Army Fires Four-Star ‘Renegade General’ Who Promoted Deeply Unqualified Female Crony

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The U.S. Army fired a four-star general for abusing his authority by giving an under-qualified female subordinate promotions and special treatment, according to a report from the Army Inspector General obtained by Military.com Tuesday.

Gen. Charles Hamilton gave a subordinate officer, who had been found unfit for command, a leadership role with the help of Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Lieutenant General Walter Piatt, according to the report. Hamilton is the first four-star general to be fired in 20 years.

“This was an abuse of authority, from Hamilton [to] the chief,” one general officer who was involved in the command selection process for the lieutenant colonel told Military.com. “It’s hard to imagine [Hamilton] didn’t know what he was doing. There was skepticism from some on this process, and now we’ve seen it’s open to cronyism. We had a renegade general … but I’m more disappointed that the highest levels of the chain of command let this happen without asking questions.”

Lt. Gen. Piatt retired in January, while it is unclear whether or not George will face consequences for his role in the scheme, according to Military.com.

Hamilton specifically orchestrated the rise of a Lieutenant Colonel who he was friendly with and was seeking a command position, according to the report. The Lt. Col. scored in the bottom 1% of 80o candidates for receiving command according to the Battalion Command Assessment Program (BCAP).

The Lt. Col., despite failing the assessment, received a second chance, which she then failed again, according to the report. However, she was still placed on a list for command anyway at the direction of Gen. George.

Gen. Hamilton also personally asked to view the Lt. Col. interviews used in BCAP, an unprecedented request, according to the report. He also contacted BCAP staff to ask which generals would be on the Lt. Col.’s interview panel, then subsequently contacting them each to ask about their voting philosophies they use to screen candidates.

Hamilton denied speaking to BCAP when initially probed by investigators, according to the report.

“Gen. Hamilton’s action appeared focused on excusing [the woman’s] low rating at BCAP rather than identifying systemic issues with BCAP,” the report reads. “At no point in his interview [with Army investigators] did Gen. Hamilton talk about [her] performance, potential or why she was qualified to be a battalion commander.”

Hamilton and the Lt. Col. were found to share a friendly relationship “that caused an actual or perceived partiality or unfairness,” according to the report. The investigation was also “unable to determine conclusively” if Hamilton and the Lt. Col. had a sexual relationship.

“Based on the findings of a Department of the Army Inspector General investigation, the Secretary of the Army has relieved General Charles Hamilton of command,” Army spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The current Acting Commander of Army Materiel Command, Lieutenant General Chris Mohan, will continue in this role pending the nomination of a permanent replacement to serve as the Commander of Army Materiel Command.”

“Although the investigation found that the Command Assessment Program withstood an attempt to interfere with its process, Secretary Wormuth will be issuing a directive that formally establishes CAP as an enduring Army program in order to reinforce the integrity of CAP and increase transparency,” Smith told the DCNF.