APNewsBreak: General investigated over spending
Source: AP-Excite
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) - A four-star Army general who was the first head of the new U.S. Africa Command is under investigation and facing possible demotion for allegedly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars improperly on lavish travel, hotels and other items, The Associated Press has learned.
Gen. William "Kip" Ward has been under investigation for about 17 months, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to make a final decision on the matter before the end of the month, according to several defense officials.
The defense officials said Ward is facing numerous allegations that he spent several hundred thousand dollars allowing unauthorized people, including family members, to fly on government planes, and spent excessive amounts of money on hotel rooms, transportation and other expenses when he traveled as head of Africa Command.
A four-star general is the highest rank in the Army.
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In this May 26, 2006 file photo, Army Lt. Gen. William E. Kip Ward is adminstered the oath of four-star General, the Army's highest rank of general, by Command Sgt. Major Mark Ripka, right, at Fort Myer, Va. The Associated Press has learned that Ward, who was the first head of the new U.S. Africa Command is under investigation and facing demotion for possibly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars improperly on lavish travel, hotels and other items. Several defense officials said Wednesday that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected soon to decide the fate of Ward. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File)