REPORT: Army General left classified maps on train and concussed after alcohol consumption

WASHINGTON (TNND) — A recently released Pentagon inspector general report found that U.S. Army Maj. Gen Antonio Aguto left classified maps on a train to Poland for more than 24 hours while overseeing the command that coordinated, trained and equipped Ukraine’s military. Aguto also concussed after a fall from an “overindulgence” of alcohol during a dinner in Ukraine.

The report that was published on Friday found that the now-retired general brought the classified maps with him during a trip to Ukraine from Germany in late March of 2024. Aguto assigned control of the maps to his staff.

“We found insufficient evidence to determine who had control of the classified maps once the travelers boarded the train for the return trip,” a watchdog said in the report, adding that travelers left the maps in the train when they arrived back in Poland on April 4, 2024.

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine recovered the unattended documents a day later.

When Aguto returned to Wiesbaden, Germany, he learned that the tube of maps was gone. While classified typically through courier services, one was not ordered at the time, according to the report.

“MG Aguto took responsibility for this incident,” the inspector general’s report said.

The inspector general’s office interviewed Aguto and 33 other witnesses for the investigation after it received three separate anonymous complaints in May 2024. Alongside interviews, the office reviewed classified and unclassified emails, medical records, travel records and other documents.

General Aguto headed the SAG-U, established in November until August 2024, to “ensure America is postured to continue supporting Ukraine over the long term.”

Other than leaving classified information behind, Aguto was also found to have suffered a concussion due to an “overindulgence” of alcohol. During the general’s nine-day trip to Ukraine, it was found Aguto drank Chacha during a dinner in Kyiv, an alcoholic drink that contains 40 to 50 percent alcohol.

Aguto testified that he was “some level of intoxicated” after drinking the Chacha.

Two witnesses reported seeing the general fall and hit the back of his head on a wall after dinner. According to the inspector general’s report, Aguto fell again and hit his forehead sometime later that night or early the next morning.

“A preponderance of the evidence established that MG Aguto suffered a moderate-to-severe concussion caused by head injuries from at least one, if not all three, falls in the late evening of May 13 and the morning of May 14,” the office said in the report. “MG Aguto’s medical exam on May 14, and a comprehensive evaluation by a neurologist and imaging tests on May 16, confirmed that MG Aguto had a concussion.”

The third fall took place while Aguto was on the way to the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. That fall ended with the general tearing his jacket and hitting his jaw. A regional security officer said Aguto has a “little bit of [the] smell of alcohol.”

Aguto told the inspector general’s office that he “acted in good faith” and was allowed by Gen. Darryl Williams, then the commander of U.S. Army Europe, to consume the alcohol.