Inspector General

20151113-034269 7
II. BACKGROUND
MG Lewis was commissioned as an Aviation branch officer upon graduation from the
United States Military Academy in 1987. During the course of his career, MG Lewis held
command and staff positions of increasing responsibility. From August 2010 to October 2011,
MG Lewis served as the Military Assistant to Ashton Carter, who was then the Under Secretary
of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. From October 2011 through October
2012, MG Lewis served as the SMA to Deputy Secretary of Defense Carter. On October 2,
2012, MG Lewis was promoted to brigadier general while serving as SMA to Deputy Secretary
of Defense Carter.
On January 2, 2015, while serving as the Chief, Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of
the Army, MG Lewis was promoted to major general. From April to June 2015, MG Lewis
served as Special Assistant to Ashton Carter, the Secretary of Defense. On June 24, 2015,
MG Lewis was promoted to lieutenant general and began his assignment as SMA to the
Secretary of Defense. MG Lewis handled a broad range of responsibilities during his tenure as
the Secretary of Defense SMA, including management of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
On November 9, 2015, a member of the Office of the Secretary of Defense reported
allegations involving MG Lewis to the Secretary of Defense’s Chief of Staff. On
November 10, 2015, after a preliminary review of the allegations, the Chief of Staff informed the
Secretary of Defense of the allegations against MG Lewis. On November 11, 2015, the Chief of
Staff informed the DoD Inspector General that the Secretary of Defense was in the process of
relieving MG Lewis of his SMA duties based on the allegations. The Chief of Staff asked the
DoD Inspector General to initiate this investigation.
On November 12, 2015, the Secretary of Defense relieved MG Lewis from his position as
SMA to the Secretary of Defense and directed that MG Lewis report to his new assignment as
Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, U.S. Army. Upon his relief, MG Lewis
reverted from the SMA position grade of lieutenant general to the grade of major general by
operation of law. On November 13, 2015, we initiated this investigation.
III. SCOPE
In this investigation we interviewed 41 witnesses, including MG Lewis, Secretary of
Defense Carter, the Secretary of Defense’s current and former Chiefs of Staff, military and
civilian personnel currently or formerly assigned to the Secretary of Defense’s office, and special
agents who supported the Secretary of Defense’s overseas travel security requirements. DCIS
coordinated the investigative efforts regarding MG Lewis’ conduct in South Korea, and in Rome
with Italian law enforcement officials. We reviewed emails, phone records, GTCC records,
official travel records, security logs, calendars, government-issued iPhone content, and
applicable standards.
We also evaluated an allegation that MG Lewis misused enlisted Service members for
personal services. Only one witness told us that he performed a voluntary personal favor for
MG Lewis when, on November 5, 2015, while on temporary duty (TDY) travel, he purchased a
pair of flip-flops for MG Lewis. The witness, an enlisted Service member, decided to purchase