New U.S. commanders for Mideast

FACTBOX-, Iraq 23 Apr 2008 18:38:33 GMT
Source: Reuters
April 23 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush will nominate Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, to lead operations across the Middle East as the next head of U.S. Central Command, the White House said on Wednesday.

Bush will also nominate Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, a former number two to Petraeus, to return to Baghdad as the top commander for Iraq.

Following are some facts about the two men.

U.S. ARMY GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS

* Petraeus is a fiercely competitive, media-friendly soldier who holds a doctorate in international relations from Princeton University.

* Having served two previous tours in Iraq, he took command of U.S. forces there in February last year with the country on the verge of all-out civil war.

* Petraeus implemented a new strategy that brought in a "surge" of some 30,000 extra U.S. troops and pushed forces off larger bases and into smaller outposts to protect Iraqis from insurgent attacks.

* Overall violence in Iraq dropped 60 percent from June of last year until late last month when fighting flared again in the southern city of Basra and in parts of Baghdad.

* Petraeus has also played a high-profile role in defending the Iraq war before the U.S. Congress, where Democrats skeptical about the conflict hold a majority.

* He told Congress this month that progress in Iraq was "fragile and reversible" and said he wanted to freeze troop cuts when the current round of withdrawals leaves about 140,000 troops in Iraq at the end of July.

U.S. ARMY LT. GEN. RAY ODIERNO

* A towering, shaven-headed figure, Odierno commanded the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

* He was criticized by some analysts for harsh tactics in his area of operations, which included Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. Odierno defended his approach, saying the area was a hotbed for insurgents that needed robust measures.

* Odierno returned to Iraq in December 2006 as the number two commander in Iraq, responsible for day-to-day operations.

* In his second tour, he showed a more measured approach, stressing the importance of reconciliation among Iraqi factions and saying it was vital for the Iraqi government to provide basic services to the population to reduce the appeal of insurgent groups.

* Odierno has been nominated to get his fourth star as a general and had been selected to become vice chief of the U.S. Army. But U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday the administration would withdraw the Army appointment and nominate Odierno for the top job in Iraq instead. (Reporting by Andrew Gray)