WASHINGTON — A top Army commander was relieved of his command at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Thursday after senior officials said they lost trust and confidence in his leadership abilities to address injured soldier care at military medical facilities.
Army Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman leaves his post as two-star general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The change comes on the same day that an independent panel reviewing allegations of poor quality-of-life conditions at two military medical facilities treating soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan plans to meet for the first time.
Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, commanding General of U.S. Army Medical Command, will be acting as Weightman's temporary replacement.
"We'll fix as we go; we'll fix as we find things wrong," said Secretary of the Army Dr. Francis J. Harvey in recent comments in the press release. "Soldiers are the heart of our Army and the quality of their medical care is non-negotiable."
The panel will visit the Pentagon and will receive free and unrestricted access to Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Its report is expected in 45 days.
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