A newspaper investigation of the Arizona National Guard has found a series of criminal and ethical misconduct incidents that critics say continue to fester, in part because of leadership failures and lax discipline.
The Arizona Republic reported Sunday that interviews with military officers and a review of records show misbehavior by Army National Guard members in the past decade included sexual abuse, enlistment improprieties, forgery, firearms violations, embezzlement and assaults.
Much of the wrongdoing was not previously disclosed and was concentrated among military recruiters.
National Guard investigators found that noncommissioned officers engaged in sexual misconduct, collected improper recruiting fees, forged documents and committed offenses such as hunting the homeless with paintball guns.
Investigators asserted that National Guard commanders didn't hold subordinates accountable.
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Gov. Jan Brewer has ordered an investigation after the Republic shared its findings with her.
"The governor is calling for a full, fair and independent review of the Arizona National Guard, its operations, the personnel and discipline handed out in response to some of these incidents," said Matthew Benson, a spokesman for Brewer.
Maj. Gen. Hugo Salazar, the Arizona National Guard's top officer, said in an interview with the Republic that a rogue atmosphere in recruiting was detected and quietly addressed in the past few years. Salazar was appointed by Brewer as adjutant general in April 2009.
"I acknowledge there was a problem," he said. "We should have had more command emphasis. We should have paid more attention."
The National Guard is a state organization with more than 9,000 military and civilian personnel. Most are part-timers assigned to weekend duty.
Corruption and other misconduct appear to be confined to a small minority of the roughly 2,300 soldiers and airmen who are full-time employees. Many of these were in the Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Command, according to the Republic's review of more than a dozen military and police reports.
Salazar said recruiting operations were reorganized and the most culpable soldiers were discharged or demoted. Training has improved; all misconduct reports are investigated; and officers strive to mete out appropriate discipline.
In an opinion article published in the Republic today, Salazar emphasized the good service of Guard members and said "it would be a gross injustice if the mistakes of a few individuals were used to impugn the character and service of the entire Arizona National Guard."
But other high-ranking officers who talked with the Republic disagreed. They said the National Guard suffers from lax discipline, cronyism, cover-ups, whistle-blower abuse and other systemic flaws. They noted that the Guard has never successfully court-martialed an officer or soldier despite serious wrongdoing uncovered by investigators.
Lt. Col. Rob White, who conducted a "command climate" investigation in 2009 to assess whether commanders were at fault, said he is sickened by the failure of National Guard leaders to root out misconduct and impose punishment.
"The way the Arizona National Guard is today, I would not trust it with my son or daughter," said White. "It disgusts me. . . . People don't get fired, they get moved."
White and others said reform attempts have repeatedly failed, in part because appeals to Brewer or the National Guard Bureau's inspector general have been simply referred back to Arizona Guard headquarters.
"The organization is there to take care of soldiers. That's what we're supposed to do," White said. "But what they're doing is taking care of good ol' boys. And when victims come forward, the Arizona Guard turns on them and eats them."
Benson said Brewer remains confident in Salazar but believes an in-depth inquiry by an outsider is needed.
White and several other officers came to the Republic out of frustration that the problems were not being addressed. Others shared their views confidentially for fear of losing their jobs.
"I'll probably get retaliated against," White said. "I'll be gone. I think they're already going for me."
Lt. Col. Paul Forshey, who recently retired as the National Guard's top lawyer, said he was dismayed that reforms suggested by a panel were disregarded by top leaders. "I have never seen a board like that . . . where command did not follow the recommendations of three senior officers."
The Guard last week accused Forshey of violating attorney-client privilege and threatened him with a state Bar complaint for speaking with the Republic, but he said he won't be silenced.
White, who was among three officers who uncovered widespread misconduct in the Recruiting and Retention Command during 2009, said recommendations were mostly discarded and culpable soldiers received minimal discipline.
Salazar denied ignoring recommendations for reform. He said suggestions were carried out, though with modifications. He also rejected inferences of a problematic culture.
"We do not have a corrupt command climate in either the National Guard or in recruiting," he said. "We address misconduct. The criticism is neither fair nor true."
The Republic's inquiry focused on issues in the state's Army Guard. However, similar problems in the Air Guard, which also serves under Salazar, resulted in the dismissal of five top officers in recent years. Commanders of the Guard's F-16 wing were fired in connection with harassment of a female fighter pilot, and leaders of the Predator surveillance group were fired after auditors uncovered what they alleged were fraudulent expense payments totaling $1.1 million.
"We do not have a corrupt command climate in either the National Guard or in recruiting. . . . The criticism is neither fair nor true."
Maj. Gen. Hugo Salazar,
Arizona National Guard's top officer