A FOUR-STAR US Army general accused of sexual misconduct has been dismissed in an apparent attempt to reaffirm the American military’s high moral standards.

The decision to relieve General Kevin P. Byrnes of his duties in charge of the Army’s recruitment and training for such a reason is thought to be without recent precedent for such a senior officer.

General Byrnes, 55, had previously had an unblemished military record. It included service in Vietnam and commanding international forces in Bosnia. He had been due to retire in November after a 36-year army career.

An army spokeswoman said yesterday: “He was relieved of his command for a matter of personal conduct. The Army has not released the nature of that conduct, but it was not a criminal issue.”

However, reporters have been told by anonymous sources that the action was taken because General Byrnes had been conducting an extramarital affair. He has been separated from his wife since May last year and their divorce was finalised this week, on the same day that he was relieved of his command.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Robertson, who was acting as the general’s lawyer, said that the allegation was about one relationship only, that it involved a private citizen and that the relationship was not with a member of the US armed forces or with an employee of the Government.

Although having an affair is sometimes judged as breaching the US military code’s ban on adultery, such cases rarely result in more than a letter of reprimand, especially when the officer in question is about to retire.

However, under a Republican Administration that prides itself on high moral standards, the Army is said to be concerned about its reputation after two years of deeply damaging allegations about the treatment of prisoners in Iraq.

There has also been considerable embarrassment over the cases of two prominent Air Force generals accused of sexually harassing subordinates at a time when the Defence Department is restructuring its policy on such behaviour.

Michael O’Hanlon, a military expert at the Brookings Institution, told The Washington Post: “It must have been the sort of thing where they felt they had no choice, given the recent history of personnel scandals in the Army. They are trying to make it clear that four stars don’t get special treatment. They must feel they have a need to send that message.”

The army spokeswoman said last night: “I’m aware of all this speculation, but we would stress that the Army already has very high moral standards and that it is a professional self-policing organisation.”

She added that a final decision about whether General Byrnes would face further action, such as reducing his rank, had yet to be taken.

Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, told a news conference at the Pentagon: “It’s something that is being handled in the proper channels, and it’s not something that it would be appropriate for me to get involved with.”

General Byrnes is ranked third in seniority among the Army’s 11 four-star generals. The Pentagon confirmed yesterday that it could find no cases in recent history in which an officer of such high standing had been relieved of duty for disciplinary reasons.

However, others have been dismissed for speaking out of turn. Admiral Richard Macke was removed as Pacific Naval Commander in 1995 for remarks that he made about the case of US Marines accused of raping a 12-year-old Japanese girl. And General Michael Dugan was fired as Airforce Chief of Staff in 1990 for comments he made to reporters about planning for the 1991 Gulf War.

MILITARY CONQUESTS

Lieutenant Kelly Flinn, the first woman to fly a B-52 bomber, was accused of an affair with the husband of another enlisted woman in 1997. She was eventually allowed to resign to avoid a court martial

Times Recommends

• Henning Mankell: ‘If Wallander was alive, I wouldn’t be a friend of his’
• Secret society's skull and crossbones for sale
• Nigerian leader vanishes after medical treatment