Officials: Lt. Gen Austin to Replace Odierno as Iraq Commander
Odierno Reportedly to Move on to Joint Forces Command in September
According to Pentagon officials, top US commander in Iraq Gen. Ray Odierno will leave his position at some point in September as part of “normal troop rotation,” being replaced by Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin.
Gen. Odierno has been in Iraq since December 2006, and served as commander of the “Multi-National Forces” in Iraq and later the US forces in Iraq since September of 2008, when he replaced Gen. David Petraeus.
Lt. Gen. Austin replaced Odierno as second-in-command in Iraq in 2008, and has been in Iraq since. Odierno will reportedly move on to head the Joint Forces Command, apparently replacing Gen. James Mattis.
The September date for Odierno’s replacement seems to be centered on the Obama Administration’s plan to withdraw all combat troops by the end of August, a plan which seems increasingly unlikely as violence continues to rise in the nation. It is unclear, however, if any delay to the drawdown scheme will also mean a delay to the transfer of command.
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Nergol
April 13th, 2010 at 4:30 am
What's this now? They're sending Stone Cold Steve Austin to run the war in Iraq? Finally something sensible from Washington.
Someone needed to give Iyad Allawi a Stunner years ago…
E. A. Costa
April 13th, 2010 at 6:10 am
July 23, 2008
Q : General, this is Kristin Roberts with Reuters. Can you please characterize for us the scope of Prime Minister Maliki's crackdown on Shi'ite militias? The complaint heard both where you are and where we are is that the crackdown has only targeted Sadr's people. Can you speak to this?
GEN. AUSTIN: Well, thanks. The prime minister has been focused on criminal elements who have been terrorizing people throughout the country. And those include both Shi'a and Sunni elements. As you saw in Basra, as the Iraqi security forces moved on the criminal elements in Basra, they had a group of folks that were actually terrorizing the population, and the focus was to bring those people to justice. We saw the same thing in Sadr City, and we're seeing the same thing in Almarah . Again, the focus is on the criminal elements that are committing atrocities and breaking the law.
Q: Follow-up, Bryan?
MR. WHITMAN: Go ahead.
Q: But have Shi'ite groups outside of Sadr's network been affected?
GEN. AUSTIN: Well, it's difficult to say how much one group has been affected or not affected. Again, he is not focused on the Sadrists, he is focused on those elements that are breaking the law. And I am sure that if we look, we'll find elements that span the spectrum.
MR. WHITMAN: Tom, go ahead.
Q: General, it's Tom Bowman with National Public Radio. If we could stay in Sadr for a second. As you know, he started a new political organization, and it also has an armed element that's designed to target Americans. I'm wondering how much of a threat do you think this is.
GEN. AUSTIN: Well, it's hard to say because we've not seen evidence of this element to date appear. We know that that statement was made. But certainly we've not seen any clear indication that the element exists as we speak. But certainly that's a thing that we'll remain on the lookout for.
Q: How much of a threat is Sadr himself for creating this armed element designed to target Americans?
GEN. AUSTIN: I'm sorry, I missed part of your question.
Q: How much of a threat is Sadr himself for creating this group that's aimed to target U.S. troops?
GEN. AUSTIN: Well, again, we've not seen this element appear, so to date I can't say that there really is a threat. I know that that's what's been said, but there is no evidence of an existence of such an element.
[http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4248]
Yessir–Iraq is good hands, with a fellow like Austin replacing one like Odierno–just completely on top of things, with complete mastery of the local culture and politics and population. In the same interview General Austin details at length the great victory of the US forces in Iraq over "Al Qaeda". Yessir.
augustus818
April 13th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
"Austin 3:16 says I JUST WHOOPED YOUR ASS!"
Iraq News Updates — April 13, 2010 « Read NEWS
April 13th, 2010 at 11:01 am
[...] After Drawdown — FOX NewsMilitary sources: New US commander for Iraq — Yahoo News/APOfficials: Lt. Gen Austin to Replace Odierno as Iraq Commander — Antiwar.comIraq PM says Sunni militia can stop bombings — APU.S. Condemns Iraq [...]
Iraq News Updates — April 13, 2010 « Read NEWS
April 13th, 2010 at 11:13 am
[...] After Drawdown — FOX NewsMilitary sources: New US commander for Iraq — Yahoo News/APOfficials: Lt. Gen Austin to Replace Odierno as Iraq Commander — Antiwar.comIraq PM says Sunni militia can stop bombings — APU.S. Condemns Iraq [...]