Army reprimands former Fort Bliss commanding general Pittard for alleged ethical lapse
The Army reprimanded a two-star general for poor judgment in “creating the perception” of undue favoritism in the awarding of a no-bid government contract, and the military will soon decide whether he will be forced to retire at a lower rank, officials said Monday.
The reprimand, first reported by The Washington Post, reflects another in a recent string of alleged ethical lapses by senior military officers.
Maj. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard was reprimanded by the Army’s No.2-ranking general in February following a lengthy investigation by the Army inspector general.
The Post disclosed that the probe began in 2011 and was based on an anonymous tip alleging that Pittard had abused his authority by steering a $492,000 contract to a firm run by two of his former West Point classmates while Pittard was commander of the Army’s 1st Armored Division and of Fort Bliss, Texas.
The contract was an initial step in a $250 million project to make Fort Bliss self-sufficient in energy usage.
In his formal reprimand of Pittard, the Army’s vice chief of staff, Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, wrote that Pittard was being disciplined for “improperly creating the perception of preferential treatment during the award of a government contract,” and for improperly giving the contractors inside information.
The Army released a copy of the reprimand Monday.
“Government contracting must be conducted in a manner that reflects fairness and integrity,” Allyn wrote. “Your behavior jeopardized these interests and showed a gross lack of good judgment.” He added, “Your conduct fell far short of the high standards expected of general officers and undermined public trust. I am profoundly disappointed in your actions.”
At the time of his reprimand Pittard was deputy commanding general for operations for 3rd Army and U.S. Army Central. An Army spokeswoman, Cynthia O. Smith, said Pittard finished his tour at U.S. Army Central two months later but his departure had nothing to do with the investigation or reprimand. Pittard was not accused of seeking or obtaining financial gain from the contracting arrangement.
An Army Grade Determination Review Board is expected to meet soon, perhaps this week, to decide whether Pittard will be allow to retired in his current rank.
In a statement to the Post, which disclosed details of the Army investigation based on documents it obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, Pittard said his actions at Fort Bliss were based on his determination to move quickly on the contract.
The Post said he told Army investigators that he didn’t care who got the contract and that he was not personally close with the two former West Point classmates whose firm got the contract.
Smith, the Army spokeswoman, said in a statement that the inspector general’s findings and Pittard’s reprimand “called into question his suitability for continued service and resulted in his request for retirement, effectively ending his career in the Army.”
Pittard On ISIS
Pittard, former commanding general of Fort Bliss and the 1 st Armored Division, recently talked with NPR about the fight against ISIS and the support ISIS is losing. Here is part of the piece published on Jan. 3, 2015.
In the heat of summer in 2014, Baghdad was spooked.
A third of Iraq was under the control of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, or ISIS. The extremist group thrived in the chaos of the Syrian civil war, then surged over the border into Iraq and took over the cities of Mosul and Tikrit. People worried the capital might be next.
Six months on, that’s changed. On New Year’s Eve, for instance, the usual midnight curfew was lifted and people partied in the streets and uploaded videos of themselves letting off fireworks.
Baghdadis say that change is because they feel the pushback against ISIS has begun in earnest.
U.S. commanders say they’re debating hard with Iraqi counterparts about when to push ground troops into the ISIS-occupied areas — maybe the spring.
Pittard thinks the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the most populous ISIS-controlled city, should be taken back fast.Pittard led the Joint Operations Center in Baghdad from late June until late October. Pittard isdeputy commander for the Third U.S. Army in Kuwait.
“We’re just getting indications of morale problems,” Pittard says. “And with the people that are in Mosul and seeing [ISIS], they say it’s not more than a thousand there now; certainly no more than 2,000.”
Pittard also says the extremists are losing local support because the people in Mosul are finding that ISIS does not govern very well. Analysts reckon the group’s cachet depends on its being able to govern. But Pittard says in Mosul, Iraqi Kurdish soldiers have cut off ISIS’ crucial supply lines so they can’t provide fuel and clean water.
“They are clearly on the defensive, except a couple [of] tactical ambushes and a couple of small tactical counterattacks,” he says, “but other than that, it’s not like what we saw in June at all.”
The extremists themselves constantly issue propaganda with ambitious plans for expansion and global attacks. As the international efforts to stop them get more organized, that’s looking more farfetched. However, Iraqi analyst Hashemi says that doesn’t mean they can’t cause harm.
“They have more than 20,000 fighters in Iraq directly engaged in warfare and more than 40,000 fighters in sleeper cells,” Hashemi says.
Under pressure, Hashemi thinks the group could go back underground, focusing on insurgent tactics like bombings. Meanwhile, in Syria, U.S.-led training of ground forces to fight ISIS is much slower, and complicated by the messy civil war there.
The group is likely to be weakened in 2015, but no one is betting on them being defeated entirely.
Read the full NPR article or listen to it athttp://n.pr/1Chr7aX
Pittard On Leadership And Importance Of International Coalitions
Pittard addressed a class of Kuwaiti and international students at the Mubarak Al-Abdullah Joint Command and Staff College in Kuwait on Dec. 9, 2013.
During his speech, he laid out his tenets for successful leadership and the recipe for cohesive coalition partnerships. He began his remarks by discussing his military experience and the conflicts which shaped both himself and his contemporaries.
In the post-Vietnam military, the Cold War paradigm still remained. Training revolved around potential conflict with the Soviet Union. But the threat evolved, and Pittard and other military leaders learned valuable lessons from engagements in Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Desert Storm and eventually in Afghanistan and Iraq. What remains true, he said, is that the world is dangerous and there are those who would do the United States and its allies harm; therefore, there must be strong coalitions going forward.
“We make mistakes, that is a given, but it’s what you do about those mistakes, what you learn from those mistakes,” said Pittard. “Which is the importance of leading an organization that can be introspective, where you have after active reviews – so that you can constantly be learning, considering, ‘how can we do it better?'”
Pittard described six tenets of strong leadership: provide vision, ensure mission focus, discover and utilize the talents of your subordinates, lead adaptable and innovative units, lead by example and don’t be afraid to make tough decisions.
American Forces Press Service and DVIDs contributed to this report.
More on Pittard
Pittard led the Joint Operations Center in Baghdad from late June 2014 until late October before returning to his position ofdeputy commander for the Third U.S. Army in Kuwait.
Pittard, a native of El Paso and graduate of Eastwood High School, was commanding general of Fort Bliss starting in 2010 and 1 st Armored Division in May starting in 2011. He relinquished both positions in May 2013.
He then became the deputy commander for the Third U.S. Army in Kuwait, where his duties included overseeing the American military operation in Jordan.
Pittard and President Barack Obama have met on at least a couple of occasions when the president visited Fort Bliss in 2010 and 2012. Obama visited the post in Aug. 2010, the same day he announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PITTARD BY CLICKING LINKS BELOW
HBO Real Sports episode centers on supplement deaths of Ft. Bliss soldiers June 12, 2015
El Paso native Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard to be replaced as leader of US forces in Iraq this month Oct. 13, 2014
El Paso native Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard tapped to lead U.S. forces in Iraq Aug. 6, 2014
Maj. Gen. Pittard’s final thoughts as he leaves Fort Bliss May 23, 2013
Pittard family reunited with family heirloom May 04, 2013
Fort Bliss credits training for drop in suicidesFebruary 04, 2013
Ft. Bliss Commander responds to new role for women in militaryJanuary 24, 2013
President Obama: If you’re hurting, it’s not a sign of weakness to seek help, it’s a sign of strengthAugust 31, 2012
Obama visiting Fort Bliss on Friday, the 2nd anniversary of last post visitAugust 27, 2012
Read, Watch Obama’s Speech To Fort Bliss SoldiersAugust 31, 2010
New Fort Bliss Commander Has El Paso Connection May 20, 2010
