Eric K. Little

{{Infobox military person

| name = Eric K. Little

| image = Eric_K._Little.jpg

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| caption = Official portrait, 2019

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| allegiance = United States

| branch = United States Army

| serviceyears = 1989–present

| rank = Major General

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| unit = National Guard Bureau
Illinois Army National Guard

| commands = 65th Troop Command Brigade

| battles = Iraq War
Afghan War

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Eric K. Little is a United States Army major general who serves at the National Guard Bureau in Washington DC as the special assistant to the chief, National Guard Bureau. He previously served Director of Manpower and Personnel before being fired in August 2023 after substantiated complaints of rampant sexism.{{cite web|last1=Clark|first1=James|title=Guard 2-star in charge of personnel fired amid complaints of sexism|date=August 10, 2023 |url=https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2023/08/10/guard-2-star-in-charge-of-personnel-fired-amid-complaints-of-sexism/|accessdate=29 May 2024}} He had previously served within the Illinois Army National Guard as the Chief of Staff until 2018.{{cite web|title=BG Little Bio|url=https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/MFRC/MFRC-Bio-MajorGeneralEricLittle.pdf|accessdate=29 May 2024}}

Military career

Eric Little joined the Illinois Army National Guard in 1989 and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in August, 1992.{{cite web|title=MG Little ILNG Bio|url=https://www.il.ngb.army.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Bio-Article-View/Article/2201953/director-manpower-and-personnel-j-1-national-guard-bureau/|accessdate=29 May 2024|archive-date=May 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530121450/https://www.il.ngb.army.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Bio-Article-View/Article/2201953/director-manpower-and-personnel-j-1-national-guard-bureau/|url-status=bot: unknown}} He served as a quartermaster officer and deployed both in support of the Iraq War and Afghan War. In December 2012 he took command of the 65th Troop Command Brigade as a Colonel{{cite web|title=Springfield-Based Brigade Gets New Commander|url=http://readme.readmedia.com/Springfield-Based-Brigade-Gets-New-Commander/5134220}} From there he served two different stints as the Illinois Army National Guard Chief of Staff before departing for the National Guard Bureau as the deputy director, J-8/Programs in 2018.{{cite web|title=Illinois Army National Guard Colonel to receive promotion|url=https://www.riverbender.com/articles/details/illinois-army-national-guard-colonel-to-receive-promotion-26141.cfm|accessdate=29 May 2024}} In 2020 he became the Director, Manpower and Personnel at the National Guard Bureau. This job entailed leading the National Guard's Sexual Assault and Harassment Response and Equal Opportunity programs.{{cite web|last1=Adams|first1=Matthew|title=Army National Guard general fired in wake of sexism investigation|url=https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2023-08-11/army-national-guard-general-fired-sexism-allegations-11015615.html|accessdate=29 May 2024}}

Little was an advocate for mental health for National Guard soldiers, realizing their part-time status was hindering their ability to seek help through military provided means.{{cite web|title=Guard Leaders: The Stigma of Seeking Help Must Change|url=https://www.ngaus.org/newsroom/guard-leaders-stigma-seeking-help-must-change|accessdate=29 May 2024}}

Firing

In August 2023, Major General Little was fired from his position as the Director, Manpower and Personnel after the Inspector General substantiated complaints of sexist comments and counterproductive leadership. The investigation found a "toxic cacophony of misconduct" dating back several years to his previous assignments. The original substantiated complaints dated from prior to his promotion to Major General and amounted to "frat-house behavior"{{cite web|last1=VandenBrook|first1=Tom|title='Frat house behavior': National Guard leader fired after sexism, toxic culture complaints|website=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/08/09/national-guard-leader-fired-sexism-toxic-culture-complaints/70498437007/|accessdate=29 May 2024}} while causing enough concern that another separate investigation was opened up looking into Little's behavior.{{cite web|title=National Guard personnel chief fired after sexism complaints|date=August 9, 2023 |url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4146214-national-guard-personnel-chief-fired-sexism-complaints/|accessdate=29 May 2024}}

Some raised questions as to how Little had become the top personnel officer for the Army National Guard despite never attending any human resources professional military education. After being fired, Little was moved to become a special assistant to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau pending his retirement from the Army.