Summary President Obama has decided to nominate Gen Lloyd Austin as next commander of US Central Command.
President Barack Obama has decided to nominate Gen. Lloyd Austin to succeed Gen. James Mattis to head the US Central Command.
Gen. Mattis has been serving as CENTCOM chief since August 2010 and is going to retire soon. Gen. Mattis -- a U.S. marine General and a veteran of Iraq war -- was ignored for promotion as commandant of the Marine Corps in 2010 and was instead nominated as CENTCOM commander, replacing Gen. David Petraeus.
It may be mentioned here that Gen. Mattis had a very close relationship with Pakistan s military leadership, particularly the Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, and undertook several trips to Pakistan over the last couple of years to discuss defense cooperation in Afghanistan and the bordering areas. He remained quite actively involved in the negotiations in the wake of Salala tragedy that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and the U.S. finally had to succumb to Pakistan s demand for ana pology.
The US Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta confirmed through a statement that President Obama was intending to nominate Gen. Lloyd Austin as the next commander of U.S. Central Command. "Lloyd Austin, who currently serves as vice chief of staff of the Army, is one of the military s most seasoned combat leaders -- with extensive experience in the CENTCOM area of responsibility," he said.
Gen. Austin has also served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He led the 3rd Infantry Division in the opening months of the Iraq war and later commanded the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan. He also led Multi-National Corps-Iraq from February 2008 until April 2009, and then commanded U.S. Forces-Iraq from September 2010 through the completion of the mission in December 2011.
"During his final deployment to Iraq, Gen. Austin led our military efforts at a particularly important time, overseeing the drawdown of U.S. forces and equipment while simultaneously helping to ensure that hard-fought security gains were preserved and that Iraqis could secure and govern themselves," Secretary Panetta said while hoping that Gen. Lloyd would "bring an important combination of strategic thinking, regional knowledge and proven judgment to one of the most critical posts in the department."
He also paid rich tributes to Gen. Mattis. "Jim has a distinguished record as a combatant commander, having also led the former Joint Forces Command from 2007-2010. I will have much more to say about Jim Mattis, who I believe will go down as one of the most celebrated battlefield leaders and strategic military thinkers of our time. He has been an exemplary leader of U.S. Central Command at a critical time for America s vital interests in the Middle East and South Asia," Panetta remarked.
The Secretary Defense said that Gen. Mattis had helped build regional security cooperation, advanced the cause of security and stability, and ensured that the U.S. forces were postured and prepared for any contingency in the region.
"Americans are safer because one of our nation s great warriors, Jim Mattis, is standing watch over this volatile and important part of the world," he hailed.
"I am grateful that we have found another warrior and patriot, Lloyd Austin, to carry his legacy forward and to command thousands of troops who are willing to fight and to die to defend our nation," he said. The new nomination will now be sent to the U.S. Senate s Armed Services Committee for a confirmation hearing before the voting.
- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC
