Army secretary resigns amid Walter Reed scandal

Army Secretary Francis Harvey resigned from his post Friday afternoon amid concerns that service officials have shown "too much defensiveness" in responding to squalid living conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced.

"I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed," Gates told reporters in a brief statement announcing Harvey's resignation.

Gates and Harvey agreed earlier this week to fire Maj. Gen. George Weightman as Walter Reed chief. But Harvey caused an uproar when he named Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, Army surgeon general and former head of Walter Reed, as the temporary commander of the facility.

Kiley, according to reports, had ignored the substandard conditions at Walter Reed during his two-year tenure as the medical center's chief.

The Army announced shortly after Gates' announcement that Maj. Gen. Eric Schoomaker will be the new commander at Walter Reed. Schoomaker, the brother of the Army's outgoing chief, now commands the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Ft. Detrick, Md.

"Gen. Eric Schoomaker has the right blend of leadership, professional expertise and personal experience for this position," Army Vice Chief of Staff Richard Cody said in a statement. Meanwhile, Army Undersecretary Preston (Pete) Geren, a former Democratic House member from Texas, will serve as the service's acting secretary until Gates names a replacement for Harvey.

Also Friday, House Oversight and Governmental Reform Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., issued a subpoena to Weightman compelling him to appear before his panel's National Security Subcommittee at a Monday hearing at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Weightman had been scheduled to testify, but the Army refused to authorize him to appear after he left his post, according to a committee statement.

The Senate Armed Services Committee also announced Friday afternoon that Weightman would not testify during a hearing the panel plans Tuesday on the conditions at Walter Reed.

But the committee will hear from Cody and Kiley, as well as David Chu, Defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness, and William Winkenwerder, assistant Defense secretary for health affairs.

The conditions at Walter Reed came to light last month in a series of reports by The Washington Post detailing infested conditions at one of the buildings on the facility's campus. The Post also reported bureaucratic hurdles wounded soldiers must jump through for follow-up care.