The Number Two Military Man (U.S.) In Iraq

Army Gen. David Petraeus, left, Multi-National Force-Iraq commanding general, Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, center, III Corps commander, and Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, Multi-National Corps-Iraq commander, salute the colors during a change of command ceremony at Al Faw Palace on Feb. 14. Austin assumed command of Multinational Corps Iraq from Odierno, who is scheduled to become the U.S. Army’s next vice chief of staff. Photo by Sgt. Laura M. Bigenho, U.S. Army

The Quiet Man -- Newsweek

Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, the No. 2 in Iraq, is considered a thoughtful leader—and one who is not likely to break news.

When photos from Barack Obama's aerial tour of Baghdad circulated this summer, many wondered about the soldier who was standing alongside the presidential candidate and Gen. David Petraeus. That's just as Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin would have it. Austin, a towering physical presence but essentially a quiet and soft-spoken man, seems certain to keep a low profile in his role as the No. 2 in Iraq, as his boss Petraeus leaves for his new job at CENTCOM and is succeeded by Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno.

Odierno, who earned a fourth star and becomes the top U.S. warrior in Iraq, had been Austin's predecessor in the number two spot until February and regularly made news. Austin, by contrast, may grant the occasional interview and take reporters on trips, but he seems more comfortable briefing his staff than a gaggle of reporters. "Austin's a good military official," says an adviser to the Iraqi government. "He's maintained excellent oversight of his troops. He doesn't shoot from the hip." Austin is not the type to describe major shifts in thinking in catchy phrases, as Odierno did in May 2007 when he described the slow and deliberate drawing down of troops as "thinning the lines." With his careful observations, there's little chance Austin will appear on TV under the rubric "Breaking News." "The general is a fine commander, a great and humble man who's been here a while, but for some reason has not gotten much media coverage," one of his aides says, with some frustration.

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