(KUNA) -- Army Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, stepped in as top US commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, replacing William Fallon as head of US Central Command, at a ceremony Friday. Dempsey, Fallon's number two at the US Central Command, Centcom, replaced navy admiral Fallon, who announced he was quitting on March 11th, amid news reports that he had fallen out of favor with the White House over Iran.
Dempsey, who earned high marks as army commander of the 1st Airbourne Division in Iraq in 2003-2004, now serves as the acting commander overseeing both Iraq and Afghanistan wars, until President George W. Bush selects his replacement and is confirmed by the Senate. Bush is not expected to name a Fallon's permanent replacement until the release of the latest Iraq reports to Congress, by top US commander in Iraq David Petraeus, in early April. Dempsey was recommended by Defense Secretary Robert Gates as a suitable replacement for Fallon, when he leaves office at the end of the month.
As Centcom commander, Dempsey reports to Secretary of Defense and oversees US military relations with countries throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. Prior to his experience at Centcom, Dempsey served in Baghdad as head of the command in charge of training Iraqi security forces. He also spent time in Saudi Arabia, where he headed a US program aimed at modernizing the Saudi National Guard, in 2001-2003. |