Posted on Dec 19, 2015
SOCOM General’s Profanity-Filled Rant At Briefers Led To Investigation
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During a briefing Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland Jr. reportedly swore at briefers and at one point suggested they be shot.
RP Members should this General be reprimanded for his profanity or is his apology enough at this level of leadership?
Mulholland, left his post as the former SOCOM head roughly six months after the report’s completion for his current post as the CIA’s associate director for military affairs. The Washington Post reports that the inspector general substantiated the allegations against Mulholland and suggested that the Army secretary take some form of corrective action against him. Mulholland later apologized to the person who filed the complaint and others in the room at the time.
RP Members should this General be reprimanded for his profanity or is his apology enough at this level of leadership?
Mulholland, left his post as the former SOCOM head roughly six months after the report’s completion for his current post as the CIA’s associate director for military affairs. The Washington Post reports that the inspector general substantiated the allegations against Mulholland and suggested that the Army secretary take some form of corrective action against him. Mulholland later apologized to the person who filed the complaint and others in the room at the time.
SOCOM General’s Profanity-Filled Rant At Briefers Led To Investigation
Posted from taskandpurpose.com
Professionalism
Character
Discipline
UCMJ
Leader
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 29
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This popped up early, and "reading between the lines" here's my assessment.
It wasn't about the brief. It was about SOMETHING ELSE. The brief was merely the "straw that broke the camel's back."
I think the General (a 3 star political officer) who by all other reports was normally a composed individual, "snapped" (one off incident) because of stress or other contributing factors.
We're able to identify it in Junior Enlisted, and Junior Officers. Why can't we identify it when it happens to the Boss?
This was a staff briefing of E6/O4+ so I don't believe it was a case of "butt hurt" but actual concern. When you have multiple people (2 based on the article) calling the DoD Hotline, that's a red flag along the lines of someone banging on the CO's door and saying "I think something is 'going on' with the CSM." That's command climate to the point of implosion.
Everyone needs to vent. It's a release valve. Juniors vent to peers & seniors. It's what we do. We blow of steam. But who does a General blow off steam to? What's his release valve?
I've never had the privilege or burdens of Command, especially at that level, so I can't imagine the toll... but my "tastes" throughout my career have taught me the ability to vent is essential.
It wasn't about the brief. It was about SOMETHING ELSE. The brief was merely the "straw that broke the camel's back."
I think the General (a 3 star political officer) who by all other reports was normally a composed individual, "snapped" (one off incident) because of stress or other contributing factors.
We're able to identify it in Junior Enlisted, and Junior Officers. Why can't we identify it when it happens to the Boss?
This was a staff briefing of E6/O4+ so I don't believe it was a case of "butt hurt" but actual concern. When you have multiple people (2 based on the article) calling the DoD Hotline, that's a red flag along the lines of someone banging on the CO's door and saying "I think something is 'going on' with the CSM." That's command climate to the point of implosion.
Everyone needs to vent. It's a release valve. Juniors vent to peers & seniors. It's what we do. We blow of steam. But who does a General blow off steam to? What's his release valve?
I've never had the privilege or burdens of Command, especially at that level, so I can't imagine the toll... but my "tastes" throughout my career have taught me the ability to vent is essential.
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Lt Col Stephen Petzold
Worked for an SES once that periodically needed to vent, which usually involved a lot of yelling. I learned quickly that if you got all defensive about it, it would just spin him up even more. If on the other hand you just sat there and said "yes sir", "we will look into that sir" he would quickly calm down, get over it and you could then work normally with him. It helped that I usually got yelled at about other people's projects, not my own! With the big desks come big responsibility...and stress.
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CWO3 (Join to see)
Sgt. Aaron Kennedy,
You maybe right and might have said the right words. I remember two Marine Corps General's who said things out of context to their G-Staff Officers and to the local media and was slammed by the DOD Secretary of Defense. One of them is a good friend and we served together with the 1st Marine Division during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
But in the end they both learned a great lesson on how to praise or belittle someone junior to them. Both retired as General's in the Marine Corps.
You maybe right and might have said the right words. I remember two Marine Corps General's who said things out of context to their G-Staff Officers and to the local media and was slammed by the DOD Secretary of Defense. One of them is a good friend and we served together with the 1st Marine Division during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
But in the end they both learned a great lesson on how to praise or belittle someone junior to them. Both retired as General's in the Marine Corps.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
1LT William Clardy very possibly, but I'm leaning Occam's Razor on this. A single PO'd officer fits your theory, but 2 on, plus threats, arguments, etc lead me to "stressed out leader" but it could be anything.
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1LT William Clardy
Occam's Razor still fits -- I'm not a general and I have no trouble recalling some meetings where my subordinates were on the receiving end of "threats" that, based on their demonstrated lack of comprehension, they should be taken out and shot, or prevented from polluting the gene pool by means of a dull and rusty knife.
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LTC Bink Romanick
SGM Steve Wettstein If I had a dollar for every time a senior officer cursed at me or around me I'd be a wealthy man.
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LT Charles (Chuck) McCoy
If this incident is all that bad, they sure as hell would have a Problem if George S. Patton, Jr. was still around.
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I am sure there are details left out of this article. These were all senior members of the US Special Operations Command staff and I am sure were used to some pretty coarse language over their careers. Most if not all were likely members of various special operations units as well. In another article I read on this, I believe a Marine Major General was part of the briefer staff. So I think it was much worse than the article alludes to for a couple of individuals to call a hotline. In my experience, that does not happen unless there has been repeated behavior (i.e. toxic climate). It sounds like this was the last straw. It is unprofessional for anyone to say go shoot yourself, much less a 3-star general.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Sir, this was my take away as well. His deputy was a Marine 2 star and there was an Aus. Gen Officer as well.
I don't know if it was at level of toxic climate, but the event was extreme enough to have multiple field grade/senior nco pop red smoke something is definitely wrong beyond "hurt feelings."
I don't know if it was at level of toxic climate, but the event was extreme enough to have multiple field grade/senior nco pop red smoke something is definitely wrong beyond "hurt feelings."
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