Amid Rift, Centcom Boss Quits

Adm. William Fallon

By THOMAS E. RICKS, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON - The head of U.S. Central Command, whose views on military strategy have put him at odds with the Bush administration, abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday, calling reports of such disagreements an untenable "distraction."

Adm. William Fallon

While leading Centcom, which is based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Adm. William "Fox" Fallon was the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, putting him officially in charge of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But he clashed frequently with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, over strategy and troop levels, Pentagon officials said.

Although technically Fallon's subordinate, Petraeus has more experience in Iraq and has forged a strong connection with President Bush.

Fallon had made several comments reflecting disagreement with the administration's stance on Iran, most recently discussed in an Esquire magazine article last week that portrayed him as the only person who might stop Bush from going to war with Iran.

"Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the president's policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time," Fallon said in a statement.

He said "it would be best to step aside and allow" Defense Secretary Robert Gates "and our military leaders to move beyond this distraction."

Fallon is expected to step down at the end of the month, after barely a year in his position and just eight days before Petraeus is scheduled to testify before Congress about conditions in Iraq. Military officers said it appeared that it was made clear to Fallon that nobody would object if he stepped down.

"Admiral Fallon reached this difficult decision entirely on his own," Gates said Tuesday.

He added: "I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are, in fact, significant differences between his views and administration policy."

The defense secretary also praised Fallon's abilities as a strategist, even though it was the admiral's strategic views that seemed to trouble the administration. "He is enormously talented and very experienced, and he does have a strategic vision that is rare," Gates said.

The Esquire article, written by Thomas P.M. Barnett, a former Naval War College professor, asserted that if Fallon left his job anytime soon, it could signal that Bush intends to go to war with Iran. Asked about that, Gates called it "just ridiculous."

The article profiled Fallon under the headline "The Man Between War and Peace."

"If, in the dying light of the Bush administration, we go to war with Iran, it'll all come down to one man," the article begins, referring to Fallon. "If we do not go to war with Iran, it'll come down to the same man."

Several Democrats were quick to accuse the administration of not tolerating dissent.

"It's distressing that Admiral Fallon feels he had to step down," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. "President Bush's oft-repeated claim that he follows the advice of his commanders on the ground rings hollow if our commanders don't feel free to disagree with the president."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., asked whether Fallon's resignation is an indication that the administration is hostile to "the frank, open airing of experts' views."

Gates said that Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the Army officer who is No. 2 at Central Command and has served two tours in Iraq since the invasion of 2003, would temporarily take Fallon's place when the admiral retires at the end of this month, and would serve until a permanent replacement was nominated and confirmed by the Senate.

Experts Name Possible Successors

A likely successor to Fallon is Petraeus, some defense experts said. The general could be promoted to the Centcom post and replaced in Baghdad by Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, who until last month was Petraeus' deputy in Iraq. Odierno, who has been nominated to become Army vice chief of staff, developed a strong working relationship with Petraeus.

Another possible successor mentioned Tuesday is Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the head of Special Operations in Iraq. McChrystal recently was nominated to be director of the staff of the Joint Chiefs, a key Pentagon position.

On Iraq, Fallon butted heads with Petraeus during the past year, arguing for a more rapid drawdown of U.S. troops and a swifter transition to Iraqi security forces.

Fallon even carried out his own review of the conduct of the war, a move that surprised many Pentagon officials in part because Odierno and Petraeus had already revamped U.S. strategy in Iraq and, with Bush's approval, had implemented a buildup of about 30,000 additional troops, moving them off big bases and deploying them among the Iraqi population.

The Perception Of Disagreement

In the Esquire article, Fallon contends that Iraq was consuming excessive U.S. attention. In a part of the world with "five or six pots boiling over," he is quoted as saying, "our nation can't afford to be mesmerized by one problem."

The article was "definitely the straw that broke the camel's back," a retired general said, especially because of its "extraordinarily flip, damning and insulting" tone.

He noted that since it appeared last week, it has been the talk of military circles, where it was expected that Fallon would be disciplined.

Fallon, one of the last Vietnam veterans in the U.S. military, was the first Navy officer selected to lead Centcom, a role traditionally granted to Army and Marine generals such as Norman Schwarzkopf, Tommy Franks and Anthony Zinni.

One reason he was chosen to replace Army Gen. John Abizaid was because the administration, dealing with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a diplomatic crisis over Iran's nuclear program, wanted a seasoned officer who could step into the job quickly, without having to learn the ropes of top command, according to a person involved in his selection.

He had told colleagues that he viewed Iran as a problem similar to China, mainly requiring steady engagement rather than aggressive confrontation. That stance put him at odds with Iran hawks both inside and outside the administration.

On Tuesday, Gates said the perception that Fallon disagreed with the administration's policies was enough to concern Fallon that he may no longer be effective in the region. Gates quoted Fallon as saying that the situation was "embarrassing."

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23588734/

    Apparently President Bush, when he speaks of"listening to his Commanders on the ground" does not mean listening to those Commanders when they disagree with him as a very able Commander has been forced to resign from his strategic Middle East command. Let America hope and pray Admiral Fallon was not the last barrier between Iran diplomacy and war before President Bush leaves office. Wouldn't it be grand if Admiral Fallon do what former Secretary Of State Colin Powell failed to do, that being to "tell all" about this dirty rotten Bush Administration. Bush wants military "yes men". America needs a Commander In Chief and honest military commanders that put life and liberty above neocon agendas. (Sounds like Admiral Fallon would make a great Secretary Of Defense for President Obama or Clinton)

tags: william fallon  bush  war on terror  middle east  centcom  iran  iraq  power  president  us  

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