More on the Former 20th AF Commander
New information has been publicly released concerning the incident leading to the relief of Maj. Gen. Michael Carey, former Commander of the 20th Air Force. It turns out the rumor he was relieved due to misconduct on a “business trip” involving alcohol were 100% true.
Seems he was rather drunk and disorderly in public. But the circumstances are, shall we say, a bit different than one might expect. And that’s only part of the story.
The misconduct occurred while Carey was traveling on official business in Russia. And it also looks like he came pretty close to causing a diplomatic incident, and may have engaged in practices dangerous to security.
While attending a nuclear security training exercise in Russia as head of a U.S. government delegation, Maj. Gen. Carey apparently was rather drunk and loud in the lobby of a hotel. And he also reputedly offered a toast at an official function that included remarks about the traitor Snowden – after Snowden had arrived in Russia, but before he had been offered asylum. The toast was reportedly “not well received” by his Russian hosts. Imagine that.
Indeed, Carey was reportedly “frequently rude to both his fellow delegates and to his Russian hosts” during the trip. He also reportedly spent some time during the trip socializing “with Russian or non-American women” who he later acknowledged were “suspect”.
When questioned about the trip afterwards by IG investigators, Carey also apparently had very poor memory. It appears he was rude to the IG investigators, too.
Drunk, disorderly, rude to host nation officials, and chasing tail publicly while overseas. Yeah, that’s exactly what one expects from a Major General TDY to a foreign nation conducting official business of a sensitive nature.
IMO, looks like the USAF made the right call to relieve the guy.
Category: Air Force, Dumbass Bullshit
If that IS what happened, it cannot have been the first such incident in this man’s career. How did he ever make full colonel, much less general?
At least this motherf*cker knows how to party!
Rude to the Russians… getting liquored up? Dancing with a spy? Yep fire him.
You’ve got to be kidding.
Patton would not make major in today’s military.
i didnt know officers knew how to party
Halsey would not have made it in today’s military.
Beretverde: I’ve been saying much the same for about 25 years. Yeah, times have indeed changed – and not always for the better.
Now, about this guy: like it or not, the chief of a US military delegation to an international conference pr exercise is often acting as much as a diplomat as a military officer. And any GO/FO who’s serving in the nuke community should damn well have enough sense not to put himself/herself in a compromising position, piss off the host nation gratuitously, or create a diplomatic incident.
I don’t personally have any problem with the guy’s drinking or flirting (and if he did more than flirt, for all I care that’s between him, his spouse, and the Deity). But making the US look bad overseas or engaging in practices dangerous to security are a bit much.
Hondo- I agree- times have indeed changed. I firmly believe in the “The higher up you go, the higher the standards.” I did read that a “female staff member” made the complaint. I also read the guy’s bio- pretty stellar career, but again, that is only on paper.
My old roommate (Harrier/F-18 pilot) is still bitter about Tailhook… and he called me about this.
I have mixed feelings on this one.
Is this what is meant by “conduct unbecoming”?
Beretverde: don’t get me started on Tailhook. That was PC and an agenda run amok. Males got hammered, while females engaged in similar conduct got a free pass due to their gender and the need to support the desired story and outcome. CDR Robert Stumpf got royally screwed over.
That said, this isn’t exactly comparable. In this case, you had a very senior government official purportedly acting like a frat boy while on official business overseas. If this document is to be believed, he seems to have been pretty out of control. (Disclaimer: I have only glanced through it and cannot guarantee its authenticity. But if it is truly a “text dump” from the redacted IG investigation, what I’ve seen is pretty damning.)
http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/963093/afd-131219-045.txt
WOW…this is BOHICA day for the USAF here on TAH.
Not that it’s not deserved.
/jes saying is all.
If you’ve got a Top Secret security clearance, and would like to keep it, Russia’s not really the place to get tanked and show your ass.
My understanding of drinking and whoring was that it was overlooked if it was discreet. But that was the 1960s, not today, and if this general wasn’t discreet, then he does make the US look bad.
On the other hand, those Secret Service guys down in South America last summer who were doing the same thing were merely chastised for it.
Is this a double standard? Looks like it to me.
I thought getting drunk was considered Just Another Day in Russia. Maybe he was trying to make his hosts feel at ease.
(Come on; do I really need the sarcasm tag?)
He didn’t pee on a statue did he?
@12
Those USSS guys weren’t merely chastised; several of them were fired or forced to resign.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/20/us/secret-service-review-report/
Twenty-four people have been linked to the scandal: 12 from the Secret Service and 12 from the military.
Nine of the Secret Service members resigned or were being forced out, and three others were cleared of serious misconduct.
The thing about the Russians is that although the government changed in name, not much else did. You’ll stive have a cameraman/crew following you around. You should expect that your hotel room is bugged. You should always understand that any woman coming on to you is probably employed by the government at some (or many) level(s).
As an official on government business, especially as a GO/FO, best advice is to stay at the US Embassy, drink in moderation when at official functions, and “just say NO!” to any sorts of offers that might arise.
Still, it’s a crying shame that we’ve become so degenerate that boasting ob behalf of our nation, of calling a traitor a traitor, is seen to be a chastising offense. I’d rather keep this officer and retire the politicians, but that’s just me.
Yeah, well, while there is nothing wrong with partying heartily, those who do not understand the when and where of it really should be relieved of duty.
Lack of discretion will always get your ass in a sling.
This is what Air Force folks do. Nothing new here, all the Generals are usually old perverts anyways. I remember one General from Will Rogers Air Field was picking up A1Cs at a bar in Lajes.
@#19: It’s a fair bet that I spent more time around USAF GO’s than you did in the past 40 or 50 years. Not necessarily true, of course, but a reasonable bet to make. In all that time, I have been around some serious players, some who had been serious players, and even more who were just straight up good people. More than a couple were married to friends of mine. Not a pervert among them.
Of course, after the nut McPeak, who knows. He certainly did everything he could to make the entire force into a bunch of idiots.
There but for the Grace of God go I. Well, I didn’t make any toasts and tried not to be rude to the MF’s who searched my room and bags and left their cigarette butts on the floor, but then again, a CWO is only equal to an O-6 and this guy was a MG. Oh for the good old days when someone could get drunk and laid when off duty in civies without being relieved.
Liquored up & running their mouths? GEN Eisenhower’s West Point classmate USAAF Maj Gen Henry Miller springs to mind.
Maj Gen Carey pinned on his 2nd star on 2 Nov 2011. Normally 3 yrs of satisfactory service required in grade, unless waived by SECDEF or POTUS…things don’t look so good for Mike keeping 2nd star. Military.com lists timeline of activities during TDY: http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20131219/NEWS/312190023
just more proof that the fly boys in the Air Farce are just overgrown frat boys.
@20 Not sure thats a fair assessment as I spent last 13 years in the AF right now working as a 1C3, met plenty of Generals just passing through transient bases. Spend the night for a RON, etc. Hell, met plenty of colonels passing through as DVs on Lajes or even in Netherlands. I got to see the 2 star I was talking about from Will Rogers up close and personal. He was a good guy that was a pervert when drunk. Got so drunk that he fell on his face after two A1C pretty much thought it would be cool to fuck around with a General at the bar in Praia.
Few full birds at HQ AMC at Scott who were in route to 1 Stars had penchants for going to Larry Flynt’s club in full disguises nearly.
I also should have “Most officers” in todays Air Force. Not all generals. So my apologies for that. Some of the characters in todays Air Force are same if not, more outrageous than my fathers air force nearly 30 years ago.
To me, its not even surprising at this point that the guy was fired for drunken behavior.
Forgot to mention some deviants walking around Mountain Home, Idaho or the great playground of Ramstein.
Maj Gen Mike Carey is gonna lose a star when he retires in June…
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/fired-nuke-commander-retire-lower-rank-23272981
Hmmmm. For the stunt Carney pulled, IMO maybe that’s about right. I don’t see any indication that he did anything significantly criminal (a prosecution for “conduct unbecoming” or under the general article would IMO be a REAL stretch), or that the misconduct extended back during his period of service as a 1-star.
And losing 14% of your retirement pay leaves a mark.
Being “drunk and stupid” should have appropriate consequences. Here, it seems it did.
“Being drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”
– Dean Vernon Wormer
“Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son”.