For the final 3 years of his noteworthy career, General Vangjel served as the Army inspector general, providing independent and unbiased advice to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army”, said Senator Inhofe.
On November 13, 2014 Senator Inhofe asked for and was granted permission to address the United States Senate on an important matter.
“Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to a distinguished public servant and officer in the U.S. Army, LTG Peter M. Vangjel. General Vangjel served as the 64th Army inspector general and retires on February 1, 2015, after more than 37 years of selfless service to our Nation. Throughout his professional life, General Vangjel personified the Army values of duty, honor, and selfless service in leadership roles around the world and here at home. Many of us on Capitol Hill know General Vangjel by these qualities and have enjoyed the opportunity to work with him on a wide variety of Army issues and programs. It is my privilege to recognize his many significant contributions.
General Vangjel is a native of New Hampshire and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1977. He served in a variety of command and staff assignments and has led our soldiers in both peace and war, in combat and humanitarian missions, in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He has proven himself as a stellar leader demonstrating unselfish devotion to the Nation, our leaders, soldiers and their families.
For the final 3 years of his noteworthy career, General Vangjel served as the Army inspector general, providing independent and unbiased advice to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army. His advice, assistance, and detailed oversight of timely, high-visibility inspections and investigations proved critical for an adaptive Army in transition. He personally led multiple efforts to promote readiness, resource stewardship and accountability of equipment, funds, personnel and leader behavior.
As he has throughout his career, General Vangjel embraced his charter to conduct outreach to our Army’s leaders, soldiers, families, and the public at every opportunity, stressing the importance of resource management and creativity. Nowhere was this more evident than during his 2-year assignment to the Middle East, where he supervised efforts that provided nearly $8 billion dollars in cost avoidance and streamlined contracting and logistic support efforts as our troops surged in to Afghanistan and retrograded from Iraq. His vision, passion, and energy kept key military and civilian leaders aware of emerging trends enabling them to correct problems and anticipate future challenges.
General Vangjel led his team in conducting many significant inspections enabling our Army to address critical issues, revise policies, and improve processes. His special inspections of Arlington National Cemetery restored effective oversight and reinstilled public confidence in the effort to honor our fallen heroes at a place sacred to all Americans. Likewise, his team’s work to help our suffering soldiers receive more efficient behavioral health treatment within the Integrated Disability Evaluation System brought to light new information about process issues and the need for better coordination and support from Veterans Affairs. In addition, during his tenure, the Army inspector general performed vital compliance oversight inspections for some of our Nation’s most sensitive activities, including nuclear and chemical research and development centers, intelligence oversight, and information assurance operations.
LTG Peter M. Vangjel has consistently provided superb leadership, advice, and sound professional judgment on numerous critical issues of enduring importance to the Army and our Nation. On behalf of Congress and the United States of America, I thank General Vangjel, his wife Joanne, and his entire family for their commitment and contributions to our Army and the Nation, and I congratulate them both on an exceptional career of selfless service.”
Source: Congressional Record
Note: Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) is a U.S. Army Veteran. He is the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. An avid pilot with over 11,000 flight hours, Inhofe became the only member of Congress to fly an airplane around the world when he recreated Wiley Post’s legendary trip around the globe.
The conservative publication, Human Events, in editorializing on a recent “Top 10 Most Outstanding Conservative Senators,” ranked Inhofe number one saying he is an “unabashed conservative” and noted that “he’s unafraid to speak his mind.”
In 2013, National Journal magazine ranked Inhofe among the top five most conservative members of the Senate. Senator