In the wake of the Air Force’s relief and reprimand of Maj. Gen. James Post for his “treason” comments, the grapevine has been flooded with chatter about his performance in prior positions and what he’s been up to in the months since the debacle became public.
Many social media comments claim Post has had previous misconduct — some of it happening when he held command positions — cheaply excused and/or swept away by protectors further up the chain. Many others describe previous command roles in unflattering terms, with Post said to have created a “climate of fear” as a wing commander.
None of these inputs have been (or likely ever will be) corroborated and there’s no way of certifying them, but it’s remarkable just how much negative word-of-mouth seems to flood into discussions about this senior officer’s leadership. It makes me (and many others) wonder whether Post’s benefactors were involved enough to make the right kinds of observations and assessments about him as he rose through the ranks.
One input shared with me privately is particularly eyebrow-raising:
Just met with an old [colleague] of mine who just finished “charm school” at Maxwell. He was part of a group which included 41 other future Wing and Group Commanders.
You will never guess who the USAF appointed as his group’s mentor – yep you guessed it – MGen Post. The timing of his class was after [the “treason” incident] but before he was fired from his ACC/CV position.
My source also indicated the MGen Post issue was discussed. The consensus was many of the O-5/6s said “he is an idiot” while General Officers said “I cannot believe somebody told on Post.” I think the lobotomy must occur as the first star is pinned on. The A-10 community sees the same trend, three O-7s and one O-8 (all experienced in the A-10) are now being paraded out by the USAF to spread the “good” word.
[This is another indication] that not only does the USAF condone such behavior but thinks it should serve as an example to it’s future leaders.
I wrote recently that after analyzing the IG report that I thought it was questionable for Gen. Welsh to stand silent and leave Post in his position after learning (from Post himself) what he had said. It’s even more specious to have him out there mentoring classes of future wing and group commanders.
The Air Force’s handling of this incident is one of the most revealing and unfortunate chapters in its recent history. For those who hoped the Welsh era would mark the return of strong leadership to the senior officer corps, the disappointment could not be more sharp.
See also:
http://jqpublicblog.com/air-force-treason-debacle-reveals-deeper-problems/
http://jqpublicblog.com/management-spokesperson-doth-never-prosper/
http://jqpublicblog.com/creeping-fascism-unamerican-air-force/
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