Defense Secretary Ash Carter fired his senior military adviser on Thursday over allegations of misconduct.
Carter said in a statement that he brought the allegations against Army Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis to the Defense Department’s inspector general for investigation. The official declined to provide any information about the nature of the alleged misconduct or how the secretary learned about it.
“I have confidence in the Inspector General’s ability to determine the facts. The Department of the Army will then take action as appropriate,” Carter said in a statement. “I expect the highest possible standards of conduct from the men and women in this department particularly from those serving in the most senior positions. There is no exception.”
The Defense Department Inspector General confirmed Thursday night that they were conducting an investigation.
“The Department of Defense Inspector General received a referral from the Office of the Secretary of Defense regarding the senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. The DODIG will conduct an investigation,” according to a statement.
A senior defense official said Carter was made aware of the allegations Tuesday night and spoke with Lewis on Thursday morning, when he was relieved. Lewis will report to the vice chair of the Army during the investigation.
Carter was “very surprised” by the allegations, the official said.
Lewis was widely seen as a rising star in the Pentagon. He previously worked with Carter twice before, as his military assistant when Carter served as the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics and again as his senior military assistant when Carter served as the deputy secretary of defense, Army Times reported when he was tapped for the job in February.
A yet-to-be-named senior military official will replace Lewis in an acting capacity while the investigation is ongoing, the official said.
