GENERAL DEMOTED FOR LAVISH TRAVEL, SPENDING

[DonViejo]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has demoted the former head of U.S. Africa Command who was accused of spending thousands of dollars on lavish travel and other unauthorized expenses, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

Panetta stripped Gen. William "Kip" Ward of a star, which means that he will now retire as a three-star lieutenant general despite arguments from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff against the demotion. Ward also has been ordered also repay the government $82,000.

-snip-

According to the official, Panetta reviewed the Ward matter and concluded that the wrongdoing found by the Defense Department Inspector General, in a report released earlier this year, demanded accountability.

Retiring as a three-star will cost Ward about $30,000 a year in retirement pay — giving him close to $208,802 a year rather than the $236,650 he would get as a four-star.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/general-demoted-lavish-travel-spending

[GP6971]

1. The correct

decision by Panetta

[wordpix]

52. they guy's lucky, keeping $200K+ yearly for the rest of his life, grr

I hate where most of my taxes go.

[BeyondGeography]

2. I bet a lot of these generals were fucking with Obama

Thinking he couldn't stand up to them and would be dispatched after one term.

I think it's going to be a very cleansing second term

[lalalu]

6. I think you are correct.

[nichomachus]

16. Three generals in a week

I suppose, of you were a wacky Coincidence Theorist, you could say it was just a coincidence.

[BeyondGeography]

17. Think how coddled they were under Bush

then Obama comes along with the right wing basically questioning his citizenship, so they must have felt untouchable, at least the bad apples who were so inclined. Even if I'm only partially on to something, the thought of them squirming on Election Night (and currently) is comforting to me.

[stillcool]

45. I want to be a wacky..

coincidence theorist, but I can't get the hang of it.

[Doc Holliday]

3. Oh, the humanity!

"Only" $208,202 a year. Plus free medical (and other govt. benefits) for the rest of his life.

I feel so bad for him. However will he survive?

Goodness.... he may have to actually get a job.

[progressoid]

25. No kidding.

Cry me a fuckin river.

[Megahurtz]

43. Yeah

what a joke.

[GitRDun]

4. wtf

is wrong with these generals? The lack of morality has a Wall Street feel to it.

[tblue37]

22. Because they are just different arms of the same monster. nt

[mopinko]

50. just human nature.

i think most of us have it in us in the right situation. but definitely many do.

[SoapBox]

5. Not even the tip of the waste and pork at the Pentagaon..

and that little notation, this will cost him $30,000 PER YEAR of his retirement?

Shit! Are you kidding me? And he will STILL get $208,802 PER YEAR???????

Makes me sick...and all paid with OUR tax dollars. No wonder the Puke, Bagger and Bully Party want to take even MORE from us.

[adieu]

21. Those figures should be the other way around

He should make $30,000 per year and lose the $208,802 per year.

As it is, we have far too many generals and admirals, and all higher-level commanding officers (colonels and the naval equivalent, captains). We're at peace time and the new method of war doesn't require any skills or knowledge
that these brass have acquired over the years. The modern warfare is financial and security breaches.

[calimary]

28. Welcome to DU, adieu!

I agree! He should have to pay all that back, too. If ANYBODY should have it a little cushier, it's the rank & file who should have it a little better, rather than the overdressed bellhops that supposedly "run" things. By the time the generals get to that rarified air, I think maybe they get so caught up in the privileged life of the upper ranks that they forget where they came from - and where all the grunts they order around still are.

Glad you're here! Let's make sure we protect our winnings and build upon them. It's NEVER over and we can NEVER afford to rest on our laurels (the way some of these over-pampered generals do). The next election starts NOW.

[Jennicut]

7. This must be "Generals Behaving Badly" week in DC.

Nothing else explains the domino effect Petraeus started.

[Historic NY]

12. Wait until the Admirals week its coming.

[Coyotl]

8. $208,802 a year plus how much consulting to the arms industry?

[eggplant]

11. Yep. I'm sure he's not sweting the $30k/yr loss. n/t

[loudsue]

9. They need to send these criminal assholes to JAIL.

I'm sick of this!!!

[erpowers]

10. Just Fine Him

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta should have just fined him the amount of money he spent and let him retire. Even with the lavish spending his actions did not rise to a level that would require demotion.

[Capt.Rocky300]

13. I think it was more.......

a case of sending a message to other high ranking officers about how they conduct themselves.

[calimary]

29. Welcome to DU, Capt.Rocky300!

You may have a good point. Isn't there something in the military code that speaks of "conduct unbecoming an officer"? Glad to have you with us. Always remember what Mad-Eye Moody always told Harry Potter: "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!!!!"

[MajPayne2]

47. If he had been enlisted

He would have received a court martial and been sent to prison. I have seen junior service members go down for a lot less than this. This is a slap on the wrist.

[Jumping John]

14. Making an example of the Black General so the other White Generals don't raise hell. n/t

[nichomachus]

15. Actually, three general have bitten the dust this past week

Two of them were white.

[RantinRavin]

39. Wow

It only took 36 minutes for the race card to be thrown.

[Jumping John]

54. Really? I remember a general who lied to an entire nation, and knew he was lying and skated.

He even lied to the Mother of a slain hero and knew he was lying to her. He helped perpetuate a scam on the entire nation.

What he did was an criminal offense. He walked away from his Honor and Integrity.

The military loves this liar.

[bigdarryl]

18. At least he wasn't having an affair on his wife but he is lucky this punishment wasn't worst

These Generals have to much time on the hands

[olddad56]

34. how do you know that he wasn't?

[closeupready]

19. Isn't $208,000/year roughly $3 million in 401(k)

type savings plans? That is, if you do the retirement calculations as to how much you'd need to save in order to draw $208,000 per year, you'd need to save at least $3M? Given that the AVERAGE 401(k) in TOTAL is about $40,000, he's going to be just fine.

[ReRe]

20. CLEAN THE EFFING HOUSE!

The first step is the hardest. Now keep on going, Mr Panetta. You have a whole Rolodex there full of these bad boys. Set a precedent!

[calimary]

30. Might that be "a binder full of bad boys"?

[ReRe]

33. You got me!

... yeah, that's right.... Panetta has a binder of them bad boys right there on the corner of his desk. The binder has been laying there a verrrrrrrrrrrry long time gathering dust. Like I said he needs to CLEAN HOUSE.

[libdem4life]

23. I'm guessing there are few high officials without a dossier of shame somewhere.

We're no longer in "Kansas, Dorothy". The actual being behind the curtains may still be anonymous, but now has digital skills ... Twitter, texting, global internet and email. Perhaps it's progress, perhaps merely chaos, but clearly a significant cultural shift.

Some of us remember how television influenced politics and the country. Now, it's the digital revolution. Starting to appreciate being old.

[Mojorabbit]

24. Not just Generals

Something is going on in the background I think.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324894104578109344076574924.html
Lockheed Martin Ousts Incoming CEO
Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT +0.77% ousted its incoming chief executive, Christopher Kubasik, for having a "close personal relationship" with a subordinate at the defense contractor.

The company said Mr. Kubasik was asked to resign Friday after an investigation determined the "improper conduct" violated Lockheed Martin's code of ethics. He will receive a $3.5 million separation payment.

Felled by Scandal

There is a long list of leaders felled by allegations of personal or ethical lapses in recent years, including Lockheed Martin's Christopher Kubasik and the CIA's David Petraeus.


The announcement from the Pentagon's biggest supplier came just hours after Washington was rocked by the surprise resignation of General David Petraeus as director of the Central Intelligence Agency after admitting an extramarital affair.

Mr. Kubasik, Lockheed's 51-year-old president and vice chairman, had been due to take over from Bob Stevens. Instead, the company said Marillyn Hewson, a Lockheed veteran who was slated to become operating chief in January, will take over as CEO on Jan. 1.

Mr. Stevens said Mr. Kubasik, who is married, had conducted a "lengthy, close personal relationship" with a subordinate, who has since left the company. On a call with reporters, Mr. Stevens said the relationship came to light two weeks ago from an internal whistleblower.

[Unknown Beatle]

26. That will teach him!

Whatever will he do with a measly $3.5 million? Those people at Lockheed Martin are tough.

[calimary]

31. Welcome to DU, Unknown Beatle!

LOVE your screen name! Glad you're here. All these dudes do seem to get soft landings, don't they? I mean - look at what loser wrongney gets to land on - probably crying all the way to the bank (just not sure which bank - the Swiss one? Caymans? Bermuda? All of them?).

[tabasco]

27. I served in Ward's brigade when he was a COL.

He was an excellent commander.

[calimary]

32. Well, that's good to know, too. But that higher rank does demand a certain level of behavior.

And the higher up you go, seems to me the demands regarding impeccable (and unimpeachable) behavior grow louder and stronger and carry far more weight.

[ReRe]

35. Disclaimer

I just want everyone to know that I am not anti-military. Someone very precious to me was a 4-Star General. And many of my ancestors served their country in the military, all the way back to the Revolutionary War. War of 1812, Civil War (Union), Spanish Amer War, WWI & II. That's not to say I am pro-war. I'm as anti-war as you can get. I'm pro bring-them-home-yesterday!

[Thrill]

36. Damn. Wasn't making him pay the 82.000 enough punishment

$30,000 off his pension too? Not Cool

[JackRiddler]

42. Returning what you stole is not "punishment."

[JimDandy]

46. Returning the $82,000 just makes the taxpayers whole.

The demotion with the accompanying $30,000 in reduced pension is military justice. He still has received no punishment, criminal or otherwise, for the theft. You or I committing the same crime would be doing time in jail for years and having to pay a large punitive fine too, on top of paying back the $82,000.

[Thrill]

51. I see your point. But I hate to see a guy lose that much of a pension over something like this

By all accounts he was a very good soldier, that rose through the ranks. Anyone can go a little crazy with a company credit card. Hate to see a career of tough duty go down like this over something like this.

[Gumboot]

37. Just a minute, here....

What the heck is U.S. Africa Command?

How many of our troops are in Africa?

Why are they there?

How long have they been there?

Damn right I'm asking questions....

[JackRiddler]

38. You could always research it, you know.

A couple of thousand troops are in Africa currently at most. But the hope for Africom unfortunately is to get involved in the resource and pillage wars of the future.

Africom is headquartered in Germany, because no country in Africa so far has been crazy enough to invite it in. Not even the faithful US satellite, Uganda. (Libya? No more, I'd think.)

[Gumboot]

40. Jeez, I had no idea this even existed.

There's a website, too: http://africom.mil/

If this is a forward base for future resource wars, then the wheels are already in motion.

Low people in high places must think Africa hasn't suffered enough already.

[dixiegrrrrl]

49. Africa Com reared its head a few years ago

and ever since then, we have been told of unrest/civil wars/insurgencys that have flared up, in Yemen and Sudan and Libya and ...on and on and on..

[sarcasmo]

41. Penatta told to clean house?

[Nika]

44. This is the kiss of death of him being recalled to active duty,

But other than the social and finantial hit, he got off easy. If I had done what he did as an NCO, I would of been reamed deeper than he got.

[Sophiegirl]

48. Power corrupts

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This is not a new concept. It's a fact. We all know this.

I expect much more of these disclosures.

Actually, kind of sad, yet not unexpected.

[RobinA]

53. I Guess I Missed Something

Isn't lavish travel spending an understood part of the whole 4-star General schtick. I mean, not that it's right in the extreme, by I always assumed that was the accepted process. Hate to see a guy demoted over something that's been going on since...whenever.

[Odin2005]

55. Looks like Obama is doing some housecleaning.

Throwing out the Fascist garbage.