Washington - The top US commander in Iraq, General David
Petraeus, has been named chief of US military operations in the
Middle East, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday.
If confirmed by the Senate, Petraeus, a four-star general, will
replace Admiral William Fallon, who stepped down in March as head of
US Central Command.
Central Command, based in Tampa, Florida, oversees military
operations in the Middle East and parts of Africa and South Asia,
including Afghanistan, and is at the forefront of the war on
terrorism.
Lieutenant General Ray Odierno will take command of US-led
coalition forces in Iraq, Gates said.
Odierno served as Petraeus' deputy in Iraq until he returned to
Washington about two months ago after President George W Bush
nominated him to become vice chief of the Army. That nomination
will be withdrawn, Gates said.
Petraeus has commanded coalition forces in Iraq for 15 months,
leading the troop surge ordered last year by President George W Bush
as part of a revised strategy that has dramatically reduced
violence.
Gates said Petraeus will remain on the job in Iraq until late
summer or early fall to ensure there is a smooth transition.
'One of the reasons for General Petraeus staying on for a while
is to ensure that there is plenty of time to prepare and for a good
hand-off,' Gates said.
Gates said there would be no change to Petraeus' recommendation
earlier this month that a 45-day evaluation period take place once
the troop surge ends in July to determine if there can be additional
withdrawals.
Odierno has had several tours in Iraq and his familiarity with
the country leaves him well suited to succeed Petraeus, Gates said.
'In most parts of the world, especially in the Middle East,
personal relationships make a big difference,' Gates said. 'And
General Odierno is known recently to the Iraqi leadership, he's
known to the Iraqi generals, he is known to our own people.'
Petraeus was promoted to Central Command chief largely because of
his experience in counter insurgencies, the mainstay of the
conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
'The kinds of conflicts that we're dealing with not just in Iraq
but in Afghanistan and some of the challenges that we face elsewhere
... are very much characterized by asymmetric warfare,' Gates said.
'And I don't know anybody in the United States military better
qualified to lead that effort.'
Fallon resigned after making public comments that appeared to
rule out the use of force to prevent Iran from developing nuclear
weapons, contradicting White House policy.
Fallon has since retired from the military. Lieutenant General
Martin Dempsey has been the interim chief of Central Command.
Fallon has been head of Central Command since March 2007. He
stepped down after an article in Esquire magazine on March 5 titled
The Man Between War and Peace portrayed him as resistent to White
House policies.
The article said the admiral was 'brazenly challenging' Bush on
Iran 'against what he saw as an ill-advised action.'
Fallon apparently told the article's author that he was in 'hot
water again' with the White House for telling Egyptian President
Hosny Mubarak that Iran would not be attacked. On another occasion,
Fallon reportedly said a war with Iran would not happen on 'my
watch.'
In an interview last week with the Washington Post shortly before
he resigned, Fallon dismissed the Esquire article as 'poison pen
stuff' and 'really disrespectful and ugly.'
USA
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