Weinberger Asks Probe of Navy Promotion Board’s Dismissal

Navy Secretary John F. Lehman Jr.’s breakup of a promotion board prompted an angry letter from the Senate Armed Services Committee and a call for an investigation by Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger, the Pentagon said Monday.

Lehman dissolved the captain’s promotion board and dismissed its president, Vice Adm. Bruce DeMars, after the vice admiral refused to drop three submarine officers chosen to be upgraded from commander to captain. He charged that Lehman’s order to “deselect” the three officers was “illegal.”

Lehman, a former aviator, argued that a disproportionate number of submarine officers had been selected for promotion over others who work in different branches of the Navy.

The Navy secretary said he acted after conferring with Navy lawyers and said the issue focused on civilian control of the promotion process.

Weinberger asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate the incident after he received a letter last week from the Senate Armed Services Committee, a Pentagon spokesman said. The letter was signed by the chairman, Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), and the ranking minority member, Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), among others.

The letter was prompted by reports that Lehman “allegedly attempted to manipulate improperly the outcome of a recent Navy promotion board,” they wrote.

“The independence and integrity of the officer promotion process in the military services is a cornerstone of the military personnel management system,” the letter said.

“If military members begin to feel that the independence and integrity of the promotion process is being undermined, the impact on the morale and performance of the officer corps in the military services could be very serious,” it said.

“It is really a question of civilian control and the responsibility of the civilian secretary of the Navy,” Lehman said.