Admiral Wins Job Back After Ashtray Probe
The Navy, concluding its investigation of the purchase of $630 ashtrays custom-designed for radar surveillance airplanes, disclosed Tuesday that it will reinstate an admiral who had been relieved of his duties at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego but will leave untouched the punishment of two lower-ranking officers.
The resolution of the investigation left Navy Secretary John F. Lehman Jr. and Adm. James D. Watkins, chief of naval operations, in the particularly sensitive position of deciding that the chain of command--and responsibility for the expensive purchase--extended as far as the base commander but not all the way up to the most senior-ranking officer at Miramar.
It was found last May that the Navy had paid $630 for each of two ashtrays for an E-2C Hawkeye electronic warfare plane; $400 for each of 17 wrench sockets designed to fit a bolt on an ejection seat and $2,410 for an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet ground lock.
Disclosure of the purchases prompted Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger to announce that Rear Adm. Thomas J. Cassidy, commander of the Pacific early warning fighter wing; Capt. Gary E. Hakanson, commander at Miramar, and Cmdr. Jerry L. Fronabarger, the base supply officer, were relieved of their duties.
As a result of Lehman and Watkins’ review of the investigation, Cassidy will be reinstated, and the status of Hakanson and Fronabarger remains unchanged.
Telephone Call
Cassidy, who learned of his reinstatement in a telephone call from Lehman on Tuesday, said that although he is pleased that he regained his old job, he felt bad for Hakanson and Fronabarger.
“I personally feel very sorry for them and their families,” Cassidy said.
Hakanson, reached by telephone at his San Diego residence, said he was “devastated” by Lehman’s announcement, details of which he learned through the news media.
“It’s unbelievably bad news,” Hakanson said. “I really don’t have any comment. I need time to think this through.”
Both Cassidy and Hakanson said they have planned for some time to retire this summer. Cassidy will retire Sept. 1, Hakanson on Aug. 1. Fronabarger could not be reached for comment.
Two subsequent investigations--one by the Navy’s Pacific Fleet and the other an independent review by the Navy inspector general--turned up “longstanding deficiencies concerning spare parts purchasing” throughout Hakanson’s and Fronabarger’s tours of duty at Miramar, a Navy announcement said Tuesday.
The air station failed to follow orders intended “to overcome unreasonable spare parts pricing,” and “this failure at Miramar was in conspicuous contrast to the performance of 374 other Navy commands audited over the past year,” the announcement said.
Primary Responsibility
The Navy said the investigations determined that under the existing chain of command, the supply officer and the base commander held primary responsibility for purchases and that this responsibility did not reach to the next-higher level, that of the wing commander.
Rep. Bill Lowery (D-San Diego) said, however, he is not yet convinced that Hakanson and Fronabarger are to blame for the pricing scandal.
“Obviously, this is good news for Adm. Cassidy and his family, but I think there are still questions until the report is made public in its entirety on what basis the officers were relieved and who was culpable,” Lowery said.
Lowery said he had been told three weeks ago by Lehman that the 16-inch-thick report was finished and would be made public when the Navy’s decision on the fate of the three men was announced.
On Tuesday, Lowery said, Lehman told him that the release of the investigation was out of his hands and up to Weinberger.
“The report has to be made public,” Lowery said.
Although Cassidy was reinstated, he was not completely exonerated.
More Aggressive Action
The Navy investigation said that “more aggressive actions” to implement the Navy’s spare parts purchasing program, intended to trim costs, could have been taken by Cassidy and that the admiral will be issued “an administrative letter of instruction.”
“There will be action taken to tighten up the accountability,” said one Navy source, who added that “very explicit” instructions would be issued to make clear the responsibilities of the most senior commanders.
Weinberger’s initial announcement relieving the three officers of their duties was sharply criticized by bitter Navy officers, who said they think that the positions of the captain and admiral were sacrificed to relieve the Pentagon of political pressure for tighter control of purchases.
One Pentagon source, speaking on the condition that he not be identified by name, said, however, that the action “really has gotten the system’s attention. This really grabbed them.”
Punishments Noticed
He said that memoranda from Lehman calling attention to the costs of spare parts may be ignored but that punishment meted out to senior officers is noticed.
“The warning shot has been fired across the bow of every procurement command in the Navy that indeed there will be accountability,” Lowery said.
James Gerstenzang reported from Washington and Glenn F. Bunting from San Diego.
