The Army allowed Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe to retire on Sunday, ending a controversy after the service began an investigation into the armor officer's conduct online.
In an interview with Military.com, he said he retired without being reprimanded or admonished.
As a result of the investigation into his behavior on the social media site, his planned July retirement has been put on hold.
The drill instructor is charged in the death of a recruit.
While trying to make service more appealing to women and other underrepresented groups in the ranks, the news that the service had been looking into Donahoe's conduct served as a flash point over how the service handles public affairs and manages partisan media and lawmakers' criticisms of the administration.
After a public spat with Carlson, online engagement jumped into the spotlight. The pundit said that the U.S. military was becoming more feminine as China's military became more masculine.
The Fox News host said that he couldn't be more wrong about women in the service. Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston was one of the key service leaders who shared that sentiment.
John Kirby, the Pentagon's press secretary at the time, said that they wouldn't take personnel advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military. Maybe those people have something to prove. We know that we are the greatest military in the world today and we know why.
Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, accusing those leaders of being partisan actors, though none of the service officials mentioned politics.
After an anonymous complaint about his conduct was filed, the media coverage drew national attention.
After that report was published, Army officials and rank-and-file soldiers interviewed by Military.com panned the investigation for attacking the former commander of the Army's Maneuver Center of excellence for defending women online. As the service has made recent strides in integrating women into the Army through a series of new policies, the IG report came as well.
A senior Army official told Military.com that IG complaints can be filed by anyone in the services for almost any reason, and that they can be used to take a jab at someone on their way out. Some sources with knowledge of the investigation thought the complaints against Donahoe were more about politics.
The military has become one of the main points of criticism of the Biden administration due to the fact that they are acquiescing to progressive ideals instead of focusing on the need to wage war.
Carlson showed an image of a pregnant airman in a maternity flight suit, an effort at accommodating women that was begun during the Trump administration.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized by the Army to talk, one service official with direct knowledge of the investigation told Military.com that the investigation was not about the tussle with Carlson and right-wing pundits. The IG's office found that none of the interactions were sexual, with the IG report saying that some of the online conversations could have given the perception of preferential treatment.
None of the women interviewed by military.com characterized his behavior as inappropriate.
The Army's struggles to get information out on social media and to the press were put in the spotlight by the investigation and the mixed response by senior leaders. The Army Times was the first to report on the delayed retirement and a press conference was scheduled for October 10. The IG report did not find that service leaders' comments were partisan.
One public affairs official told Military.com on the condition of anonymity that the Army's message was not well thought out and that the perception that Donahoe was picking a fight with a partisan commentator was enough to make the situation seem political. The Army's slow response was blasted by multiple senior service officials and rank-and-file troops interviewed by Military.com.
After the press conference for senior Army officials, it would take another four days for a message to be sent to soldiers.
There has been confusion regarding an issue. Army leaders are expected to stand up for women and soldiers who are attacked.
Steve Beynon can be reached at Military.com. You can follow him on the social networking site.
The Army gave a hunting permit to radicals.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
