The commander of the Utah facility that accidentally shipped live anthrax spores to various facilities throughout the U.S. and overseas last year has been reprimanded, according to a report.
Brig. Gen. William King, commander of the Army’s 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives Command, is the highest-ranking officer punished or reprimanded in the flap, USA Today reported.
King’s reprimand is likely a career-killer. “Brig. Gen. King was reprimanded for failing to take appropriate action to respond to and mitigate lapses in safety and protocol while serving as commander of Dugway Proving Ground,” Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson, an Army spokeswoman, said in a statement to the newspaper.
Johnson also said that operations at King’s facility have been transferred to the Edgewood Biological Center in Aberdeen, Md., adding that personnel there have been destroying the toxins sent from Dugway.
Nobody was sickened, but the shipping of spores to 194 laboratories in 50 states, Washington, D.C., three territories and nine foreign countries over 12 years was an embarrassment for the command and the Army. The spores had been sent to help lab workers calibrate equipment.
USA Today reported that nine civilians have been demoted, suspended or lost responsibilities.
