U.S. Army Gen. Charles Hamilton, the now-suspended Commander of U.S. Army Material Command (AMC) at Redstone Arsenal, has been referred by the Army to the Defense Department's inspector general for investigation, which is a rare move to take against a seasoned four-star general.
Military.com first broke the story that Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth suspended Hamilton on Friday.
This follows reports that say the General had inappropriately intervened in the Army's Battalion Commanders Assessment Program (BCAP) in favor of an unfit lieutenant colonel.
"This week, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth became aware of credible allegations Gen. Charles Hamilton, commanding general of Army Materiel Command (AMC), interfered in the Army's Command Assessment Program (CAP) process last fall," Col. Randee Farrell, a spokesperson for Wormuth, told Military.com in a statement, adding that Hamilton has been suspended pending the outcome of the Pentagon's and any other "subsequent" investigations.
Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, deputy commander of AMC, will now serve in Hamilton's place.
According to reports, Hamilton spent a month in 2023 trying to pull strings behind the scenes to allow a female lieutenant colonel to be approved for Command of a Battalion. For any military officer to continue to have rapid succession throughout their career, passing this board and assuming and completing command time is a huge check mark in an officer's career.
The BCAP was specifically designed to prevent this outside influence. However, according to Military.com, Hamilton contacted panel members. The actions run contrary to the intent of the BCAP to validate whether an officer is fit for command objectively. The process found the lieutenant colonel unqualified due to ineffective and counterproductive leadership.
Yet, even after the officer was found to be ineffective and unfit for command at some point, she was placed on the list for a Battalion Command position despite being rejected twice.
The lieutenant colonel's first assessment panel was in October 2023, but Hamilton monitored it. Monitoring the assessment panel is technically allowed but abnormal.
By a vote of 0-5, the five-panel members voted the lieutenant colonel uncertified for command, citing "counterproductive leadership." Hamilton even took issue with the psychologist who took part in the assessment, saying they were "too negative" and could've biased the panel.
Hamilton immediately demanded that the lieutenant colonel be re-paneled, which usually takes at least a year. However, she was given the opportunity and was deemed unfit once more.
Four-star generals are rarely reprimanded in public and are generally allowed to retire with a few exceptions, according to Military.com.
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