CMSgt. William Gurney, former command chief of Air Force Materiel Command, has received 20 months confinement, reduction in grade to E-1 (airman basic), and a dishonorable discharge for 15 violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The six-member panel of officers overseeing his court martial at Scott AFB, Ill., announced the sentence at the end of last week after a week-long trial. Gurney had initially pled guilty to 13 of those violations, all having to do with adultery and other improper relations with female airmen who were junior in rank to him. The panel found him guilty of two additional violations for maltreatment. Gurney now will have the opportunity to present matters for the convening authority’s consideration in determining his final sentence. By regulation, that sentence cannot exceed what the court martial has handed down. Before his sentencing, Gurney apologized before the court for his actions. (Scott release)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
