After alleged misconduct, Defense Secretary Ash Carter removes top aide

Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis with Defense Secretary Ash Carter. — (Image credit: Pool/Getty Images)

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that Senior Military Assistant Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis was removed from his position, due to allegations of misconduct.

Lewis is a West Point graduate who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Apache attack helicopter pilot and squadron commander. Carter did not elaborate on the alleged misconduct, and a Pentagon official told ABC News that because of legal limitations, the Defense Department is unable to discuss it further. In a statement, Carter said the incident has been referred to the Pentagon Inspector General and "the Department of the Army will then take action as appropriate."

The move was unexpected, and Lewis has been temporarily assigned to the Army Vice Chief of Staff's office pending the outcome of the investigation, officials said. In his statement, Carter said he expects "the highest possible standards of conduct from the men and women in this department particularly from those serving in the most senior positions. There is no exception." A senior Defense Department official told ABC News Carter first heard about the allegations on Tuesday and was "very surprised."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.