Petraeus GS ’87 to replace McChrystal as military leader in Afghanistan

Gen. David Petraeus GS ’87, head of the U.S. Central Command, has replaced Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the leader of American forces in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama announced on June 23.

Obama accepted McChrystal’s resignation – and appointed Petraeus in his place – after McChrystal and members of his staff made disparaging comments about members of the president’s administration in a Rolling Stone article that was published online on June 22.

Petraeus, who led the 2007 surge strategy in Iraq, has been the head of U.S. Central Command since October 2008. In that position, he oversaw American forces in 20 countries throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and East Africa. Now, he will be charged with implementing Obama’s plans for Afghanistan, which the president said would not change under new leadership.

Obama said his decision to accept McChrystal’s resignation did not come as a result of policy disagreements.

“It’s the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military, and for our country,” Obama explained during the announcement of Petraeus’s appointment, which he said “will allow us to maintain the momentum and leadership that we need to succeed.”

Petraeus said on June 24 that he supports Obama’s plan to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan by July 2011, calling the Afghan war “a hugely important mission.”

“It’s very sad that I have to assume it in this manner,” Petraeus said, noting that McChrystal has “played a key role in helping get the inputs right in Afghanistan.”

Details of the Rolling Stone article became available the day before it was officially released, and McChrystal was summoned to the White House for a meeting with the president on the day it was published. In the article, McChrystal and his staff personally insult top officials like vice president Joe Biden – whom an aide refers to as “Bite Me” – and even Obama himself.

McChrystal apologized for his comments, referring to his decision to speak so candidly with a reporter as “a mistake reflecting poor judgment [that] never should have happened,” but he decided to resign nonetheless.

“I strongly support the President’s strategy in Afghanistan and am deeply committed to our coalition forces, our partner nations and the Afghan people,” McChrystal said in a statement on the day his replacement was announced. “It was out of respect for this commitment — and a desire to see the mission succeed — that I tendered my resignation.”

Many commentators have found Petraeus’s appointment unsurprising and a New York Times editorial published on June 23 went so far as to cautiously declare that it “should provide some reassurance to allies and Americans.”

Petraeus, who was awarded the James Madison Medal — the highest honor awarded annually to a graduate alumnus — in February, earned a master’s in public affairs from the University in 1985 and a Ph.D. from the Wilson School in 1987. He delivered the annual Baccalaureate address in 2009 in which he encouraged members of the graduating class to pursue careers in public service.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

That speech was met with mixed reviews. While most members of the Class of 2009 listened to Petraeus from within the University Chapel, some abstained from attending the event and protested outside. On that day, ROTC commander Lt. Col. John Stark said Petraeus “offers a unique perspective as both an intellectual and a soldier.”