An Army four-star general suspended after allegations that he tried to pressure an Army selection board to help a protege has written the Secretary of the Army demanding reinstatement. Army Materiel Command commander General Charles Hamilton is currently suspended from command pending the outcome of an investigation, wrote Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, saying that not only did he not interfere, but he was attempting to prevent an injustice to a female officer that has worked for him for years by fighting institutional racism.
I posted earlier on Hamilton’s suspension from command: Four-Star General Suspended and Under IG Investigation for Tampering With Command Selection Board.
One of the officers selected for battalion command was an unnamed female lieutenant colonel who worked for General Hamilton as his military assistant and assistant executive officer. When she went through the selection process, the board declined her with a vote of 0-5 for having “counterproductive” leadership traits.
Hamilton sprang into action.
Hamilton immediately asked for the lieutenant colonel to be re-paneled, effectively getting another chance — an unheard-of move, according to some Army officials familiar with the process. Officers who fail typically have to wait a year to try again.
Between the first panel and the redo, Hamilton called three different panel members — Maj. Gens. Jeth Rey, Trevor Bredenkamp and Hope Rampy — to discuss the lieutenant colonel, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation told Military.com. Panelists are supposed to be anonymous to avoid lobbying, one Army official explained, and are often finalized just hours before a panel as a safeguard.
Throughout the morning of the second panel, Hamilton repeatedly sent text messages and called senior assessment staff, including Hedrick and O’Brien, asking about interview results, O’Brien explained in his memo.