Air Force One-Star General Officer’s Fight Against Autopen, Bureaucracy, and Injustice

Do President Donald Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth recognize the bureaucratic challenges that are undermining the careers of U.S. service members, including those who have earned the highest positions in the military?

The Gateway Pundit spoke to Air Force Brigadier General Christopher S. Sage, a Christian, a husband of nearly 30 years, a father of five, a fighter pilot, and a 31-year warfighter who has taken the fight to the enemy over the course of seven combat deployments.

If President Donald Trump, War Secretary Hegseth or other authoritative Pentagon officials refuse to step in, Brig Gen Sage will be forced into retirement on Dec 31, 2025. “I’m no longer fighting enemies abroad,” he shared. “I’m fighting a bureaucracy at home that’s weaponized the Inspector General (IG) system under the last administration’s COVID-era politics.”

“This isn’t only my story,” he said, explaining, “it’s unfortunately a story for thousands of patriots who have also been sidelined, silenced, or pushed out by similar injustices.” With the resolve of preparing for another combat deployment, the Air Force general said, “It’s now time to expose the bureaucratic rot, demand accountability and corrective actions, and restore meritocracy to our military.”

In July 2021, Brig Gen Sage was commanding a combat wing in the Middle East that was, as stated, “crushing the enemy on the battlefield.” This deployment happened to align with the height of the coronavirus pandemic. During this period, another officer filed seven IG complaints against him.

“It began an IG probe that dismissed the seven complaints for no evidence, but then twisted my leadership into a caricature of oppression, adopting a narrative of the oppressor vs. the oppressed, in relation to a small faction of subordinate officers,” he explained.

“I was attacked for commonsense decisions that prioritized our Airmen’s welfare,” Brig Gen Sage argued. “This included “tearing down barbed wire around COVID isolation tents—because sick warriors aren’t prisoners; canceling redundant tests that clogged our mission pipeline; letting maintenance crews ditch masks on the 110-degree flightline under roaring jets, where they were a safety hazard to both men and machines; and reopening gyms, because fit Airmen fight viruses better than confined ones.” He also “questioned vaccine efficacy based on emerging studies and pushed vitamin packs for immune boosts.”

In his opinion, “The investigation disregarded chain of command, commander authority, good order and discipline, and accountability, while equating the feelings of these few disgruntled employees to an unhealthy command climate.”

Throughout the inquiry into his actions, he said an investigator in the Pentagon ignored over 20 witnesses who vouched for him, and “fixated on hearsay and feelings over facts.” At the same time, the investigator admitted his “leadership style” alone wasn’t a violation but claimed, when “taken as a whole,” it negatively affected the command climate.

Interestingly, Brig Gen Sage revealed, “The complainant filing the seven initial dismissed criminal complaints was one of the most relied upon witness testimony for the next investigation.” For this officer, “That’s not justice; that’s a kangaroo court.”

“Thankfully, my chain of command saw through it, and a three-star [general] reviewed everything and determined that no action was warranted, which was affirmed by his four-star boss,” he told The Gateway Pundit.

Shockingly, Brig Gen Sage claimed that in March 2024, “Biden staffers revoked my 2021 promotion anyway, with an unauthorized autopen signature.” While President Donald Trump has since declared such signatures null and voice, he said, “the Pentagon has been silent on this Commander-in-Chief order, denying me relief from this weaponized process.”

After four years, $100,000 in legal fees and lost backpay, last month, the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR) finally ruled by a majority that he was “a victim of a clear injustice.” This was a win for the general.

The Board found that his pandemic decisions “likely negatively influenced” the IG outcome, recommended overturning all IG findings, scrubbing derogatory records, retroactive promotion, and extending his service. “The Board acted under the guidance it was given. Case closed,” said Brig Gen Sage.

However, in a turn of events equally as surprising as the use of the autopen, Brig Gen Sage’s legal counsel, Davis Younts, said that “the decision was overridden unilaterally—no new evidence, no explanation beyond agreeing with the minority.”

And according to Brig Gen Sage, this is “unprecedented” and “not aligned with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s September 30 ‘No More Walking on Eggshells’ reforms, which demand quick actions, dismissal of frivolous claims, and an end to weaponized investigations.”

An Officer Grade Determination Board had already affirmed Brig Gen Sage’s honorable service as a brigadier general. “But every time my case hits any office of the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF),” he said, “the system doubles down on the past.”

“Unless the imbedded bureaucratic advisors around SECAF change,” he pointed out, “the President’s and Secretary of War’s policies will not be pursued.”

Younts, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, praised the officer he is representing, saying, “Brigadier General Christopher Sage exemplifies the kind of selfless leadership our military desperately needs. His case represents a profound miscarriage of justice that sidelined a proven commander.”

“The override of the AFBCMR’s majority decision, without new evidence or rationale, is not only unprecedented but antithetical to the reforms outlined in Secretary Hegseth’s intentions,” Younts lamented. “General Sage was cleared by his superiors, vindicated by the Board, and affirmed for honorable service—yet the Pentagon’s shadow elements persist in obstructing justice.”

“A promotion revocation by autopen also highlights the urgent need for corrective action under the current administration,” Younts added. “With over 65 letters of support from enlisted personnel to flag officers, he said, “the evidence is irrefutable.” Brig Gen Sage is “a victim of injustice,” and failing to rectify this case sets “a dangerous precedent for every service member who dares to lead boldly.”

In a concluding plea to President Trump, Brig Gen Sage said, “If you hear this: Your executive orders lit the path. For every warfighter betrayed, for the families scarred, for the Constitution we swore an oath to defend—please stop the madness. When good leaders are targeted and forced to walk away because of entrenched bureaucrats, we all lose. The Air Force needs to take the win and follow the AFBCMR’s recommendations.”

This narrative of subverting the authority and intention of the President and the War Secretary raises a significant question: Will the Air Force respect the AFBCMR’s decision, reinstate his promotion, and put an end to this bureaucratic betrayal before it further damages the trust of the nation’s finest patriots?

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