[Vision2020] WHY we need severe defense CUTS

[Wayne Price]

Dempsey Opposes 4-Star's Demotion

WASHINGTON -- America's top military officer is opposing the demotion  
of a four-star general who is accused of spending tens of thousands of  
taxpayer dollars on lavish travel and other expenses in a case that  
has been sitting on Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's desk for weeks,  
U.S. officials said Thursday.
Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is  
among those who believe that Gen. William Ward, the former head of  
U.S. Africa Command, should be allowed to retire at his full four-star  
general rank, the officials said.
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.
Asked about the matter, Dempsey said Thursday that he doesn't comment  
on recommendations he makes to the defense secretary. Pentagon press  
secretary George Little also declined to comment.
Retiring as a three-star would cost Ward nearly $30,000 a year in  
retirement pay -- giving him about $208,802 a year rather than the  
$236,650 he would get as a four-star. He also could be required to  
reimburse the Defense Department for tens of thousands of dollars in  
flight costs and other expenses that he incurred while at Africa  
Command.
Several officials described the internal debate on condition of  
anonymity because it involves sensitive personnel issues.
The inspector general's report found that Ward used military vehicles  
to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa and billed the  
government for a refueling stop overnight in Bermuda, where the couple  
stayed in a $750 suite, a Defense Department investigation found. It  
detailed lengthy stays at lavish hotels for Ward, his wife and his  
staff members, and the use of five-vehicle motorcades when he traveled  
to Washington.
It also said Ward and his wife, Joyce, accepted dinner and Broadway  
show tickets from a government contractor during a trip during which  
he went backstage to meet actor Denzel Washington. The couple and  
several staff members also spent two nights at the Waldorf Astoria  
hotel.
The allegations, coming after a 17-month investigation, have delayed  
Ward's planned April 2011 retirement. And they were an embarrassing  
end note to his career, since he had claimed a place in history as the  
military's first commander of Africa Command.
Panetta's options regarding Ward are limited by complex laws and  
military guidelines. He can only demote Ward and force him to retire  
as a three-star lieutenant general.
In order for Ward to be demoted to two-star rank, investigators would  
have to conclude that he also had problems before moving to Africa  
Command, and officials said that does not appear to be the case.
© Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material  
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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