Wynne blasts Gates over firing, reasons

[CommunityEditor]

Former Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne said Wednesday that his ouster in June was related more to disagreements with Defense Secretary Robert Gates over the current wars and the service’s future needs than to high-profile mistakes in the handling of nuclear weapons and components.

In a wide-ranging discussion with Military Times editors and reporters, Wynne explained the differences of opinion that he says led to his forced resignation.

Gates “and I had some long-standing disputes about the funding for F-22,” Wynne said. “We had a dispute as to whether or not you should spend your time worrying about the strategic effects of the future, or you should spend your time on the war as it sits. … So I think [me] going out and viewing a little bit about what’s the future was construed as the secretary of the Air Force is distracted from [his] duties.”

Wynne also criticized the manner in which Gates removed him from office.

“If the secretary didn’t want somebody on his staff, the secretary should pick the time and the place and tell him to leave,” he said. “I’m just amazed at the circumstances. Why didn’t [he] just call me in and say, ‘Time to go’?”

On the subject of the Air Force’s nuclear failures, Wynne accepted responsibility for the accidental flight last August from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., of a B-52 armed with nuclear weapons. But Wynne noted that the sequence of events leading up to the other high-profile incident – the discovery in March that nuclear warhead fuses had accidentally been shipped to Taiwan in 2006 – did not occur on his watch.

“Ascribing it to my tenure is interesting,” he said.

Wynne also said the conclusions of a report by Navy Adm. Kirkland Donald, director of naval nuclear propulsion, that is critical of the Air Force’s nuclear programs are colored by cultural differences between how the two services handle their nuclear missions. Gates cited the Donald Report as the reasons he fired Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley.

Adm. Donald “looked at us from a Navy perspective,” Wynne said. “They just see things very differently than we do.”


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20...wynne_070908w/

God I can't wait until Gates and his little butt buddy England leaves office. Gates just like Ronald Dumbsfield were the worst defense secretaries in the world. I hope ether McCain or Obama will fix the Air Force.

What a whiner...

[Calmo70]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

God I can't wait until Gates and his little butt buddy England leaves office. Gates just like Ronald Dumbsfield were the worst defense secretaries in the world. I hope ether McCain or Obama will fix the Air Force.

Obviously, a fighter pilot. Your sugar-daddy is gone.

I have a hard time believing this. At the air force academy the soaring squadron commander has told some of his officers to turn their head on the lying, fraternization and blatent disregard for others safety because personnel hatred of those in charge existed. These individuals who committed these "indescretions" have been given everything they have wanted and the individual who told this squadron commander they would not turn their head has been kicked out of the squadron. Everyone saw this and did not nothing; this squadron also watched this squadron commander make attempts to discredit and destroy this person. This attitude will not change in the Air Force until whistle blowers are not punished and people are held to standards. Former Secretary Wynn is correct to cite the above but he does not know everything going on.

[NavyWings]

You're the Commander, final responsibility rests with you. Wynne should have walked into Gates office and resigned vice waiting to be fired.

Maybe there were disagreements between Gates and Wynne. And yes, disagreements between senior and subordinate do get you fired. Gates was essentially Wynne's Commander. You have enough disagreements, screw up your job, whine about criticisim from the other services and yeah, you get fired.

As for Wynne's comment "They just see things very differently than we do," concerning ADM. Donald's criticism, all I can say is wow.

In seeing no room for error when it comes to Nuclear Programs, I sure HOPE they see eye to eye. My guess is they don't. The Navy hasn't inadvertently shipped a nuclear core to the wrong base without knowing there was a core there! The Navy hasn't put a Ballistic Missile on a train and sent the missile somewhere and not realized it was on the train! The Navy hasn't lost accountability for a nuclear weapon! Donald didn't look at him from a "Navy" perspective. He looked at him from a "do your damn job right" perspective.

Yeah, that was a huge error and alone worth being fired over. His incredulous attitude over Donald's criticism is evidence enough it's time for him to go.

Originally Posted by NavyWings

You're the Commander, final responsibility rests with you. Wynne should have walked into Gates office and resigned vice waiting to be fired.

Maybe there were disagreements between Gates and Wynne. And yes, disagreements between senior and subordinate do get you fired. Gates was essentially Wynne's Commander. You have enough disagreements, screw up your job, whine about criticisim from the other services and yeah, you get fired.

As for Wynne's comment "They just see things very differently than we do," concerning ADM. Donald's criticism, all I can say is wow.

In seeing no room for error when it comes to Nuclear Programs, I sure HOPE they see eye to eye. My guess is they don't. The Navy hasn't inadvertently shipped a nuclear core to the wrong base without knowing there was a core there! The Navy hasn't put a Ballistic Missile on a train and sent the missile somewhere and not realized it was on the train! The Navy hasn't lost accountability for a nuclear weapon! Donald didn't look at him from a "Navy" perspective. He looked at him from a "do your damn job right" perspective.

Yeah, that was a huge error and alone worth being fired over. His incredulous attitude over Donald's criticism is evidence enough it's time for him to go.

Aren't we being holier than thou. I have seen first hand a Navy Officer on a Surity Inspection writing up BS about welding cracks in a trailer, just because in "his expert" opinion the welds were a problem, which they weren't.

[Silver Fox]

And were they not a problem in your expert opinion? The point I'm trying to make is who said they weren't a problem, or would not be in the future?

I think Robert Gates is doing a good job, he's letting officers do their jobs, but making them accountable for their actions. Mosely pushed for tons of fighters, a new handgun, got us into these horrific ABUs, talked tough while cowering to every demand the Army made for manpower, did nothing to alleviate deployment strain, and let our nuclear program crumble.... I can't think of a single worthwhile accomplishment he made while Chief of Staff. GOOD RIDDANCE.

I just wish they'd have canned McKinley too. Everytime I see his mindless, pathetic propagandist speeches on AFN I want to vomit. The guy is a mindless zombie.

[Boss Hog]

Isn't it past time for this thread to go to the archives?