Dempsey opposes Ward’s demotion
The Associated Press reports that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey thinks that Gen. William Ward, the former head of U.S. Africa Command, should be allowed to retire at his four-star rank, despite the serious misuse of funds at General Ward’s disposal in that position;
A Defense Department inspector general’s report released in mid-August concluded that Ward “engaged in multiple forms of misconduct related to official and unofficial travel.” It said Ward “conducted official travel for primarily personal reasons,” misused military aircraft and received reimbursement for travel expenses that far exceeded the approved daily military rate without authorization.
Panetta is hearing from all sides as he weighs his options in the case, and he has not made a final decision, officials said.
Other officials have argued that the allegations made against Ward in in the IG report were very serious and that senior officers need to be held accountable. Officials have suggested that similar misconduct by a lower ranking officer or enlisted military member would garner severe punishment or dismissal.
I’ll say here that I still consider William Ward my friend because of the impact he had on my career over the years. He was my battalion executive officer back in the Cottonbalers and our paths crossed again at Fort Drum when he was a brigade commander. Aside from being a fine infantry officer, one of the finest I’ve ever known, he was a friend to soldiers of all ranks.
However, as in every thing else I’ve seen, Dempsey is wrong on this. If he thinks those soldiers who burned Korans and the Marines who urinated on corpses deserve to be reduced in rank, then if General Ward is guilty, he should face the same punishment as those other folks under General Dempsey. Since Ward will be retiring, it will have little impact on him, but it will send a message that folks who do bad things will be punished. Not reducing Ward’s rank will send a message to the ranks that some animals are more equal than others, to borrow from Orwell.
Category: Big Army
I have to agree.
In fact, the misconduct on his part I believe is greater than that of the Koran burners and the Marines who urinated on their dead enemies due to his greater rank and responsibilities. IMO, he should be reduced several grades by Court Martial due to the amount of money involved and his position at the time of the offense.
Let us never forget. RHIP.
We may not like it but it’s the way things have always been done and I don’t see it changing any time soon.
If he is reduced in rank, it will have a major impact on GEN Ward. GEN Ward is on the old “last paycheck” retirement system. If he is reduced to LTG, that would be a reduction of 2-3k a month of base pay, which would then have to be factored into his retired pay. That’s tens of thousands, potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime.
It helps to keep in mind that whatever kind of soldier Gen Ward may have been at one point in his career, by the time you get to where he is on the food chain you’re primarily a politician. This looks to me like just another case of one politician covering for another politician. And it could be that Gen Dempsey just doesn’t see any reason to punish a military politician for something that’s just business as usual for a civilian politician. The ultimate irony is that Leon “fly me home to California on the taxpayers dime every effing weekend” Panetta gets to sit in judgement.
RHIP …. that is exactly what we have here.
Sad but true!
I agree, Jonn. However fine a soldier Ward may have been, repeated abuse of authority and/or public funds is a serious offense. In my book, he’s lucky as hell to have avoided a courts-martial and dismissal. An administrative reduction and retirement at a lower rank – with resulting reduction in retired pay – is frankly better than he IMO deserves given the seriousness of the offense. But it’s probably the best outcome that can be expected.
Senior officers, and in particular senior GOs, are granted much authority and privilege; the flip side is that they’re expected to conduct themselves honorably and in a manner that avoids even the appearance of wrongdoing. They should be held to the highest standards, and held accountable if they fail. Too often they’re not.
Hopefully SECARMY has the guts to tell the CJCS he’s wrong, and to do the right thing here by retiring Ward at a lower rank. Can’t say I’m holding my breath, though.
Would you be having the same discussion if this was in cash terms? Simply, by his actions he stole funding which could have been put to better use elsewhere, from the description many thousands. Ask yourself: If he had walked into a bank and stolen as much at gunpoint, would you advocate as little or as much punishment as you have above? Does a more or less exemplary career allow that much latitude?
In the civilian sector you can drown a young woman while driving drunk off a bridge then leave the scene leaving her to die and you will walk away if you’re a rich kid…..or be a famous, rich athlete whose ex is found dead with her blood all over your vehicle and walk away as well…
But, if you’re a poor kid and you hit a dog off his leash (and the dog lives) you will find yourself in considerable trouble if you leave the scene….
Justice is not blind, it sees the difference between those with money and privilege and those without any of that quite clearly. You only need spend a day in any court system in the country and see the operation of the justice industry in action to understand it has almost nothing to do with “justice” and far more to do with the transfer of money in predicting outcome. Rich defendants go to jail with far less frequency than poor defendants, study after study proves the truth of that.
This case is just another example of a powerful guy with money doing absolutely the wrong things and having an opportunity to avoid being disgraced because of his status and those of his powerful friends. It points out that the UCMJ is not so very different from the DOJ in that the system favors and protects the privileged class far differently than it does the rest of us.
That’s why Americans love underdogs, they know the system itself is not designed to allow the underdog to beat it. Thus in those rare moments when the underdog does win, it touches the belief we all share that maybe we can succeed in spite of that system on occasion.
No argument; we have the best justice systema dn piliticians that money can buy.
The guys who burned the Korans were punished for taking out the trash. Urinating on a corpse is not a crime.
Stealing from taxpayers is a crime and should be treated as such and the higher you are up in the food chain the harsher your punishment should be.
With great privilege comes great responsibility.
Different spanks for different ranks.
Are you fucking shitting me?
A Marine Lance Corporal who absconds with any kind of military money or material stick for his own purposes would be facing reduction in rank, confinement to barracks or CC. And that’s if he gets Art 15.
This guy absconds with how much money? And they are effectively proposing to give him more? That shit isn’t right.
Whatever happened to lead by example, and holding those of higher rank to higher standards?
WPPA and the GO’s closing ranks. I do not know or remember two seperate UCMJs. Does anyone?
If this is true, it just further demonstrates Martin Dempsey does not have the judgement and ability needed to hold his current job. His decision making and conduct grow more outrageous almost every week.
Well put, Mr. Lilyea. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Technically, the only people who work for GEN Dempsey are the service chiefs and their staffs.
Goldwater-Nichols set into place safeguards by which each GCC reports directly to the SECDEF.
This is why I find it interesting when there are walls in most headquarters that show the chain of command, but include individuals (CSA, CJCS) who are technically not in the chain of command at all.
For example, someone serving in Afghanistan’s chain of command is: Company Commander -> BN Commander -> BDE Commander -> Division Commander -> ISAF Commander -> CENTCOM Commander -> SECDEF – > POTUS.
Notice anyone missing? That was intentionally done to keep the service chiefs and the CJCS focused on their mission in Washington and to allow SECDEF direct control over the component commands.
@16 Dave
The service chiefs are not accountable to the CJCS – they fall under the authority of their respective service Secretary (SECARMY,SECNAV,SECAF).
Got a sneaking suspicion that high level deal cutting going on where MG Ward keeps 4 stars, and agrees to reprimand and pay significant fine – way beyond what COL Johnson shelled out. Big problem is he reverted to MG and has been a 2 star for over a year – the Senate could push back if SECDEF decides to give Kip 4 star certification.
Maybe I’m just an old school soul in a younger officers body, but he needs to get the book thrown at him. He’s an OFFICER. He’s supposed to be a leader, mentor and a role model. What does it tell Joe if the officers are getting away with this kind of major shit but a PFC who looses a gas mask on a night field problem gets his ass handed to him?
I say reduce him as far as the UCMJ allows, and his retirement be damned. He made his choices. I would expect no less for anyone, myself included. If you screw up, stand up to it and take it like a man. It’s the least he could do to redeem himself.
It’s not like he’ll exactly be starving on the street if he gets knocked down to O-5 or O-6 before retirement.
The Stars and Stripes link doesn’t seem to work, but I found the story here:
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/10/ap-dempsey-ward-should-retire-four-star-general-100412/
Nik: unfortunately, that’s probably not in the cards. Assuming he avoids a courts-martial (a lock IMO given that no charges have been preferred and some heavy hitters are going to bat for him), he’ll retire.
An soldier is retired at the highest grade at which he/she is deemed to have “served successfully”. That generally means “without clear evidence or admission of misconduct”. I’m guessing that the IG report could be deemed to disqualify his service as O10 (GEN), and there could possibly be evidence of misconduct as O9 (LTG). But I doubt they’ve got evidence of misconduct any farther back.
Bottom line: barring a courts-martial, he’ll retire as a GO. And unless the SECARMY mans-up, he very well could retire with all 4 stars.
Yah, I know. But wishful thinking and all.
Lady Justice isn’t blind. She’s checking epaulettes and collars before sticking her thumb on the scale one way or another.
Agreed. UCMJ is UCMJ. Shouldnt take that much consideration if the report came to that conclusion there is one clear punishment.
The Soldiers are watching.
I am fast losing respect for my leadership. 3 times this year we have seen Col and GO’s get away with criminal conduct. How do I uphold a standard that mybosses won’t? A private can point at this guy and say what’s the difference with me lying about my DITY move or perdiem? He did it.
Way to lead by example General.
If he looked at the case without name and rank would he come to the same conclusion? If the case was forwarded to him with PVT John Doe written in would he say the same thing?
let them eat cake.
I can understand why Dempsey has a problem with Ward taking a hit. If this accountability stuff ever gets started with regard to the upper ranks, it may become rather hard to contain.
Nothing but a collection of douchenozzles at that level or they’d actually be protecting and defending OUR Constitution as they’ve sworn to do rather than allowing a slimeball to do all possible to destroy our country..
I can understand why Dempsey has a problem with Ward taking a hit. If this accountability stuff ever gets started with regard to the upper ranks, it may become rather hard to contain.
Nothing but a collection of douchenozzles at that level or they’d actually be protecting and defending OUR Constitution as they’ve sworn to do rather than allowing a slimeball to do all possible to destroy our country.
SFC Holland nailed it. The Soldiers are watching. The problem is that the brass doesn’t care. COL Johnson gets a slap on the wrist. Now Gen Ward might get off easy.
The problem is that nobody cares if we’re watching because high ranking officers are only held accountable to other high ranking officers and politicians. Maybe if leaders were held accountable by the Soldiers whose trust they betrayed, things would change.
I worked within spitting distance of Gen Dempsey for almost 2 years and there was no other General I respected more. That’s changed .
Has there been an increase in senior officer misconduct in the last few years, or are we just more aware of it now? I feel like while some of us are out doing what’s needed for a country at war, some others of us aren’t….How shall I say this delicately…Carrying their share of the load?