The first female Command Sgt. Major of the 101st Airborne Division has been fired after an investigation “due to a loss of trust and confidence in her leadership.”

Command Sgt. Major Veronica E. Knapp was given the boot as the senior enlisted leader of the Army task force which is “responsible for defense and day-to-day military operations in Washington D.C.,” according to Task & Purpose. The description of her termination is a vague catchall that could mean a lot of different things but could potentially point to incompetence or misconduct.

“A 15-6 investigation is a probe that can be done in response to allegations involving command climate concerns, poor leadership or misconduct,” the Army Times wrote.

In 2021, Knapp made headlines as the first woman tapped as Command Sgt. Major of the 101st Airborne Division. She also served in a similar post for the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region/United States Army Military District of Washington, or JTF-NCR/USAMDW.

“Knapp was relieved on Aug. 8 as a result of the Army 15-6 investigation ‘due to a loss of trust and confidence in her leadership,’ said Bernhard ‘Lash’ Lashleyleidner, a JTF-NCR/USAMDW spokesman. No further information about exactly why Knapp was relieved or what the investigation found was immediately available. All military branches nearly always use the phrase ‘loss of confidence’ when leaders are relieved rather than specify a wide range of reasons from personal off-duty conduct mistakes,” Task & Purpose reported.

Command Sgt. Major Veronica E. Knapp has been relieved as the senior enlisted leader of the sprawling military task force responsible for defense and day-to-day military operations in Washington D.C. following an investigation, an Army spokesman said. Knapp made news in 2021 as… pic.twitter.com/SOImwZQQvR

— Mike Netter (@nettermike) August 13, 2024

“The JTF-NCR/USAMDW is a sprawling military organization established after the 9/11 attacks as a central hub for defense and day-to-day military operations around Washington D.C. Its leaders — who are traditionally an Army two-star general as the overall commander and Navy admiral as their deputy — oversee military units from every branch, several installations and civilian defense agencies whose duties range from ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetary to responding to emergencies with military police and technical rescue teams to establishing mobile command posts for major D.C. events or emergencies,” the media outlet added.

“Knapp was the senior enlisted advisor on the JTF-NCR/USAMDW command staff. Sergeant Major Eberhard G. Nordman, the JTF-NCR/USAMDW’s provost marshal, has been named as her acting replacement,” Task & Purpose elaborated.

The military needs to start releasing the reasons these high-ranking members are getting relieved. It’s happening far too often lately.

— historyGuywithFacts (@TheStaffSGT) August 13, 2024

Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee commended her leadership, according to a press release, “With their unparalleled empathy and care for soldiers, Command Sgt. Maj. Knapp spearheaded and implemented several cohesion-bolstering division-wide initiatives with incredible results. Changing a culture of an organization with 20,000 Soldiers is exceptionally difficult, and she left no stone unturned to make this change a reality and make the lives of soldiers better.”

Knapp signed up for service in the Army in 2000. She has served in Afghanistan, Cuba, Guantanamo Bay, and Romania. Tellingly, her biography has been removed from the JTF-NCR/USAMDW website. According to the now-removed biography she graduated from the Drill Sergeant Academy and proceeded to become the first woman to “serve as command sergeant major of an Army division in 2021 when she assumed the role of senior enlisted leader for the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky,” Task & Purpose noted.

She has received numerous awards and commendations including two Legions of Merit, nine Army Achievement Medals, seven Army Good Conduct Medals, five Army Commendation Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, a NATO-ISAF Medal, and a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

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