Speaking frankly costs an Army general his job
A US Army general in Afghanistan has been fired 鈥� 鈥渞elieved of command,鈥� in military jargon 鈥� for speaking critically of Afghan military and political officials, including President Hamid Karzai.
In an interview with Politico, Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller, deputy commander of the American-led NATO effort to train and equip Afghan security forces, called key elements of the Afghan government 鈥渋solated from reality,鈥� described Karzai as 鈥渆rratic,鈥� and said officials there 鈥渄on鈥檛 understand the sacrifices that America is making to provide for their security.鈥�
The two-star general flashed irritation when he brought up Karzai鈥檚 recent remarks that Afghanistan would side with Pakistan in a war against the U.S., blasting the president鈥檚 comments as 鈥渆rratic,鈥� and adding, 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 you just poke me in the eye with a needle! You鈥檝e got to be kidding me 鈥� I鈥檓 sorry, we just gave you $11.6 billion and now you鈥檙e telling me, 鈥業 don鈥檛 really care鈥�?鈥�
鈥淚 said, 鈥榊ou guys are isolated from reality.鈥� The reality is, the world economy is having some significant hiccups. The U.S. is in this [too],鈥� Fuller told POLITICO. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e in a very poor country like Afghanistan, you think that America has roads paved in gold, everybody lives in Hollywood. They don鈥檛 understand the sacrifices that America is making to provide for their security.鈥�
听
Citing 鈥渋nappropriate public comments,鈥� Gen. John Allen, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, promptly relieved Fuller of his duties, which means he鈥檚 unlikely to advance beyond his two-star rank.
听鈥淭hese unfortunate comments are neither indicative of our current solid relationship with the government of Afghanistan, its leadership, or our joint commitment to prevail here in Afghanistan,鈥� Gen. Allen said in a statement. 鈥淭he Afghan people are an honorable people, and comments such as these will not keep us from accomplishing our most critical and shared mission 鈥� bringing about a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.鈥�
Officials with the NATO operation in Afghanistan, known as the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF), also felt the need to separate themselves from Fuller鈥檚 comments.
"These unfortunate comments are clearly MG Fuller's personal opinions,鈥� ISAF said in a statement Friday. 鈥淗owever, they in no way represent the policies or positions of the International Security and Assistance Force."
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In some ways, Fuller鈥檚 less-than-diplomatic comments echo what US officials have said privately about the war in Afghanistan 鈥� including Fuller鈥檚 critique of Karzai.
But from the swiftness of the punishment, it was clear that the veteran of more than 30 years in the Army had gone too far in expressing his frustration 鈥� especially as a very senior officer in a very public position in Afghanistan.
As deputy commander of the NATO training mission in charge of programs, Fuller was in charge of distributing $11 billion in equipment, supplies, training, and contracts.
The last senior officer to be relieved of command for speaking out of turn was US Army General Stanley McChrystal, now retired. McChrystal was commander of ISAF when remarks critical of Obama administration officials were attributed to McChrystal and his aides in an article in Rolling Stone magazine.
Recalled to Washington by President Obama, McChrystal quickly retired. He has since formed a consulting firm, teaches a graduate seminar at Yale University, and has joined several corporate boards of directors.
The Fuller story was the second time in less than a week that Politico, a multimedia news organization based in Arlington, Va., and founded by two veteran Washington Post journalists, has broken major news.
Last weekend, Politico reporters were the first to detail allegations of sexual harassment against Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain.
