Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top
Former US General David Petraeus, (L) shakes hands with incoming General John Allen/AFP

World

Have America’s generals lost their way?

Former US General David Petraeus, (L) shakes hands with incoming General John Allen/AFP

PERTH, Australia, Nov 13 – The sex scandal that punctured the image of America’s most admired general, David Petraeus, is just the latest in a litany of cases of misconduct plaguing the US top brass, raising questions about a military often isolated from the rest of civilian society.

Even before Petraeus – a retired four-star commander – stunned Washington by announcing his resignation from the CIA over an extramarital affair, a growing number of generals and other senior officers were facing allegations of ethical lapses as well as sexual abuse.

The revelations paint a picture of military leadership living a privileged, insulated existence, in a country that often discourages public criticism of anyone in uniform, after a decade of wars waged by an all-volunteer force.

The cloud forming over senior officers stems from recent cases that include the former head of Africa Command, General William Ward, who spent government funds to live a lavish lifestyle and ordered staff to perform personal errands, an inspector general’s report found.

An Army brigadier general, Jeffrey Sinclair, the deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, was removed from his post earlier this year in Afghanistan after being accused of sexual misconduct with subordinates and of threatening one woman’s life.

According to prosecutors, when questioned about his demeaning comments about women, Sinclair replied: “I’m a general, I’ll do whatever the (expletive) I want.”

His alleged remark reflects what critics call a culture of entitlement among top officers, who they contend are held to a different standard than rank-and-file soldiers.

Another inspector general report found Lieutenant General Patrick O’Reilly heaped abuse on his underlings at the Missile Defence Agency (MDA). One witness cited in the report described the general’s leadership style as “management by blowtorch and pliers”.

Although the Army has come in for the most scrutiny, no service has been immune.

The Air Force has struggled to cope with a flood of allegations of sexual assault against female recruits at its basic training centre in Lackland, Texas and the Navy took the unusual step last month of relieving Rear Admiral Charles Gaouette of his command of the Stennis aircraft carrier group while it was on mission in the Arabian Sea.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The admiral was one of 22 naval commanding officers sacked this year for various failures, according to the Navy Times.

About The Author

Pages: 1 2

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News