DIA chief forced out
LTG Michael T. Flynn was fired from his post at the Defense Intelligence Agency yesterday, well, he was allowed to resign. But folks who used to work for him tell me that “he was a goddamn nightmare!”.
He tore down everything that was good about the organization, sent away those who disagreed with him, tried to dismantle DIA, without understanding the function of defense intelligence, and how different it is from CIA and its mission, and was generally knowledge deficient.
The Washington Post says;
The move comes at a time when the DIA is in the midst of a series of major changes, including an effort by senior Pentagon officials to expand the agency’s network of spies overseas and work more closely with the CIA. Flynn, who served as a top intelligence adviser to Gen. Stanley McChrystal in Iraq and Afghanistan, arrived in July 2012 with an ambitious agenda to accelerate the agency’s transformation. But critics said his management style also sowed chaos, setting aggressive plans for changes without adequate follow-through.
The Business Insider writes;
Flynn’s critics also maintained that his management style was chaotic and that his aggressive push for changes often did not include an adequate follow-through.
During his tenure, Flynn routinely pushed for greater intelligence sharing. He has also been a leading figure in coalition and special operations intelligence activities.
Either way, his replacement is expected to be LTG Mary A. Legere;
Category: Big Army
According to Stripes, deputy Shedd resigned as well.
Of note is that Flynn’s deputy – David Shedd, a very senior civilian who’d been DIA’s deputy since 2010 – is also going. The article also goes on to say that Flynn had “repeatedly clashed” with the USD/I, and that Flynn’s reorg plans for DIA had encountered “substantial opposition” within Congress as well as within DIA. My guess is that many felt he was trying to duplicate existing CIA missions within his agency.
This could well be nothing more than a guy getting out of step with his boss’s – and Congress’ – desires and being told to take a hike. Shedd’s departure may or may not be linked to Flynn’s. My guess is that it is, but at that level someone very often has 30+ years service and is retirement eligible.
My second guess is we’ll never know the full story, either.
Addendum: just checked Shedd’s bio, and it looks like he hits 30 years this year. Based on that, I’m now guessing he just decided he didn’t want the hassle of going through the changes associated with yet another high-level shakeup and decided to “punch out” voluntarily at 30 years service. I could easily be wrong, though.
Here’s the relevant article from ‘Stripes’.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/top-2-pentagon-intelligence-officials-abruptly-quit-1.280823
So my question is, was he an arrogant, overbearing ass whose position went to his head, or was there something else?
He did bring chaos to the agency but the real problem was the resistance from long term DIA civilians to include Shedd. DIA is more a civilian agency than military now. The agency needed to change and he was undercut at every turn from within and from the pentagon.
Doubtless that was a part of the issue, MT FAO. However, reading between the lines it looks like he was also p!ssing off the USD/I on a regular basis, as well as taking DIA in a direction that bothered at least some members of Congress.
That’s indicative of a bit more than just problems with “some old timers who don’t want to change”.
Hondo, I agree on the congress part. He didn’t do a good sales job with them. But the undercutting was at the SES level. I had an inside view of the reorg and political games before I left. His vision for reorg undercut a lot of personal empires and the ones he pissed off worked the system to fight the changes.
That’s the first thing I thought of, witout any knowledge of the man whatsover, that he kicked ass and took names and that upset the bureaucratic applecart. I certainly don’t know but that sort of thing has happened many times before. ‘Go along to get along’ is not a warrior slogan.
As for Madam Anorexic, if that is the selected pic, I’d hate to see the ones that were rejected. Woof.
2/17AirCav, would you care to take back ‘woof’ or do you want me to call you a male chauvinist pig?
I think, as Andy said below, that she’s a pointblank argument against the notion that females have to have a Ranger tab to progress in career and rank.
But I am a male chauvinist pig, Ex-PH2. When I see a woman in uniform, I tend to see, um, a woman. And due to my being unashamedly and irrevocably heterosexual, that includes giving her the once over, usually discreetly. In her case, the once was once too much.
Oh, well, AirCav, at least you’re honest about it.
As many male chauvinist pigs as I ran into in the Navy, back in the Olden Times, you’re pretty mild by comparison.
My personal opinion about LTG Legere is that she got the job because she was willing to play the game, and not much else other than her pay grade – next in line, so to speak. And since I know little about her, personally, that’s the best I can do, and I’m not sniping at her.
LTG Mary Legere is Military Intelligence (MI) Qualified. LTG Legere is a proven leader who breathes and lives to ensure that intelligence professional provides the upmost timely and accurate intelligence required to successful support operations. As a Leader, she has always remained out front in illustrating the Army Values: Honor, Integrity, Courage, Loyalty, Respect, Selfless-Service, and Duty. Her service and caliber thus far to this Nation should never be questioned.
Just told she will not be with DIA..thank God. She is nothing more than dead weight. She is useless was in love with DGCS-A and it was her down fall the software didn’t work and she pushed for it…people died because of her.
Sounds like you are quoting a bio. I would argue that going against a system those in the field praise in an effort to boost that which you support, though a failure in the field, especially in a time of war, does not meet your criteria you spelled out.
Do we have any LTGs out there better looking than, LTG Mary A. Legere? Just asking. 😀 I thought she was a dude with hair outta regs.
Dude! Stop it. Give her a break, willya?
Ex-PH2 You’re right. I was outta line on that poor attempt at humor. She is probably a great officer and deserves every chance to prove herself. Thanks for the call down. Sometimes…I need it.
hey, I think she looks like a good counter to the “females need a Ranger tab for career progression” argument, she has 2 stars and it looks like she doesn’t even have her jump wings.
Andy: 3-stars, not 2.
Her official bio that Jonn linked (and from which he got the photo) is out of date. She’s currently serving as DCS/I (Army G2) on the ARSTAFF as a LTG – and has been for over 2 years.
I have no idea why her official bio hasn’t been updated.
Meh. I’d hit it.
Ranger Tab goes over Jumpmaster.
Idiot.
Bye.
GT – I’ll defer to someone with more recent knowledge, but I think the pocket flap is the prescribed location for all tabs with the ASU now that they’re no longer worn on the shoulder.
You are correct. On the ASU tabs go on the pocket flap.
Some career civilian intelligence types probably didn’t appreciate being told that they need to work for a living.
Serving under a totally politicized administration is fraught with peril when decisions are made for political reasons, not reasons related to national defense.
I think what we are seeing is a purge of officers with ‘wrong’ thoughts on defense.
This reminds me irrevocably of Dilbert cartoons.
Absolutely no way I’m believing this guy was forced out due to incompetence. Not in Obummer’s military.
Agreed completely. They seem to value Military incompetence – and loyalty to his majesty over competence.
It is truly fascinating to see the comments automatically supporting the general, and automatically assuming that DIA civilians are somehow lazy, resistant to change and loath to accept progress. Truly illuminating peek into some people’s mentality.
“Defense Intelligence Agency, the main spy organization for the U.S. military”.
Maybe us military types don’t like having civilians in our business. Look at what they’ve done to the VA. Because of their precious little union, deadweight couldn’t be jettisoned and the organization fixed early on. Doesn’t matter that a General ran the VA, with union rules tying everyone’s hands, he was even more useless than usual.
So yep, we’ll defend our own first….However if you read the above posts, I think you’ll see that in this case we did just the opposite. Pay attention girl.
Out.
I always thought the tab superseded jump wings.
Not calling this guy out but regs are regs.
GT: newest version of DA Pam 670-1 mandates wear of all 4 perm tabs (Ranger, SF, Sapper, President’s Hundred) on ASU pocket flap. It appears to allow other badges to be worn above the ribbons or on the pocket flap at the wearer’s discretion.
Both jump wings and the 4 tabs are group 4 badges, so they’re technically in the same badge class. And, frankly, IMO wearing the jump wings below the ribbons if they’d physically fit above them would look like crap.
I’ve served with both Mike Flynn and Mary Legere early in their careers. I was Mike’s Bn CSM at Ft Bragg when he was a Bn Cdr and Mary’s Bn CSM when she was an S-3 in Korea. I later ran into both of them as an Army civilian when they were Generals, him at DIA and her at INSCOM.
They are both cut from the same cloth, but Mike is much more “high energy” and an innovator. Mary is more of a “maintainer.” Although Mike is much more “personable” I liked both of them as people. Neither one of them were egotistical, but they did know what they wanted and what they wanted done.
Bottom line, if you were an ossified, rice bowl protecting bureaucrat, you would have problems with both of them. I think I passed muster with both of them and I’m nothing special. At least I hope I did. Time will tell.