The brother of disgraced former national security adviser retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn — who suggested that President Donald Trump could declare martial law and “rerun” elections in certain states — has been tapped to be the next commander of U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter.
Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, who served several times in Hawaii, including as commander of the 25th Infantry Division, was selected for the job by the chief of staff of the Army.
The relationship with his brother recently created controversy for Charles Flynn, who as the Army’s deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and training was with other officials when a tense call was made in response to rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 seeking immediate intervention by the National Guard, according to The Washington Post.
The day before the violence, Michael Flynn, who falsely claimed Trump had won the election, attended a rally and aimed a comment at Republican members of Congress: “Those of you who are feeling weak tonight, those of you that don’t have the moral fiber in your body, get some tonight because tomorrow we the people are going to be here, and we want you to know that we will not stand for a lie!”
Charles Flynn, who in his role wielded some decision-
making powers over the Washington, D.C., National Guard, found the need to defend himself following his brother’s actions and words.
The Army had denied for days that Flynn was even
involved in the conference call before Flynn admitted he was in fact present for part of it, The Washington Post said.
Flynn rejected any notion that his relationship with his brother affected his role in deliberations over the military response to the rioting.
“Suggesting that my brother’s relationship would somehow influence my actions I categorically deny,” Flynn said in a conference call to reporters, the Post
reported. “And I take it as a bit of questioning of my integrity.”
The newspaper said Flynn did not specifically distance himself from the extreme views of his brother, including connections to QAnon, whose adherents believe Trump led a crusade against deep-state pedophile Satanists.
Meanwhile, questions persist about the delayed orders and response that hampered a rapid deployment of National Guard troops to quell the mob assaulting the U.S. Capitol.
“There are serious concerns about the Pentagon’s conduct on Jan. 6th related to the deployment of the National Guard during the Capitol insurrection. As a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I will actively participate in the committee’s ongoing oversight of the Pentagon’s actions on Jan. 6th,” U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii said in an email.
Michael Flynn in 2017 pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about communication with a Russian diplomat. Trump pardoned him in November.
His younger brother, Charles, may be headed to his new job as commander of U.S. Army Pacific without a formal hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Along with dozens of other officer promotions, Flynn was approved for a fourth star by the Senate on Dec. 20 by unanimous consent.
Earlier in his Army career, Charles Flynn was operations officer with the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry at Schofield Barracks and, later, operations officer with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Hawaii, according to the Association of the United States Army.
He had four combat tours in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, the Army said.
As a major general, Flynn led the 25th Division at Schofield from 2014 to 2016. At a change of command, then-Lt. Gen. Stephen Lanza, head of I Corps in Washington state, said Flynn “expertly led” Schofield Barracks in turning the Stryker Brigade into an infantry brigade, a Kiowa
helicopter squadron into an Apache attack squadron and integrating engineer battalions into brigade combat teams.
Flynn was a deputy commanding general with U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter 2016 to 2018.
In an April Army news story, Flynn noted the shift toward preparation for large-scale combat operations and said, “We have designed and are beginning to develop the force of the future.”
As the Army faces budget cuts, it has touted the importance of the Pacific. Through large-scale exercises such as Defender Pacific, “our global posture is going to be tested and stressed,” Flynn said.
The Army is expected to have a greater role with the Marines in operating from
remote islands in the western Pacific with the ability
to fire missiles to sink ships at sea.
