Flat D!&%

| October 11, 2013

Okay, the story from Fox doesn’t go into great detail so I’d love to hear from you nuke types. Looks like the Air Force went right to the top, I wish other services would consistently do the same.

The Air Force is firing the two-star general in charge of all of its nuclear missiles in response to an investigation into alleged personal misbehavior, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

Of course, I may have to amend that….he wasn’t relieved because of the nuclear inspection results but because of “Personal behavior”…..Ooops!

carey_william2

Category: Air Force, Breaking News, Military issues

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PintoNag

The article says that he didn’t get fired for losing a nuclear weapon.

That’s encouraging. Very.

509th Bob

@1 or gambling, or sex. He probably said something critical of Dictator Obombo.

Hayabusa

Generals Gone Wild.

Personal integrity: How does it work?

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Personal misbehavior that didn’t involve sex, or gambling or losing a nuke….what’s left? Did he wear a flag diaper or something?

David

1) Well, all the senior generals are political appointees… so after a few years they start to reflect the policies and views of the administration who placed ’em.
2) Why the spate of recent dismissals and criminal investigations? See #1 above.

LebbenB

Probably something to do with all the shenanigans that went on at those nuke bases earlier in the year. Wasn’t there some sort of IG investigation last spring?

ohio

0bama sure has “fired” quite a number of generals in the past two years. Makes one wonder. But they should be grateful, Stalin had them shot,

Hondo

The article goes on to say that “Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, made the decision based on details from an inspector general probe into Carey’s behavior on a ‘temporary duty assignment,’ according to the Air Force.”

I take that to mean that something fishy was substantiated to have occurred that was related to or which occurred during one of Carey’s TDY trips. What that was, I don’t have a clue.

NHSparky

TDY trip. That’s code for banging something/someone he shouldn’t have, or getting shit-faced and silly when he shouldn’t have.

BK

How long until Veterans Today picks up that the interim commander replacing him is a member of the tribe?

LostOnThemInterwebs

Maybe he had some personal behavior with a nuke? “oohhhh babe … ohhhh babe nuke me NUKE MEEEE” 😛

Ex-PH2

Well, ADM Gauoette was fired for his miscreance while driving a warship, and it was the obnoxious sort of behavior you’d expect from a drunken frat boy, but not from a senior Navy officer.

My guess is that this USAF general got caught with his pants down more than once, and in more than one way.

Hondo

Not necessarily, NHSparky. Could theoretically have been any number of other things. I don’t know what happened, so I won’t speculate.

Whatever it was, after reviewing the IG investigation report the guy’s boss apparently felt the incident was (1) substantiated, and (2) serious enough to warrant firing him.

Helluva way to end a career. Hope whatever it was was worth it.

PintoNag

Jeeeeezzz. Brain bleach on aisle 12!

Green Thumb

Maybe they could promote Mundy to the job.

NavCWORet

If the Navy can fire a three-star for allegedly using counterfeit poker chips at a casino, anything can happen.

NavyChief

Navy just fired its head nuke guy at STRATCOM for personal behavior, as well. Coincidence? Hmmmm.

Devtun

Actually, it was STRATCOM chief Gen Robert Kehler who relieved the VADM, and w/ approval of SECDEF Hagel, he was returned to the Navy w/ loss of a star.

teddy996

Well, in the nuclear power field, an unrelated fuckup like drunk in public or a sexual harassment charge will put the kibosh on an officer’s career really fast. It relates to that nebulous trait of integrity. If you’re doing that kind of shit away from work, what might you be doing while at work? Brass won’t take the chance to find out. Easier to shitcan a potential problem now than to explain away a nuclear accident later.

I imagine the nuclear weapons field works out of the same playbook.

NavCWORet

@19 – quite true. Nonetheless, he’s been removed, relieved of his star due to his position and will probably retire quietly without charges. The locals already said they won’t prosecute.

Grimmy

Lets not forget who’s got the powah! to pick replacements at this time.

The same DoD that took it upon its own self, by its own iniative, to refuse death benefits to recently killed families of service persons… benefits that were *already* covered by the act that also covered military pay… because, you know, shutdown!!!’s gotta hurt yeh.

Same DoD that kanked service academy sports games because… shutdown!!!’s gotta hurt yeh!! even though the games had nothing to do with federal funding.

Personally, I’m not so sure I’d rather have a new appointee at this time in lieu of someone who’d already screwed the pooch and was probably embarrassed enough to make damned sure it didn’t happen again.

MCPO NYC USN (Ret.)

I am betting the # one reason.

Alchohol related.

Club Manager

I read a news release that the personal misconduct was getting caught using conferfit chips while gambling in an Iowa casino. No shit, I could not make stuff like this up. The bad judgement was gambling in an Iowa casino where your chance of winning is slim to little as opposed to another casino where your chances of winning is slim to little.

Hondo

Club manager: I’m pretty sure what you read was about a different guy in the nuke field wearing stars, amigo.

The incident you’re referencing was VADM Giardina, formerly the Vice-Commander of US STRATCOM. He got relieved a couple of days ago, with stated reason for his relief the one you give above.

http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=37911

This is a different individual and (presumably) a different situation.

2549

Wasn’t it just a year or two ago that the STRATCOM community had been under scrutiny for being generally regarded as fuckups up and down the chain. I didn’t think it was any one smoking gun, but a failed inspection on one crew, debauchery with another, general conduct unbecoming with a few JO’s. I thought the biggest complaint had been a generally poor culture and lack of professionalism.

Green Thumb

@23.

Aren’t they all?

TheGateKeeper

LOL Fired from Nuke base? Probably fired for having too many drinks and was knocked off PRP.

streetsweeper

A PRP violation will do it every time, don’t matter if its a civilian or mil grade. Somebody must have smelt alcohol on his breath on duty.

Hack.Stone

What’s PRP?

Hondo

Hack.Stone: PRP stands for “Personnel Reliability Program”. It’s a special scrutiny program for personnel involved with control/handling of nukes.

AF Times has a little more info, but not much. The AF Times article indicates that the AF spokesman ruled out the incident being due to gambling, sex, or drugs. However, it goes on to say that the AF spokesman who announced this “would not, however, rule out alcohol as a factor in the misconduct.”

http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131011/CAREERS03/310110016/2-star-charge-ICBMs-fired

Too early to tell for sure, but it looks like MCPO might well be right in comment 23 above.

Devtun

Maj Gen Carey also has slightly less than 2 yrs time in grade…

Hondo

Devtun: I didn’t know that.

That could be a problem for him if he’s “invited” to retire (or elects to do so). The misconduct for which he was relieved apparently occurred sometime over the summer. That means SECAF may well determine he doesn’t have the minimum requisite 2 years “successful service” to retire as a MG.

It also looks like MCPO was indeed correct. Per the Washington Times, the incident does indeed appear to be linked to alcohol use.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/11/air-force-general-charge-icbms-be-fired/

MCPO NYC USN (Ret.)

Alcohol related incidents are indeed often not commented on by service in the intitial PAO release because most senior offenders are at least smart enough to say “yes I have a problem with drinking”. Then it becomes a medical issue and Navy CAN NOT discuss the root cause but they can discuss the outcome. HIPA prevents anyone from releasing medical related info with expressed written permission.

MCPO NYC USN (Ret.)

I was subject to PRP. Anyone who worked with nuke weapons had to. I fell into the nuke world at the young age of 18. I was full of piss and vinegar, the OSL for Repair 5, the OSL up forward was busted for weed, and I was asked to train as OSL for A and I.

I know … what the fu@k is he talking about?

Back int he day. If your ship had the capability you carried nuke weapons. In my case, and I am not officially confirming and or denying the presents of any nuke weapons onboard any ship and or station I have ever served on, I may have on occassion been responsible for preparing for and responding to emergencies related to nuke weapons.

The PRP was used to make sure only stable and reliable persons delt with these “special weapons”.

Yes back in the day, according to open source media (not me), most small combatants and larger, submarines, delevery aircraft and more units operated routinely with nuke weapons.

NHSparky can help be out here but as I remember on the FF’s, the ASROC (rocket thrown nuke torpedo) interior cells, tube launched, and or LAMPS deployed torpedos with special weapon attached was a death nail for us. The MK 46 and 48 effective range and destructive radius was enough to almost ensure damage to the launching platform.

But what the fu@k do I know?

Carry on!

MCPO NYC USN (Ret.)

Oh and for you Army artillerarery types. You had them too. But did not know about it! Seemingly Army guys routinely failed the PRP process when filling out the block: NAME.

Hondo

MCPO: shoot, at least the Army guys could recognize the NAME block. I heard that someone usually had to point out to you folks in the Navy which block that was. (smile)

Yeah, you’re correct. In the Army, Pershing, Lance, and 8″ howitzer units routinely had PRP folks (until the Pershing and Lance were phased out, of course). Can’t remember if 155 units still routinely had that capability or not. Ditto Arty Bn/Bde/higher command staffs associated with or commanding said units as well as selected support personnel.

MCPO NYC USN (Ret.)

Rog that. I believe we have the artillery capability, however it maybe on the shelf right now.

I know of a former USMC career officer (I work with him) who had the coolest nuke weapons job in history.

Man portable delivery system. Developed by Navy and field tested by UDT, the USMC picked up the ground insertion mission in the 80’s. Very cool You Tube videos on the program. Search portable nukes.

Disclaimer and Note to NSA – I am a good guy just talking history and shop. Move to your next suspicious interweb hit. Carry on.

MrGameandShow

#35 Yeah PRP is a pain the ass to be honest. I was on it for 3 years in Europe in one of the most oddest places. Each week we had weird memos sent out saying not to drink or eat certain things. Prime Example in 2006, Red Bull was banned from drinking if you are on PRP, if you had it and admitted to drinking it. They would pull you from PRP for about 2 weeks and bring you back on after our EMTs (nearest base to use was Spangdahlem. No medical folks on the base but EMTs).

One day in 2006 we got a memo saying don’t go into Cafes in Amsterdam or Maastricht because they have candy coated LSD lollipops and marijuana tea.

The Drug testing was ridiculous too, they would test our unit (wasnt many on the base) every 3 months, often the same people. We had 2 guys get popped while on PRP for multiple drugs, got kicked out with no questions asked.

Also went to Belgium to do a unit drug test (Me and someone else were drug monitors) and busted 4 folks for drugs there I believe.

The questions they ask people on PRP questionnaires are borderline comical though. Use to know guys who were afraid of PRP, they would write some overtop things on it.