“She’s a 4.5 star wacko,” one former academy officer said of Goodwin, with whom he served alongside.

Several officials say a Pentagon probe by the Air Force Inspector General is ongoing to examine Goodwin’s conduct while she was in charge of the school’s 4,000 cadets and the officers and sergeants who oversee the school’s 40 cadet squadrons.

Any complaint against a general that’s worthy of inspector general scrutiny is handled at the Pentagon, which has the only branch of the investigative agency authorized to do that work.

Goodwin came to the academy after serving as the top military aide-de-camp to former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. The appointment drew criticism from some Christian groups who noted that she had hidden her sexual identity for years while serving in a military that banned gays at the time. In 2011, the Pentagon lifted its ban on open service by gays and lesbians.

Civil rights and gay rights groups met Goodwin’s appointment with applause.

During her time as commandant, Goodwin didn’t discuss her sexuality publicly. She did talk about the need for cadets to face tough training as a prelude to combat.

“I’m not going to change how we train people,” Goodwin told The Gazette in 2017. “Here’s the thing — the enemy is not forgiving.”