WASHINGTON — An Air Force general who is nominated for a top nuclear job at the Pentagon was investigated and recently cleared of accusations he fostered a hostile work environment during a previous assignment, Defense News has learned.

Pending Senate confirmation, Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein will pin on a third star and take over as the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration. He currently oversees the service's arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

An Air Force spokesperson said the complaint, which emerged after the general's nomination, indicated his conduct was "contrary to the ethical value of respect as defined by the Joint Ethics Regulation," a Defense Department policy governing employee conduct.

"Specifically," the spokesperson said via email, "the complainant alleged Maj. Gen. Weinstein established a hostile work environment. The Air Force Inspector General's office investigated and did not substantiate the allegation. Consistent with our process, the DOD Inspector General's office reviewed the report of investigation."

It's unclear whether the investigation has delayed Weinstein's promotion and follow-on assignment, which has been pending in the Senate since mid-March. A spokesperson for the Senate Armed Services Committee directed a request for comment back to the Pentagon.

Weinstein has spent much of his military career in the Air Force's nuclear community, leading units at the squadron, group and wing levels. Since 2013 he has served as commander of the 20th Air Force, part of Global Strike Command, and Task Force 214, which is part of US Strategic Command. The organization is based at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming and includes about 9,600 personnel.

It is becoming more common for the military's top officers to face such investigations as they rise through the ranks, with one source noting that IG complaints can be used as retaliation for perceived slights in the past. However, Weinstein's prominent role in the nuclear community makes this an especially sensitive issue.

His predecessor at the 20th Air Force, Maj. Gen. Michael Carey, was fired from the job following what superiors described as excessive drinking and inappropriate behavior during a trip to Russia.

Morale at F.E. Warren was so bad it prompted a visit in 2014 from then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel as part of a tour of the service's nuclear bases. The trip followed revelations that drug use and academic cheating had become widespread at F.E. Warren, Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.

The scandal laid bare what top officials readily agreed is a crisis in the nuclear enterprise. As part of his public effort to clean up the ranks, Weinstein ordered nine nuclear officers removed from their jobs following an investigation into the most serious revelations.

The Air Force also has called for greater focus on this community. As part of that, the service tapped Gen. Robin Rand to head up Global Strike Command, the first time a four-star general has held that position. Rand was confirmed earlier this year.

Email: amehta@defensenews.com

Twitter: @AaronMehta

Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.

Share:
More In Defense News