WASHINGTON: The four-star general who headed U.S. Africa Command used military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa and billed the government for a refueling stop overnight in Bermuda, where the couple stayed in a $750 suite, a Defense Department investigation has found.
A 99-page report alleges excessive unauthorized spending and travel costs for Gen. William “Kip” Ward, including lengthy stays at lavish hotels for Ward, his wife and his staff members, and the use of five-vehicle motorcades when he traveled to Washington.
It also said that Ward and his wife, Joyce, accepted dinner and Broadway show tickets from a government contractor during a trip when he went backstage to meet actor Denzel Washington and they and several staff members spent two nights at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
The allegations, coming after a 17-month investigation, deliver an embarrassing blow to the Army and to Ward, who had claimed a place in history as the military’s first commander of U.S. Africa Command.
“We conclude Gen. Ward engaged in multiple forms of misconduct related to official and unofficial travel,” the inspector general’s report said. “He conducted official travel for primarily personal reasons and misused” military aircraft.
Ward, who is facing possible demotion for his activities, also could be forced to repay the government.
The report said that there is an additional review going on to determine reimbursement for unofficial travel and daily travel costs that exceeded approved levels. It is not clear whether he could face criminal charges.
In comments throughout the report, Ward defended the spending, saying his wife performed official duties on all the trips. But investigators, who pored over emails, calendar entries and other documents, disagreed.
