An investigation completed by the Defense Department’s inspector general has cleared Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, of allegations that he engaged in improper behavior, announced Pentagon Press Secretary George Little on Tuesday. In a statement on Jan. 22, Little said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta “was pleased to learn that allegations of professional misconduct were not substantiated” by the IG’s investigation. “The Secretary has complete confidence in the continued leadership of General Allen, who is serving with distinction in Afghanistan,” added Little. In November, Panetta asked the IG to investigate Allen after allegations surfaced that Allen may have engaged in an inappropriate e-mail exchange with one of the women linked to the sex scandal that brought down David Petraeus as CIA director. At the time, Panetta asked Congress to place a hold on Allen’s nomination to become commander of US European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Fresh off the first combat deployment of its new EA-37B, the Air Force is nearly doubling the planned number of new electronic attack jets and projecting more than $3 billion in spending on the program in the next five years.