Gen Downing was commissioned to write a report about the Khobar Towers terrorist attack.
One of the reasons that Gen Ron Fogleman, then the Air Force Chief of Staff, resigned was because he vehemently disagreed with Gen Downing's assestment and the repercutions thereof.
Gen Downing found great fault in Gen Schwalier - who took the fall and was disgraced. Many Generals, in all branches of the service, were outraged. It came to light that Gen Schwalier had taken security measures that incredible at the time - to include measures that ticked off the Saudis.
Moreover, Gen Downing gave recommendations that the military should have invested in more high tech security equipment - equipment that Gen Downing had a large financial interest in as a contractor.
Here is but one link to one story on the net - there are many others:
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“The station chief’s analysis was that ‘the primary threat was Riyadh but other areas were possibilities as well,’” Schwalier said. “When I asked what else I should be doing in light of this new input, the station chief response was (I remember it well), ‘just keep doing what you are doing&’
“Contrary to what the intelligence community may have suggested, I was never advised of a specific terrorist threat to Khobar Towers,” Schwalier told me.
On his own initiative, Schwalier had posted roof top guards at the housing complex several months before the attack. Khobar Towers was the only U.S. military housing in Saudi Arabia to have such tight security. Those guards managed to clear half of the building in the three to five minutes between the time they first saw a suspicious truck ram into the rear gate and the explosion. Without Schwalier’s foresight, and their alert reaction, the death toll would undoubtedly have been much higher. As often happens in Washington, Schwalier was not rewarded for his actions, but punished. A hasty investigation, chaired by General Wayne A. Downing, a retired Army officer and former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, blasted Schwalier for having failed to “adequately protect his forces from a terrorist attack.”
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As a former Brig Gen told me (he is since retired), "The Clinton Administration wanted a fall guy, and Gen Downing provided them with one - Gen Schwalier. The truth is Schwalier went above and beyond to protect his folks, and was cut off at the knees. That is one reason Gen Fogleman resigned - in disgust."
Like I said, I don't know much else about Gen Downing. I know he made 4-star and served his nation greatly. But, that report he authored didn't set well with many people. He could have done a better job in my opinion - and perhaps it could have served as a wake up call to Islamic Fascism years prior to 911.
Just to set aside any doubt about Gen Downing, he was our overall JSOC commander when we went into Panama. That was during GHW Bush's presidency, so the man got his stars under Reagan and Bush. Clinton was FORCED to use Downing, because of his stellar reputation and because Downing was the acknowledged expert on security. Downing led from the front, and was with us in Panama when it was hot, he grieved with us over the fallen, and he didn't play pantywaist army games handing out awards like candy. He expected his Special Forces to be brave. You pretty much had to be dead to get a "V" out of Wayne Downing. He was tough as nails.
At Khobar Towers the enemy packed a truck with the equivalent of about 30000 pounds of TNT and got within mere meters of our barracks DURING A THREATCON CHARLEY period of time! Some leader was negligent. There is no doubt. Who every approved walls being no further away than 30 meters in an anti-American culture? Who didn't have watchers available around the perimeter of an American compound? Who hadn't extended the perimeter by the use of barriers and the blocking of roads during a threatcon Charley? Absolutely unbelievable.
Whoever had approved such a security plan in an anti-American culture had to be either crazy or grossly negligent. The same with anyone who perpetuated it.
30 METERS -- That's about the length of an average American house and garage. Unbelievable.
Finally, Downing was in charge of a security firm because he was an expert in SECURITY.