Likely Successor Emerges to Lead U.S. Forces in Iraq

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times

Likely Successor Emerges to Lead U.S. Forces in Iraq
By MICHAEL R. GORDON and THOM SHANKER
Published: March 19, 2010

WASHINGTON — The leading candidate to succeed Gen. Ray Odierno as the top American commander in Iraq is Lloyd J. Austin III, an Army lieutenant general who has done two tours in Iraq and currently serves as a senior aide to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, senior military and civilian officials say.

Acting on the recommendation of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, President Obama has asked General Odierno to extend his tour in Baghdad until September. That means that General Odierno will be in charge when the United States reduces its troop level to 50,000 in August and officially proclaims the end to its combat mission in Iraq.

But the next phase of the American presence in Iraq will involve an array of challenges. Not only does the American command need to train and support Iraqi forces, which continue to struggle with bombings and insurgent attacks, but it faces a series of other problems, including tensions between Arabs and Kurds and Iran’s attempts to extend its influence in Iraq — all while Iraqi politicians struggle to form a new government after recent parliamentary elections.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has said that the Obama administration’s Iraq legacy will depend in part on whether a stable and representative Iraqi government takes hold after American troops leave, adding to the importance of American efforts to help the Iraqi government improve its ability to deliver goods and services, develop the economy and establish the rule of law.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/world/middleeast/20military.html?partner=rss&emc=rss