days were for official business. The primary purpose of the trip was personal. Ward's wife traveled with the general on military aircraft during 52 of 79 trips reviewed by Sherlocks, according to the report, which also said that Ward extended his trips seven times for personal reasons in which he was reimbursed for travel expenses. Posted by: Fred 2012-11-14 |
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