Facing Trial, Army’s Top Enlisted Man Loses Title

A day after announcing that Army Sgt. Maj. Gene C. McKinney will be court-martialed, the Army said Thursday that it has stripped him of the title denoting the army’s top enlisted man.

“He no longer is sergeant major of the Army,” Army spokesman Lt. Col. Bill Harkey said.

McKinney will stay in uniform and continue working on his legal defense, officials said.

The sergeant major of the Army is responsible for advising the Army chief of staff on matters relating to the 400,000 enlisted personnel who are the bulk of the service.

On Wednesday the Army announced that McKinney will face a court-martial on 20 counts relating to accusations by six women of sexual harassment and assault. The decision followed a lengthy hearing to determine if the case should go to trial.

On Thursday the Army appointed a military judge for the court-martial, although no trial date has been set. He is Col. Ferdinand D. Clervi, the most senior trial judge in the Army, based at Ft. Hood, Texas.

McKinney, 46, married and a 29-year Army veteran, has denied the charges against him.

In a brief written statement announcing his decision Thursday, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dennis Reimer said the Army has begun the process of choosing a replacement.

“I owe the soldiers of the United States Army a full-time sergeant major of the Army who can forcefully advocate their interests and advise senior Army leadership on matters pertaining to enlisted soldiers,” Reimer said.

Reimer said he has “formed no opinion” on McKinney’s guilt or innocence. The decision to make him face a court-martial, however, means he will be unavailable to perform his duties “for an uncertain period of time,” the general said.

McKinney was suspended from duty in February when a former public affairs advisor went public with accusations that he made improper sexual advances to her at a hotel. Since then he has been working on his legal defense at Ft. Myer, Va.

In June, Reimer appointed two men to share McKinney’s duties. One of them, Sgt. Maj. James McKinney, is McKinney’s identical twin and is based at the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command at Ft. Monroe, Va. The other is Sgt. Maj. Jerry Alley Jr., assigned to the Forces Command in Atlanta.

Reimer did not say whether either of those two is a candidate for the job.

McKinney, the first black to hold the noncommissioned officer corps’ most prestigious position, is expected to enter a plea at an arraignment within a few days. He has accused the Army of racial bias in its handling of his case.