WASHINGTON – Military leaders are launching a broad review of how the services investigate accusations of misconduct by senior officers, citing deep concerns about how long the process now takes and whether it treats people equally.
There are no real policy guidelines or regulations that govern where the officers go and what jobs they can hold while they wait for bad conduct investigations to end. Often they are sent to jobs as special assistants to senior leaders, where they languish for more than a year, at taxpayers' expense, until decisions are made.
A look at three senior officers whose investigations have been publicly reported:
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Army Maj. Gen. Ron Lewis: Defense Secretary Ash Carter's former senior military aide used his government credit card at strip clubs or gentlemen's clubs in Rome and Seoul, South Korea, drank in excess and had "improper interactions" with women during business travel with Carter, according to an investigation by the Defense Department inspector general released in October. Lewis is serving as a special assistant to the Army's personnel chief while waiting for a final decision on the findings.
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Army Maj. Gen. David Haight: An Army Inspector General investigation concluded that Haight had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a woman who was not his wife, and that he misused government resources, including a department cellphone and computer, for a "high volume" of personal calls and emails. He is serving as a special assistant for the Army's deputy chief of staff for operations, and a decision on the case is expected in the near future.
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Army Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsby was relieved of command of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, in September, due to loss of confidence in his ability to lead. No other details about the case have been released.
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