Two-star general Major General Joseph P. Harrington (pictured) has been fired and recalled to Washington after an investigation
The two-star general who heads U.S. Army Africa has been fired and recalled to Washington, amid allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with the wife of an enlisted soldier, the Army said Friday.
An Army statement provided to The Associated Press said that Maj. Gen. Joseph Harrington was removed from his job due to a loss in confidence in his ability to command.
Army Col. Patrick Seiber, an Army spokesman, said Friday that Harrington is under investigation for sending inappropriate Facebook messages to the woman, who is married to a soldier on that same base in Vincenza, Italy.
The private communications ranged from flattering to flirtatious, according to USA Today.
In one instance, Harrington writes that the woman is a ‘HOTTIE’ and ‘looking good for sure,’ in reference to her appearance.
Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis (L) was censured by the Army for visiting strip clubs in 2015 while Army Maj. Gen. David Haight (right) was disciplined by the military for having a ‘swinger lifestyle’
‘You seem to have a great modeling resume! Truly! Though I hadn’t noticed! Where is your hubby tonight? Work?,’ the general wrote in another series of messages.
Harrington also told the woman that ‘U can be my nurse,’ and added, ‘I’d enjoy being in a tent with U.’
Harrington, who is also married, was suspended from his post on Sept. 1, but had stayed in Italy.
Under the latest move, Seiber said Harrington will remain in the Army but will be reassigned to the Pentagon. As is usually done in discipline cases, Harrington will work as a special assistant to the director of the Army Staff until the investigation is finished.
Earlier this year, the Army began putting together a number of new mental health, counseling and career management programs in order to boost professionalism within the officer corps and get at what may be the root causes of the behavior problems.
Gen. Mark Milley, the Army’s chief of staff, told The Associated Press last month that, ‘we recognized senior executive leaders, with varying amounts of stress, lacked a holistic program that focuses on comprehensive health.’
Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless (pictured) has been indicted on federal charges in a wide-ranging Navy bribery scandal
He said the military has strived to combat stress disorders, suicide and other problems, but often put the focus on enlisted troops or lower-ranking officers. A new emphasis must be placed on senior leaders, he said.
He is one in a string of senior Army officers who have been disciplined for bad behavior, triggering the development earlier this year of new programs aimed at shaping stronger, more ethical leaders.
Last year, the military was forced to discipline Army Maj. Gen. David Haight, who maintained an 11-year affair and a ‘swinger lifestyle’ of swapping sexual partners.
The Army was also forced to take action against Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis, former top assistant to then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter, whose strips club visits earned him a military censure in 2015.
Harrington’s messages, however, do not rise to the bar of Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, who was indicted on federal charges in a wide-ranging Navy bribery scandal which accuses him of imbibing expensive champagne and using prostitutes.