I have no beef with Gen. McKiernan, and he is probably a good guy, and maybe even a very good leader. However, just yesterday I received a briefing on AF which made me despair as to the direction with AF surge. It was all more of the same, and reflected none of the innovative thinking that GEN Petraeus brought to the surge in Iraq. More troops are necessary, but I believe it is abundantly apparent about the Iraqi surge is that its success hinged not on an increase in troops, but on the change in strategy.
That said, simply relieving someone who otherwise seemed to be an able commander is not necessarily a step forward, either. Indeed, it seems to reflect a "Tinker Toys" vision of planning. (e.g. the plan is a result of having the right pieces in the right places.) If the next commander in AF is no more innovative, then all we have done is throw a good soldier under the bus for little to no gains.
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