Army Col. Jonathan Chung, commander of the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, or SFAB, was relieved this week, a service spokesman confirmed to Military.com.
Chung's termination comes after a Military.com investigation was first to detail systemic issues with the brigade, including numerous leaders facing investigations into their conduct and disciplinary and performance concerns across the brigade's midlevel brass and noncommissioned officers.
Chung was relieved after a sprawling investigation into his conduct. Military.com interviewed two dozen soldiers who served with Chung over the last decade. The publication also reviewed the Army's unredacted investigation on Chung, along with more than 30 sworn statements; dozens of audio recordings, emails, text messages and videos; an unredacted 2021 command climate survey; and other internal data from the brigade.
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Most soldiers interviewed say Chung frequently belittled staff, was a micromanager, and routinely scolded troops for minor errors.
Some soldiers interviewed by Military.com conceded that Chung was very knowledgeable but was direct in speaking to people, often to a fault, and that he inherited poor-performing soldiers. When the SFABs were initially stood up, there was little scrutiny among applicants during the selection process into what the Army hoped would be prestigious…
