Navy Vice-Adm Tim Giardina was relieved of command
following allegations of illegal gambling activities
A US Navy admiral who oversees the nation's
nuclear weapons forces has been sacked, a Navy
spokesman has said.
Vice-Adm Tim Giardina, second-in-command of the US
Strategic Command, is under investigation for illegal
gambling activities.
He is accused of using counterfeit gambling chips in "a
significant monetary amount" at an Iowa casino.
Adm Giardina was demoted to a two-star admiral and
will be reassigned pending outcome of the inquiry.
On Wednesday, the Navy's top spokesman Rear Adm
John Kirby announced the removal of Adm Giardina as
the deputy in charge of the US Strategic Command.
Adm Giardina, a career submarine officer, was
suspended from duty on 3 September after the military
launched an investigation into allegations he used
counterfeit chips at a casino not far from his base in
eastern Nebraska.
The case was referred to the US Naval Criminal
Investigative Service after he first came to be suspected
of the crime.
Security clearance
In September, Special Agent David Dales of the Iowa
Division of Criminal Investigation told the Associated
Press news agency "a significant monetary amount"
was involved.
"We were able to detect this one pretty quickly and
jump on it," he added.
It is unknown whether Adm Giardina's alleged actions
at the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa,
compromised national security or operations at
Strategic Command.
Strategic Command, which oversees everything from
America's land-based nuclear missiles to space
operations governing military satellites, is located at
Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska.
Adm Giardina's demotion follows several other
incidents affecting the US military's nuclear
establishment.
In August, a nuclear missile unit at Malstrom Air Force
base in Montana failed a safety and security inspection,
after which a senior security officer was relieved of
duty.
In May, it was reported that 17 officers in charge of
maintaining nuclear missiles were sidelined over safety
violations at Minot Air Force base in North Dakota.
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