Col. Christopher Vanek, commander of U.S. Army's leading elite raid force, has been reprimanded and is expected to leave his post June 25 after allegations of misconduct arose.
Vanek, who has led the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment since July 2013, was disciplined after an informal investigation, Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria, spokesman for the
U.S. Army Special Operations Command, said in a statement, according to the Army Times. Lastoria said the investigation examined "matters concerning command climate, perception, and judgment."
Lastoria declined to give details about the allegations, what prompted them, and the action taken in the reprimand, wrote the Army Times. He did say that Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland, commanding general of the special operations command, "took action accordingly" after receiving the investigation's findings.
In an interview with the Defense Media Network a year ago, Vanek said that he earned a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University and went on earn two master's degrees. He also said that he was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1989 after graduating from Arizona State and joined the 1/14th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division.
When asked by the Defense Media Network about the state of the regiment, which has participated in continuous fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan for the past 12 years, Vanek said he believed the regiment is more capable than it was in 2001 with added specialties, technologies, and programs that make it strong.
"The regiment continues to be the standard bearer for our nation's Army and is held to the highest standards of performance and discipline," Vanek said of the elite raid unit last June. "It has not come without a significant cost. To date, 64 Rangers have made the ultimate sacrifice and the regiment has sustained 672 wounded in action personnel since 2001."
"But we are also a force in transition," he added then. "As the conflict in Afghanistan draws to a close, the regiment remains at the highest state of readiness prepared to answer our nation's call to service in combat."
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