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| Bush to replace top generals |
| 2007-01-05 |
| US President George W. Bush is expected to announce next week the replacement of the top US general in the Middle East, John Abizaid, and the senior general in Iraq, George Casey. Gen Abizaid, 55, Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) comprising the Middle East, who in December announced he would retire in early 2007, would be replaced by Admiral William Fallon, the Commander of the US Pacific Command, said ABC quoting US officials. Gen Casey, 58, who is not expected to step down before June, would be replaced by General David Petraeus, 54, Commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq, the television channel said. The changes are expected to be made public next week before Mr Bush announces his new strategy for Iraq. "The president wants a clean sweep,'' an unidentified US official said on ABC. Gen Abizaid went from No.2 to head of CENTCOM in July 2003, after Saddam Hussein was overthrown in Iraq three months earlier. In mid-November, Gen Abizaid told a congressional hearing that increasing US troop levels was not the solution to Iraq's problems. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 62 also sounds like a good retirement age for congressmen. Less chance for brain rot to settle in. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-01-05 16:18 |
| #8 I would suggest all Rantburgers do a little Fallon-spadework. Most thought Fallon was going to retire after his PACOM tour. He is old...even for a 4 star. He will hit 40 commissioned years this year and is going on 62. He has been a 4 star for almost 7 years...which is extraordinary. The mandatory retirement age for all flag officers is 62 (this can be deferred to age 64 in some cases by SECNAV, SECDEF, or POTUS). To serve for 2 years as CENTCOM will require the special dispensation. The Fallon selection is no accident and is part of the new WH Iraq-ME policy shift. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2007-01-05 16:09 |
| #7 I am not comfortable with Fallon either.... In my gut, I feel Gen. Abizaid is getting dumped on like Secy Rumsfeld did, because of the PC policies of the West Wing which tied their hands... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2007-01-05 14:06 |
| #6 FWIW...Fallon is COMPACOM. His claim to fame is his relentless China-appeasment policies during his tenure. I do not think this is a WH move to strike fear in the hearts of anyone. I beleive it is a clear statement that the WH is moving toward appeasment and diplomacy in Iraq-Iran-Syria. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2007-01-05 13:26 |
| #5 Abu Babaloo, excellent suggestion (too late, apparently, to influence Dubya's decisions). It still seems likely Petraeus will be an improvement over Casey, a smart and good guy totally committed to a strategy that was clearly inappropriate from the start (not hindsight - when many of us looked at the campaign plan last year, we shook our heads, as apart from an emphasis on AQ in Iraq its priority assigned to putting unready Iraqis in charge looked, felt, and smelled wrong). I'd heard that Casey would transfer sooner than June, as the article has it - I sure hope so. While already overdue by several years, a serious effort to win this thing may not be able to take yet another few months of the status quo. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2007-01-05 11:02 |
| #4 When President Bush stands up and squares with the American people, as in telling them that Iraq is really Round #2 in a long war against the Isalmo caliphate, and stops trying to slather "politically correctness" all over this ugly fight, the bad guys will continue to win the PR war. And mishandled PR will lose this war early. |
| Posted by: bogeybob 2007-01-05 10:16 |
| #3 Why hasn't this guy, and others like him, been rapidly run up the ladder to two or even three stars? It's one of the short comings of the modern military bureaucracy. The personnel system is way too rigid. There's no leeway for fast promotions like Ike's run by Marshall. Ike wouldn't qualify today because he wouldn't have had 'command' time at brigade or division level. Too many fill in the block assignment requirements. Because of Goldwater-Nichols [Act], those successful battalion/brigade commanders can't be jumped above others because of requirements for 'joint' [multi-service] assignments before assuming joint commands. We settle for mediocre in place of brilliance, because we don't want to hurt peoples feelings and its easier to 'manage'. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-01-05 09:14 |
| #2 Cleaning house is a damn good idea, but I'd have felt better with, maybe, Petraeus as CENTCOM head and James Mattis taking One more thing...does everyone remember COL H. R. McMaster, the guy running an Armored Cav regiment near Tal Afar? The one who did such a good job the town's mayor personally appealed to President Bush to extend the ACR's tour? Why hasn't this guy, and others like him, been rapidly run up the ladder to two or even three stars? The hell with time-in-grade and War College or staff duty ticket punches - we're in a war, and today's James Gavins and Terry Allens need to be found and pushed to the top. |
| Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2007-01-05 01:12 |
| #1 Fallon is a former carrier pilot - and former commander of carrier attack forces in the Middle East during Gulf War I. 'Just the guy to have in place if and when the CIC decides to actually USE the two carrier battle groups that will soon be trolling around the Gulf. Hey Iran - do you want to send yor Navy - or your Air Force - out to play? |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2007-01-05 00:31 |