A senior military aide to Defense Secretary of Ashton Carter was sacked Thursday, stemming from “misconduct” allegations.
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Defence officials would not provide any details about why Lieutenant General Ron Lewis was removed from his job.
Carter said the Pentagon’s Inspector General would investigate the allegations against Lewis and, if necessary, the Army would take action. “I have confidence in the Inspector General’s ability to determine the facts”.
Carter says he expects the highest possible standards of conduct from his department employees, especially senior leaders. “There is no exception”. A senior defence official also declined to specify the nature of the allegations. He was seen as a rising star within the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter fired his senior military adviser on Thursday over allegations of misconduct. Gen. Ron Lewis as he arrives at Jalalabad Air Base in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan on May 13, 2013. The inspector general’s office confirmed that it has received a referral from Carter’s office regarding Lewis and that an investigation would be launched.
As Carter’s top military aide, Lewis had power to control the flow of people and issues into Carter’s office, as well as controlling the Defense chief’s military schedule. Lewis will report to the vice chair of the Army during the investigation. The defense official said that Carter will select someone else soon to serve as his acting senior military assistant.
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Lewis has previously served as the head of Army public affairs.
