Maj. Gen. Eric Little of the National Guard poses in 2019 for his official service portrait. (Monica King/U.S. Army)

WASHINGTON – The Army National Guard’s top personnel officer, who oversaw sexual assault prevention and equal opportunity programs, was fired following a service investigation into complaints of sexism.

Maj. Gen. Eric Little was fired as commander of the National Guard Bureau’s manpower and personnel directorate, a job that he held since October 2020.

Little’s dismissal followed an investigation by the Army inspector general into allegations that he led an office that was the center of "a toxic cacophony of misconduct," according to a news report by USA Today. The general was removed from his job after the inspector general substantiated allegations that included “outright sexism” that dates back to Little’s previous job as a senior officer in the Guard’s budget office, according to the news report.

“The United States Army inspector general agency has concluded its investigations into allegations against Maj. Gen. Eric K. Little with several substantiated findings," service spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said in a prepared statement. "Maj. Gen. Little received appropriate administrative action and is now currently serving as the special assistant to the chief, National Guard Bureau. We consider this matter closed."

Smith declined to say when Little was fired. She also did not provide the findings from the investigation or the administrative actions that the Army took against him. General officers who lose their jobs are often placed in special assistant positions until their retirement.

One of the complaints against Little was filed just days before he was promoted to two-star general, according to USA Today.

Little began his military career in August 1992 with the Illinois National Guard. He later deployed to Iraq from December 2003 to January 2005 and Afghanistan from September 2008 to September 2009.