Change Of U.S. Military Leadership In Iraq

Raymond Odierno: Surge Architect Takes Command In Iraq -- AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) — General Raymond Odierno, the hulking artillery man who takes over Tuesday as the top US commander in Iraq, is a key architect of the surge strategy that appears to have moved Iraq to the brink of peace.

General David Petraeus oversaw the surge, but it was his former deputy Odierno who first proposed it in December 2006 to a resistant Pentagon, setting the stage for what would become a pivotal turn in the unpopular war.

Odierno carried out the detailed counter-insurgency campaign that poured US troops into Baghdad, cleared Al-Qaeda insurgents from havens in communities surrounding the capital, and targeted Shiite extremists.

By the time Odierno left Iraq 15 months later, levels of violence had begun their downward plunge.

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My Comment: General Petraeus was the public face of the U.S. military in Iraq, but General Odierno was the man in the trenches. I do not expect any changes in the security situation in Iraq. The country has the ideal man to oversee its security from the American side.