Air Force Maj. Gen. James Post III has just been removed from his position for telling troops that testifying to Congress regarding the positive capabilities of the A-10 aircraft would be tantamount to treason.
Post, a two-star vice commander at Air Combat Command, informed over 300 airmen in Nevada back in January that they shouldn’t be speaking to Congress about the aircraft. After major public outcry, the Air Force announced that it was beginning an investigation into exactly what occurred at the event.
This investigation was undertaken by the Air Force inspector general and was strongly supported by Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, who urged the process on when it appeared to be stalling.
Gen. Hawk Carlisle made the final determination over Post’s removal after reviewing Post’s response to the initial complaint.
The inspector general found that regardless of Post’s intentions, his speech was interpreted as an attempt to silence lawful communication with Congress and produced a chilling effect among the airmen in the audience. This counts as a clear violation of U.S. Code and Department of Defense directives.
“The objective of my comment was simply meant to focus the attention of the audience on working within the command’s constraints. It was sincerely never my intention to discourage anyone’s access to their elected officials,” Post stated in response to his removal, according to The Hill.
“I now understand how my poor choice of words may have led a few attendees to draw this conclusion and I offer my humble apology for causing any undue strain on the command and its mission.”
The Air Force has been aggressively trying to sideline the A-10 from service, citing a crucial $4 billion dollars in savings, as well as the need to transition maintenance crews to the F-35 program. Post’s comments were just one of the examples pointed to by critics of the move, who prefer the A-10 because of its ability to deliver superior close-air support for ground troops. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sided with servicemembers against the Air Force. (RELATED: Air Force Continues Smear Campaign Against A-10 Jets)
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