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Wis. Guard commander investigated by IG

MADISON, Wis. — Air Force officials are investigating the Wisconsin National Guard’s top commander.

Air Force press officials didn’t immediately respond Monday to requests for information on what prompted the Air Force Inspector General’s inquiry into Brig. Gen. Donald Dunbar or what it entails.

National Guard Bureau spokesman Rod Korba called the probe an “active, ongoing investigation of some kind,” but said his office wasn’t aware of any details.

“It’s probably very highly, highly personal,” Korba said.

The Inspector General’s Office generally takes complaints about potential fraud, waste, or abuse, said Lt. Col. Jackie Guthrie, a Wisconsin National Guard spokeswoman. The complaints are generally kept confidential, she said.

Dunbar issued a statement saying his priority remains protecting Wisconsin. He didn’t mention the investigation, and Guthrie said Dunbar was not available to comment.

Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, appointed Dunbar to the position of adjutant general in September 2007, promoting him from colonel to brigadier general.

The U.S. Senate, which confirms promotions beginning with lieutenant colonel on up, has not confirmed Dunbar’s promotion and he remains a colonel in the federal military system.

The White House forwarded Dunbar’s promotion nomination to the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 28.

Dawn Schueller, a spokeswoman for Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., said the committee won’t move on the confirmation until the inspector general’s inquiry is resolved. A spokesman for Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the committee, declined comment.

Guthrie said Dunbar still can command the Wisconsin National Guard without federal recognition.

“His powers are the same. He is a general officer in the state of Wisconsin,” she said.

Doyle spokesman Adam Collins said the governor is aware of Dunbar’s situation but doesn’t know anything about the substance of the investigation. Doyle still has confidence in Dunbar, Collins said.

Dunbar joined the Air Force in 1983, according to his biography. He has more than 3,000 flying hours in B-52 bombers and KC-135 aircraft, and commanded the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s Milwaukee-based 128th Air Refueling Wing.

He holds a master’s degree in national security strategy from the National Defense University and heads the state’s Homeland Security Council.

DISCUSS: NATIONAL GUARD’S INVESTIGATION