Petraeus named to Mideast command
Deputy to take over in Iraq
WASHINGTON - Under a plan announced at the Pentagon yesterday, the two commanders most closely associated with President Bush's current strategy in Iraq would be elevated into new posts with responsibilities extending into the next administration over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
General David H. Petraeus would take charge of all military affairs across the Middle East and Central Asia, and would be succeeded as the senior commander in Iraq by Lieutenant General Raymond T. Odierno, who returned to Washington in February after serving 15 months as Petraeus's deputy.
Asked whether the planned nominations by Bush were a sign that American policy was to "stay the course" in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said that the security gains achieved under Petraeus's command meant that "staying that course is not a bad idea."
The nomination of Petraeus could, however, portend a renewed American focus on Afghanistan, where the American war effort is widely recognized to be lagging, with violence by the Taliban and Al Qaeda on the rise.
Gates has expressed the desire to send several thousand additional troops to Afghanistan next year, although that could require further reductions in troop commitments to Iraq.
Petraeus would be expected to apply his views of counterinsurgency to Afghanistan, which may include a push toward increased troops.
Gates said he and Bush settled on Petraeus for the post because his counterinsurgency experience in Iraq made him best suited to oversee American operations across a region where the United States is engaged in "asymmetric" warfare, a term used to describe the fight against militants and nonuniformed combatants.
The previous Central Command chief, Admiral William J. Fallon, chose early retirement in March after rankling the Bush administration with public comments that seemed to suggest differences with the White House. If Petraeus and Odierno win Senate confirmation to their new posts, Gates said, they will take over in late summer or early fall.
The situation in Iraq remains fragile, as Petraeus acknowledged in testimony to Congress this month when he warned that recent security gains could be easily reversed.
Under his command, an increase in American forces brought troop levels as high as 165,000, and even critics of the increase say it contributed to a decline in violence, along with the cease-fire proclaimed by Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for his Mahdi Army militia and a shift in sentiment among Sunni tribes that turned them against Sunni militants.
Among the three candidates vying to become the next president, Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, has defended the idea of maintaining high troop levels even after the troop increase runs its course in July, bringing the number down to slightly more than 140,000.
The two Democratic contenders, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, by contrast, have pressed for troop reductions at a pace far faster than what Petraeus has endorsed, and have pledged to carry out withdrawals even if it meant going against the advice of field commanders. It would be unusual for a new president to replace a senior general new to his assignment.
In a statement, Clinton described Petraeus as "an able and respected leader in Iraq under incredibly difficult circumstances," and said she looked forward to hearing "how he will meet these important challenges" of the broader Central Command region.
McCain, at a news conference yesterday, said that Odierno "is maybe not perfect, but I think he has done a magnificent job." Referring to Petraeus, McCain said, "I think he is by far the best-qualified individual to take that job" as the regional commander.
After three tours in Iraq, Petraeus, 55, has become perhaps the best-known military officer of his generation, and it had been expected that his next assignment after Iraq would be as the top American commander in Europe. Chosen instead to take charge of a region that includes Pakistan and Iran, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan, Petraeus issued a statement yesterday saying, "I am honored to be nominated for this position and to have an opportunity to continue to serve."
Petraeus and Odierno have built a strong working relationship and are believed to see eye-to-eye on how to carry out the complicated Iraq mission - one they believe requires offensive military operations, more-subtle counterinsurgency missions, and society-wide reconstruction, all at once.
Gates said Odierno was the logical choice to succeed his old boss because he was familiar to the officers and troops in Iraq and, not least, to the Iraqis.
"In most parts of the world, especially the Middle East, personal relationships make a big difference," Gates said. 