MILITARY TO PUNISH ANTHRAX FAILURES

General, other officials could lose jobs over safety

A brigadier general and other top officials at an Army biodefense lab in Utah are among a dozen individuals facing potential disciplinary actions — including loss of jobs — for egregious failures that contributed to the facility mistakenly shipping live anthrax to other labs for more than a decade, according to themilitary’s accountability investigation report that was provided to USA TODAY.

“Over time, you see there is complacency that the leadership should have recognized and taken action to correct,” Maj. Gen. Paul Ostrowski, who led the review team, said in an interview.

The review found that top officials at the Dugway Proving Ground southwest of Salt Lake City had multiple warning signs of scientific and safety problems, yet they failed to take action despite earlier, serious incidents in the facility’s labs during 2007-2011 involving anthrax, VX chemical nerve

agent and poisonous Botulinum neurotoxin A.

“This complacent atmosphere resulted in an organization plagued by mistakes and unable to identify systemic issues in the high-risk, zero-defects world of biological select agents and toxins,” the report said.

The review harshly singles out Brig. Gen. William E. King IV, who was in command at Dugway as a colonel from July 2009 to July 2011. “Colonel King repeatedly deflected blame and minimized the se- verity of incidents,” the report said. “Even now, Brigadier General King lacks introspection and fails to recognize the scope and severity of the incidents that occurred during his command at (Dugway).”

King was promoted to general after leaving Dugway.

“I have been and remain gravely concerned about the circumstances surrounding the DPG anthrax incident, and have and will continue to fully cooperate with and assist the Army in its ongoing investigation and Special Task Force as it determines a way ahead,” King said in a statement to USA TODAY.

“I have learned much from this experience and continue to fully support efforts and cooperate to better understand the science and technical gaps associated with handling and processing these most dangerous materials as we develop better and more effective ways and means to defend against their potential use against the U.S. and its interest,” the statement said.

Decisions on any personnel sanctions have not been made by Army leadership.

No illnesses resulted from the Dugway anthrax shipments.