US Defense Secretary Robert Gates sacked the civilian chief of the US Army Friday, saying he was "disappointed" with the service's defensive response to a scandal over the care of wounded troops at a top military hospital.
Already under fire for surging more troops to Iraq, the White House announced it was forming a bipartisan presidential commission to review the care given wounded servicemembers.
President George W. Bush, in comments prepared for a weekly Saturday radio address, said he was "deeply troubled by recent reports of substandard conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center."
Refusing to take questions, Gates made a brief statement to reporters announcing the resignation of Army Secretary Francis Harvey.
"I have accepted his resignation," Gates said.
It came a day after Major General George Weightman was relieved of command of Walter Reed, which came 11 days after revelations in The Washington Post newspaper about poor outpatient care of wounded soldiers at the renowned hospital.
In the stories, the Post exposed how convalescing soldiers were housed in rooms with mold-covered walls, holes in the ceiling and infestations of rodents and cockroaches.
Once released as outpatients, they often became lost in a bewildering labyrinth of bureaucracy in a bid to get benefits to which they were due.
Defense officials said Harvey was fired because of the army leadership's failure to move more decisively to fix the problems.
"I am disappointed that some in the army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed," Gates said.
"Some have shown too much defensiveness and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems.
"Also I am concerned that some do not properly understand the need to communicate to the wounded and their families that we have no higher priority than their care," he said.
Gates was surprised when the army named Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, the army's surgeon general, to temporarily replace Weightman when Kiley himself had been a target of criticism, said a senior defense official, who asked not to be identified.
The Post had reported that Kiley was aware of complaints about outpatient care of wounded soldiers as far back as 2003 when he was the commander of the center.
Kiley had earlier dismissed the Post stories as "one-sided."
The army, meanwhile, announced that Major General Eric Schoomaker would replace Weightman as commander of the medical center.
Gates reaffirmed his confidence in the staff at Walter Reed, a specialty care hospital in Washington that treats thousands of soldiers critically wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"From what I have learned the problems of Walter Reed appear to be problems of leadership," Gates said. "Walter Reed doctors, nurses and othe staff are among the best and most caring in the world."
An outside panel formed by Gates is reviewing conditions at Walter Reed and at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. It is to report back in 45 days.
The presidential commission announced by the White House will have a broader charter.
It will examine the treatment of troops from "the battlefield to their return to civilian life as veterans so that we can ensure that we're meeting their physical and mental health needs," said White House deputy spokeswoman Dana Perino.
In his radio address, Bush was to highlight that he has asked Congress to approve 86 billion US dollars for veteran services in his upcoming budget.
"If Congress approves my request, this would amount to a 77-percent increase since I took office, and the highest level of support for veterans in America's history," he was to say.
"This country has a moral obligation to provide our servicemen and women with the best possible care and treatment. They deserve it, and they will get it."
A prominent independent lawmaker, Senator Joseph Lieberman, called for immediate resolution of the problems at Walter Reed.
In the prepared text for the Democratic response to Bush's radio address scheduled early Saturday, the Connecticut senator said: "Our nation has no greater moral and patriotic responsibility than to ensure that these brave Americans receive first class treatment -- not only immediately after their injuries, but for their entire lives, through the Veterans Administration.
"The White House and Congress have an urgent obligation now to fix the neglect at Walter Reed and the longer term issues that affect our wounded veterans."