Admiral Fallon to head Centcom, Petraeus at MNFI

[Merv Benson]

This post is based on an ABC News story.

I don't know if this portends more naval operation with Iran or not. The story did not indicate any change in Gen. Mattis' role.

[jcustis]

Wtfo?!?...

[RTK]

I understand Petraeus. The Admiral is lost on me.

[Menning]

I'm with you gentlemen-I cannot understand why CENTCOM needs a naval commander when it is fighting a ground war.

[jcustis]

Well he is an experienced aviator. Maybe we'll be starting a Rolling Thunder campaign against the insurgents.

[Smitten Eagle]

All I know about the Admiral is that he actually quite respected as a diplomat, believe it or not. He's apparantly been instrumental in lots of the engagement with host nations in the pacific rim in the wake of OEF (OEF-Phillipines being the biggest operation, I'd imagine.)

In the wake of the ISG report, which calls for greater engagement/appeasement with Syria and Iran, I'd say his presence in CentCom is quite logical. Remember, the post of Combatant Commander is probably more diplomatic than military, being responsible for military-to-military relations with scores of countries and all. It seems that the warfighting functions of those CinCdoms have been devolved to task forces and such.

Just idle speculation though.

[Meinertzhagen]

I think the Fallon move fits within the portended changes for overall campaign strategy in Iraq and the Middle East. ADM Fallon has made major shift in strategy away from pure hard military balancing against China and NK towards a holistic view of security in the greater region. He’s spent much of his time working to engage China while at the same time building U.S./India military relations. At the same time PACOM has focused more on the smaller regional security threats directing considerably more energy towards Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kashmir and the Philippines. At any rate, he’s just about single handedly developed and implemented a new and effective national strategy in Asia with very little support from the State Department and other national agencies.

Having met and heard ADM Fallon speak several times and I am impressed with his understanding of the need for, and ability to develop and implement a complete strategy across the DIME/PMESII spectrum. If he can take same approach to CENTCOM and Iraq we’ll be a little further along the path towards turning things around.

[jcustis]

I guess I've betrayed the fact that I was hoping to see a man some people call Mattis somewhere in this equation.

[Smitten Eagle]

I second that, jcustus.

But actually, I'd prefer to see Mattis at MNFI, where Petraeus is going. But Petraeus is fine.

[jcustis]

Hell, I vote Mattis for SecDef. Oh wait...that'll be some time down the road. Darn!

[Merv Benson]

I have updated my post on the change of command at Centcom. The NY Times reports that Admiral Fallon is highly regarded by the Joint Chiefs. He also stood up to a judge in the Philippines who tried to disregard an agreement on dealing with troops charged with crimes. My post has a link with more details on the Marine who was tried on a very questionable rape charge by political opponents of the government who wanted to scuttle the anti terror cooperation.

[jcustis]

My mother-in-law is back in the P.I. right now, and she and most other reasonable folk are pissed about the B.S. around the case, because it embarrasses the country. I catch at least one story per day on the Pinoy news channel. There is a high level of suspicion that Smith and the accuser had some sort of boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, and he became a pawn in a drama stirred up by idiots.

[zenpundit]

"I'm with you gentlemen-I cannot understand why CENTCOM needs a naval commander when it is fighting a ground war."

Unless there is going to be a carrier based EBO campaign against Iran. Then the appointment makes quite a bit of sense.

Also as a signal to Teheran.

[SWJED]

Bush to Name a New General to Oversee Iraq - NY Times.

President Bush has decided to name Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus as the top American military commander in Iraq, part of a broad revamping of the military team that will carry out the administration’s new Iraq strategy, administration officials said Thursday.

In addition to the promotion of General Petraeus, who will replace Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the choice to succeed Gen. John P. Abizaid as the head of the Central Command is expected to be Adm. William J. Fallon, who is the top American military officer in the Pacific, officials said.

The changes are being made as the White House is considering an option to increase American combat power in Baghdad by five brigades as well as adding two battalions of reinforcements to the volatile province of Anbar in western Iraq...

[SWJED]

Bush Is Expected to Shift U.S. Ambassador in Iraq to U.N. - NY Times.

President Bush intends to name Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born diplomat who has been ambassador to Iraq for the past 21 months, to be the new envoy to the United Nations, part of a diplomatic shakeup as Mr. Bush prepares to announce a new strategy for the war.

A senior administration official, who had been briefed on the decision but had to discuss it anonymously because the change had not been formally announced, confirmed Thursday that the president had decided to nominate Mr. Khalilzad to the United Nations post.

The official said Mr. Bush intended to name Ryan C. Crocker, the ambassador to Pakistan, to replace Mr. Khalilzad in Baghdad...

[Tom Odom]

Here is another key change coming:

Gates Picks Intelligence Undersecretary

Washington Post

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has chosen a career military intelligence officer, retired Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr., to be undersecretary of defense for intelligence, according to administration officials.

Clapper, who retired in June after five years as director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), ran the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) during the 1990s, and handled Air Force intelligence during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

LTG Clapper was my DIA Director when I was a Defense Attache--and he actually tracked how those of us in the hotspots were doing. More importantly he supported and listened to us. He was kind enough to review my memoirs in Military Review last year.I see him as fresh wind in the DoD intel arena--he replaces the guy who had much to do with the former SecDef's dismissal of him after he said what he thought to Congress. We need more of that...

Best

Tom

[SWJED]

Here is another key change coming:

LTG Clapper was my DIA Director when I was a Defense Attache--and he actually tracked how those of us in the hotspots were doing. More importantly he supported and listened to us. He was kind enough to review my memoirs in Military Review last year.I see him as fresh wind in the DoD intel arena--he replaces the guy who had much to do with the former SecDef's dismissal of him after he said what he thought to Congress. We need more of that...

Best

Tom

I helped him prepare to sit on an urban operations discussion panel several years ago - found him very knowledgeable, professional and sincere. Good man. BTW - when he was in USAF ROTC he had the smartest marching unit in the entire system. He owes it to his summer stint in USMC PLC OCS....

[JKM4767]

I really expected Mattis to take Iraq and Patreaus at Centcom. But, Patreaus will definetely work at MNFI. Who is Fallon? Never heard of him.

[Eddie Beaver]

I hope the replacement for PACOM can come close to matching Adm. Fallon's contributions to our long-term interests in Asia and the scope of his strategic vision:

1. Regardless of it being a realistic endeavor or the folly of a dreamer, it was worth the effort to establish a solid "give & take" with China on mil to mil relations; given the incertainity of what lies in the future for both nations in dealing with N. Korea & Burma, or even Indonesia.

2. America's interests in Asia will be more important in the mid to long term than the MENA, a process that could be accelerated by alternative energy technology and battery advances and/or national and corporate leadership. We also retain a far greater capacity to shape our role in PACOM for the future than the limited role we will have in CENTCOM.

3. Diplomatic advances made by Adm. Fallon could be squandered if not followed up on by his replacement. Consider the importance of deeper India-US ties, Japan-US relations, trust-building exercises with Indonesia, Vietnam & Malaysia and the ongoing attempted rehabilitation of South Korea-US relations.

[SWJED]

I hope the replacement for PACOM can come close to matching Adm. Fallon's contributions to our long-term interests in Asia and the scope of his strategic vision:

1. Regardless of it being a realistic endeavor or the folly of a dreamer, it was worth the effort to establish a solid "give & take" with China on mil to mil relations; given the incertainity of what lies in the future for both nations in dealing with N. Korea & Burma, or even Indonesia.

2. America's interests in Asia will be more important in the mid to long term than the MENA, a process that could be accelerated by alternative energy technology and battery advances and/or national and corporate leadership. We also retain a far greater capacity to shape our role in PACOM for the future than the limited role we will have in CENTCOM.

3. Diplomatic advances made by Adm. Fallon could be squandered if not followed up on by his replacement. Consider the importance of deeper India-US ties, Japan-US relations, trust-building exercises with Indonesia, Vietnam & Malaysia and the ongoing attempted rehabilitation of South Korea-US relations.

After initially scratching my head on this appointment I did some (1-inch deep but enough to get a greater appreciation of Fallon) research on the Internet. There are knowledgeable opinions out there that echo your post.