Brad Blog: The Strange Sacking of General Kevin P. Byrnes

[understandinglife]

The Strange Sacking of General Kevin P. Byrnes

Blogged by David Edwards on 8/14/2005 @ 6:05pm PT

Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported that Four-star General Kevin P. Byrnes was relieved of his position due to alleged sexual misconduct. General Byrnes who was near retirement was assigned as commander of Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia.

From Arianna Huffington in At Rummy's Bizarro Pentagon, Torture is Rewarded While Sex is a Firing Offense, on August 10, 2005 we read:

"Here’s all the proof you need that the lunatics have taken over the Pentagon and DoD asylums (that is, if the lunacy of their Iraq policies hadn’t already convinced you):

<clip>

More at the link:

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001700.htm

Spreading the question - Was the removal of General Byrnes simply about sexual misconduct or is there more to this story?

America needs to know the truth.



General Byrnes, your Nation awaits.



Peace.

[robertpaulsen]

1. Kick to the top.

This story needs to be read.

:kick:

[Mnemosyne]

2. .

:kick:

[Nothing Without Hope]

3. kick and recommend - WE NEED ANSWERS n/t

[In Truth We Trust]

4. Kick a doodle do

[njdemocrat106]

5. Kick

:kick:

Hopefully I'm just wearing my tin-foil too tightly, but I think something scary could be about to happen. :scared:

[Imagevision]

6. This story needs Seymour Hersh's input!!

[understandinglife]

7. I certainly hope he has been trying to interview the General! Others ...

... are definitely trying. We should be learning more in the days ahead.

Just keep pushing the questions.


Peace.

[SoCalDem]

11. The general may have fears for his safety or his pension

so he may be unwilling to talk...at least until this evil crew is tossed out..( we can hope)

[MADem]

18. The General will not say jack shit until AFTER his retirement date

And he would be a DAMN FOOL to do otherwise--that is a retirement that could support a very large family in fair to fine fettle. Once he is retired, though, he can speak out, so long as he is not 'intemperate.'

I am guessing his actual retirement date is 30 SEP, so that they clear the books for the new fiscal year, which, in GOVWORLD, starts 01 Oct. Odds are good he has sixty days of leave on the books, anything he doesn't use he can sell back. He has to clear out of his Flag/General Quarters, find a place to live (bet if he had a house, they sold it or the spouse got it as part of the divorce) so he has to figure out where he is gonna live, and job hunt, if he wants to work (and I bet he does).

Don't hold your breath to hear from this guy, you will only be disappointed--wait till October, and hope that someone in the media remembers to go ask the guy what happened there....

[OneBlueSky]

8. The cornerstones of conservative ethos are . . .

sexual hysteria, meanness, and hypocrisy. It all fits together -- if they weren't so fucked up about sex, they wouldn't want to be so mean, and they wouldn't have to be so hypocritical.

[FreedomAngel82]

28. They all talk about sex don't they?

:crazy:

[Wizard777]

9. The only thing I Can come up with is this.

Bush initially wanted to nuke Iraq. Maybe Bush is getting rid of the people at the Pentagon that helped to derail that option? To reduce possible disent against nuking Iran.

[spindoctor]

10. Unless we have use for radio-active oil, nuking Iran is not an option

Of course it would drive existing oil to $100/barrel overnight, but even this Administration wouldn't be THAT stupid....right?

[jsamuel]

12. actually, i believe that the radiation would not affect oil underground

all the earth on top would absorb the radiation before it made it to the oil

[Wizard777]

13. Desert sands turn to a sheet of glass durring a nulear blast. n/t

[Al-CIAda]

14. .

[Fleshdancer]

15. Byrnes replacement? The Sr. investigating officer for Abu Ghraib...

Looks like Gen. Byrnes was replaced by three star Lieutenant General Anthony Jones:
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/1666606.html

So then I Google the replacement and find this:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/200...

Special Defense Department Briefing on Results of Investigation of Military Intelligence Activities at Abu Ghraib Prison Facility

Major General Fay was initially appointed by Lieutenant General Sanchez, who later recused himself so that the report could account for all of his chain of command to include himself. I was named as the appointing official, as a result of that, in June, and Lieutenant General Jones was named as the senior investigating officer.

Q And just one question -- I'm sorry -- for General Jones. Do any failings by the general in charge at the time in Iraq, do they rise to the possible level of criminal negligence?

GEN. KERN: We did not find that, but I'll let General Jones, who did that, answer your question.

GEN. JONES: As you know, I was charged with looking at the chain of command above the 205th Brigade. And as General Kern has said, putting things in context, what they were faced with as they transitioned from 5th Corps -- and the commander -- faced with a counterinsurgency -- fighting that while transitioning numerous people.

In my 34 years -- I started a little bit later in life in the military than General Kern, so I only have 34-plus years -- I can sympathize with what they were going through, the complexity of the environment, what it's like to fight a war.

As I look at it, I had to determine three things. In the chain of command of the 205th, were they directly or indirectly involved in the execution of the mission they had given their subordinate units? Did they provide clear and consistent guidance to those units and to those leaders? And did they resource them appropriately?

Given the responsibilities in our profession of the commanders at all levels being responsible for the leadership below them and the units below them, my conclusion was two things: one, that the leadership above the 205th MI Brigade were not directly responsible for the violent abuses that happened as we've depicted. However, I will tell you they bear responsibility for those things that happened in the units and the soldiers underneath them happened. But neither did their policies, procedures, nor doctrine, nor training also cause or condone the actions that were taken, specifically the violent abuses and the sexual misconduct.

Q So you're saying -- I'm sorry -- (inaudible) -- neither General Sanchez nor General Karpinski should be brought up on charges. (Off mike) -- this because --

GEN. KERN: Let me clarify. Remember General Karpinski is the commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade.

Q But she was in the chain of command.

GEN. KERN: She was -- we would like to say that, but not explicitly. And that was one of the confusion factors that we did find and report on. What we found was that -- and General Jones reports on it very clearly, and I'll let him add to that -- is there should have been clear direction given from General Sanchez and his deputy to ensure that General Karpinski knew what her role was.

Q But as far as any charges are concerned, potential charges?

GEN. KERN: Again, we are not referring charges that are outside the boundaries of that, and some of those already are in the report that General Taguba has submitted on the 800th MP Brigade, which did include General Karpinski. I'm not trying to duck your answer, but it could be referred to outside of our report.

Q General Jones has made pretty clear that he doesn't think that your top general should in any way face charges, given the circumstances.

GEN. JONES: We've provided our report and all the things in our report to include the mitigating circumstances of what this unit -- what the headquarters, with General Sanchez, and what they were going through, to include: continue to prosecute the war; the counterinsurgency; support the Coalition Provisional Authority; support the Iraqi people in the reconstruction efforts of their country and the establishment of the directorates which they needed to establish, working with different agencies and entities to do that; and what that caused them somewhat, based on their under-resourcing and movement to that transition to a combined joint task force; all that was going on at the same time.

They completely changed the leadership in their staff, moving from tactical level to operational and strategic level. They had to change the mind-set at the same time they had to fight for intelligence, establish an intelligence operational structure which enabled them to fight that counterinsurgency, determining who this faceless enemy was, what the support base was, and so forth. And that morphed over a period of four to five months in which they worked 24/7 just to get that accomplished.

GEN. KERN: I think to very specifically answer, we did not find General Sanchez culpable but we found him responsible for the things that did or did not happen.

[MADem]

19. I thought he was just the interim pick

Wasn't he Byrnes's deputy?? I think they have someone else in mind for the job down the line.

[Fleshdancer]

20. there was no mention of it being an interim pick in the article

according to my first link, he's the replacement. :shrug:

[MADem]

21. No, impossible

He is just filling in for the guy until the real pick can take over. The designated relief is a guy named WALLACE, who has been selected for four stars, but has not yet undergone the confirmation process. It is not uncommon for the Senate to hold up said process to retaliate against the President for whatever reason (I have had at least one promotion held up in this manner--total bummer)...and they probably cannot break him away from where ever he is at to do an early fill in the interim. It makes sense to let the #2 mind the store until the new guy shows up.

The whole process is long and slow, and they would not be able to nominate Jones (the number 2 now at TRADOC, currently serving as "Acting" Commander) and get him confirmed before the next FY.

From CNN: Among the command's responsibilities is to oversee Army recruiting and initial recruit training, as well as operation of the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, which is responsible for leadership development and the writing of warfighting doctrine. Coincidentally, the commander of the Combined Arms Center, Lt. Gen. William Wallace, was nominated in April to succeed Byrnes at Training and Doctrine Command.

Wallace has not yet been confirmed by the Senate for promotion to four-star rank, so the Army chose Byrnes' top deputy, Lt. Gen. Anthony R. Jones, to take over immediately as the acting commander.

Asked about the case at a Pentagon news conference, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had little to say.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/09/general.relieved.ap/

Here's Jones's bio--he is designated as "Acting." http://www-tradoc.army.mil/Bio.htm

[Fleshdancer]

22. cool, thanks for the clarification! n/t

[MADem]

23. What is interesting about Wallace is that he is a good toady

That guy only made LGEN in 03, then he did some stuff in Afghanistan, I think, and got slotted for 4**** just this past April...now he is the CG at Leavenworth. You have to wonder if he has buttkissing down to a fine art. I don't think I'd know him if I fell over him--anyone Army here with any background on the guy????

[Al-CIAda]

16. .

[Al-CIAda]

17. .

[hiley]

24. General Byrnes

we are listening for you.

[steve2470]

25. Someone from our side needs to cozy up to him

Maybe have a nice little chat with him in..oh, I don't know..Maui ? Maybe for a month ? Hint, hint...

[Al-CIAda]

26. .

[FreedomAngel82]

27. Well when you think about who you're dealing with

I'd say there was something else. Was he having an affair? Beats me. None of my business. But remember who we're dealing with here. I think he was trying to stop Iran like Plame was Iraq and look what happened with that ordeal. The most important thing to remember is everything with these people is backwards.

[nonny]

29. Found a tidbit

National Defense, Oct 2001 v86 i575 p42
Brass tracks. (promotions)(Brief Article)

Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced that the president has made the following nominations:
snip-

Army Lt. Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes has been assigned as director of the Army staff in Washington, D.C. Byrnes is now the deputy chief of staff for programs at Army headquarters in Washington, D.C.

snip-

[nonny]

30. One more Tidbit

National Defense, Dec 2000 v85 i565 p43
BRASS TRACKS. (officer promotions)(Brief Article)

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2000 National Defense Industrial Association


Government


The President has nominated Army Lt. Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes for assignment as deputy chief of staff for programs for the Army. Currently, Byrnes is serving as assistant vice chief of staff.

snip-

From General Reference Center Gold Database

__________________________________________________

This Dec. 2000 promotion must have come from Clinton
The next one in Oct 2001 from Bush (see above post)

So...... I think this means that Gen. Byrnes was in Wash D.C. for Sept. 11th
I wonder if he would have had his office in the Pentagon?
I wonder what he would have known about that terror drill?

[Just Me]

31. Well, face it, this administration has a well-documented history,...

,...of retaliatory behavior. I'd like to know the real story, as well.

[Al-CIAda]

32. .