Four-Star General Under Investigation for Extravagant Trip Spending
- Posted on August 16, 2012 at 6:06am by
Jason Howerton
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A four-star Army general who was the first head of the new U.S. Africa Command is under investigation and facing possible demotion for allegedly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars improperly on lavish travel, hotels and other items, The Associated Press has learned.
Gen. William “Kip” Ward has been under investigation for about 17 months, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to make a final decision on the matter before the end of the month, according to several defense officials.
The defense officials said Ward is facing numerous allegations that he spent several hundred thousand dollars allowing unauthorized people, including family members, to fly on government planes, and spent excessive amounts of money on hotel rooms, transportation and other expenses when he traveled as head of Africa Command.
U.S. Army Gen. William E. Ward (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
A four-star general is the highest rank in the Army.
While the exact amount of alleged misspending was not disclosed, the estimated total raises comparisons with the $823,000 allegedly spent by dozens of employees of the General Services Administration, who were accused of lavish spending during an October 2010 conference at a Las Vegas resort.
Officials described the investigation to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it is a personnel matter and the report on the investigation has not been released publicly.
The Defense Department inspector general has completed its investigation into Ward’s activities, and the issue is under legal review.
A request for comment from Ward was not immediately fulfilled Wednesday.
Panetta’s options regarding Ward are limited by complex laws and military guidelines.
Panetta can demote Ward and force him to retire at a lower rank. Because Ward’s alleged offenses occurred while he was a four-star general, he could be forced to retire as a three-star, which officials said could cost him as much as $1 million in retirement pay over time. It was not immediately clear whether Ward also could face criminal charges.
In order for Ward to be demoted to two-star rank, investigators would have to conclude that he also had problems prior to moving to Africa Command, and officials said that does not appear to be the case.
In making his decision, Panetta has to certify to Congress that Ward served satisfactorily at the rank at which he is retired.
Ward stepped down early last year after serving as the first head of the Europe-based Africa Command, which was created in 2007, and he intended to retire. He did all the paperwork and was hosted at a retirement ceremony in April 2011 at Fort Myer in Virginia, but the Army halted his plans to leave because of the investigation.
Ever since then, he has been working in Northern Virginia, serving as a special assistant to the vice chief of the Army.
That Army office long has been used as a holding area for general officers of varying ranks. For some it’s a way station where senior officers under investigation go to await their fate.
For others, it’s a quick stop en route to a new high-level command or assignment; a place they can hang their hat for a few weeks, working on special projects until their new post becomes available.
According to Army spokesman George Wright, Ward currently is the only special assistant to the vice chief, but at other times there can be several assigned there as they move from one command to the next.
For Ward, the investigation has dragged on so long that he technically has been demoted from his four-star general rank to two-star general. Under military guidelines, if a full general is not serving in a four-star command or office for more than 60 days, he or she is automatically reduced to two-star rank.
Major general, or two-star, is the highest rank to which an officer can be promoted by regular military action. Becoming a three-star – lieutenant general – or a four-star general requires a presidential nomination and confirmation by Congress. It, therefore, is not considered permanent, and lasts only as long as the person is serving in a job of that rank.
As a result, Ward’s base pay went from more than $20,000 a month as a four-star to about $14,000 a month as a two-star general. Defense officials said that if the decision is to allow him to retire as a three-star or four-star, he would not receive any back pay for the 15 months he served at the lower rank.
The Stuttgart, Germany-based Africa Command was created in order to place a stronger focus on the continent, including vast sections of the north and east where al-Qaida-linked militant groups train and wage attacks. No U.S. military forces are assigned to Africa Command, other than the roughly 2,000 troops in Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, based in Djibouti.
U.S. military activities in Africa long have been a sensitive subject among many nations that inhabit the sprawling continent and worry that the U.S. would try to establish bases or send forces there. Initial plans to set up a headquarters for Africa Command on the continent hit resistance and were shelved.
A key element of Ward’s job was to dispel worries about the new command, meet with African leaders and work to expand and strengthen U.S. military ties so that the nations there are better able to provide for their own defense.
Gen. Carter Ham took over the command last year, gaining accolades as one of two key U.S. military leaders directing operations in the Libya conflict.
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Comments (41)
_DzSoundNirvana_
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 4:25pmSomeone had to approve his travel order right?
Report Post »dmerwin
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 8:25pmDemoted to Major General?
Report Post »How about court martial, reduction to private, six months in Leavenworth and dishonorable discharge.
We are about to retire this man at a very hefty tax payer funded pension.
LuvsYeshua
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 8:44amBut….how do they expect him to live on a mere 2-star general’s retirement pay? You may as well be telling him to sell his vacation home in the Keys. (note the sarcasm)
Report Post »helioquois
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 4:03pmIt is interesting that the article mentions Secretary of Defense Panetta with regard to any disciplinary decision. Where is the Army on this? Where are comments from the Secretary of the Army? The article cites the DoD Inspector General…where is the Army IG on this? There is so much not said and reported that I fear the normal processes via the Army Personnel Council for senior officers may be bypassed…which is different treatment than ordinary soldiers get for their infractions. If the end result is bad, we can expect him to retire in the last rank he served honorably, plus an order to remit the monies he overspent during the conduct of his job at AFRICOM. This will be a story worthy of follow-up…is the MSM up to the task?
Report Post »IsThereADifference
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 3:58pmHe’s only being demoted because he is BLACK. He should be fired and sent to live on the street with the other thieves.
Report Post »SCREW-WINDOWS
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 4:11pmLeavenworth is a more appropriate place.
Report Post »daxbrady
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 2:46pmHe’s black…… so he thought because Obama is president he could do whatever he wanted…. Dishonorable discharge and forfeit of pension is what would happen if he were white.
Report Post »garbagecanlogic
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:36pmDemoted hell!! This guy has had the future of thousands and thousands of military in his hands and if he would have caught one of them doing what he did, it would be off to the pokey. Nothing but the Bar Motel is good enough for him – not 2-star retirement and my tax money for years to come. I kept my record clean so I’d not lose my retirement, the same is expected of him.
Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
Report Post »The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
Independent4233
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 2:19pmWha frosts my ****** is that if this were a sergeant or even a second lieutenat he would be court martialed, given a stiff prison sentence for committing what amounts to a felony, and a dishonorable discharge, but because he’s part of a privileged class he gets a pass.
Obviously he was promoted in the first place, because the political brass needed a black face of high rank to “prove” they weren’t “racist.”
I’m sorry, but judging from facts and personal experience I’m willing to bet this character could barely pass a GED test, yet he’s put in charge of lives simply for poliicaly correct reasons.
As the US empire slowly degenerates so does the US military.
Report Post »soitaintso
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 2:29pmI was deployed to the region during that time. I can tell you that many of our Soldiers couldn’t even get basic supplies (TP, Duct Tape, Pens, Etc..) because we were told there was no money. Hard for money and supplies make it to the Soldier when everyone at the top takes care of themselves first. Many are getting out for that reason and now takes more of your money to train replacements while lots of expierience is lost.
Report Post »Despiser25
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:28pmThe Good Ole Boys network is alive and well throughout every level of Govt including the Military. Govt and its parasite bureaucratss always seem to find a loophole to escape their obvious crimes. If you work for the GOVT you should be held to a much stricter standard, instead the only standard for th eGovt has become skin pigment, genitalia type, and/or sexual orientation. Thats what is really important to any Bureaucrat.
Report Post »elosogrande
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:14pmDemoted? He should be prosecuted – if found guilty – he should go to jail.
Report Post »jeffile
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:51pmThe investigation will be scrubbed once Eric Holder gets involved.
Report Post »poster
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:22pmCultural thing?
Report Post »georgeisn6
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:17pmAfermtivacction in action.
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:12pmThis is discrimination if I ever saw it. Does the Army expect a four star General to eat at Burger King, while Michelle Obama spent $83,000 just for a shopping junket to Colorado. And then it cost taxpayers almost a million for the Obamas to spend Xmas in Hawaii. Also don’r forget Michelle and daughter going to Spain – thats almost $700,000 charged on taxpayers credit card. Monkey see – Monkey do. We are the richest nation in the world and have to show all that we are. He probably also heard thart Robert Gates was still on payroll for the same $20,000 a month and he still has a Gov. credit cardd.
Report Post »georgeisn6
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:11pmThis only happens in a dictatorship.“O”whatabummer”
Report Post »mtnhimike
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:05pmWhat the Obama‘s get away with this and I can’t ! This Jerk should be in Federal Prison in Levenworth, KS and stripped of his pension that we the Tax payers will be paying for his taking our hard earned tax dollars and throwing them away for his pleasure. Michelle should be in there with him.
Report Post »hades3
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:22amMy guess…he will get a slap on the wrist, simply because he is black.
Report Post »Murkman
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:03amAbuse of authority of this kind should earn him a dishonorable discharge and cot in Kansas.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:58amHe, as a black man, was just getting his fair share of “Obama Cash”. Besides, look what Moochell “Marie Let Them Eat Cake Antoinette,” Obama spends using tax payers dollars on carting her fat keister around the world on luxury trips.
Report Post »Despiser25
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:31pmMarie Antoinette has been tarnished by rumor and innuendo historically speaking. Its all about perspective. Please get some.
Report Post »paul1149
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:57amHe acts like many an african dictator, except he’s representing the United States of America. In obama’s America, everyone is on the take. Funny, this is what obama, the inspiring, pledged to get rid of, but everything he said he would get rid of has only increased.
Report Post »nosharia
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:56amA foolish waste of a good career.
Report Post »Cabo King
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:51amwhere is day babys daddy??
Report Post »Henry22
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:48amBush probably forced him to do it………………..
Report Post »watashbuddyfriend
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:43amInternal controls over expenditures is a must, regardless of the business! Just because one is a General does not negate the use of controls.
Report Post »zoro51
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:41amyet another OBAMITE vacationing on americas dime.. FOOL you wont escape judgement for your crime to the usa. america IS not your travelosicty nor your personbal bank of america like mischell obama things it is,..
Report Post »razvedka
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 10:03amMaybe he and Michelle Obama should get together. That way they can save the government money as they go covorting around the world on the tax payer money.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 8:36am“The Defense Department inspector general has completed its investigation into Ward’s activities, and the issue is under legal review.” Translation: nothing will happen.
Report Post »OLDPAINT
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 8:23amwho the hell does he think he is, Custer? …meet me at Little Big Horn FOOL!
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