Free Republic

President Obama’s decision to pull all U.S. forces out of Iraq by Dec. 31 is an “absolute disaster” that puts the burgeoning Arab democracy at risk of an Iranian “strangling,” said an architect of the 2007 troop surge that turned around a losing war. Retired ArmyGen. John M. Keane was at the forefront of persuading President George W. Bush to scuttle a static counterinsurgency strategy and replace it with 30,000 reinforcements and a more activist, street-by-street counterterrorism tactic. Today, even with that strategy producing a huge drop in daily attacks, Gen. Keane bluntly told The Washington Times that the United...

The commander of American reinforcements to Iraq, General John Keane, was in London on Wednesday to talk about the progress of the counterinsurgency campaign and its prospects. America, he said, had adopted the wrong strategy to deal with the disorders at the outset. It tried to solve the problem by conventional military methods, using force against force in an attempt to defeat the insurgency by killing those who were waging it, when what was needed was something more like police action, providing Iraqi cities with security, so that citizens could resume their normal lives with a reasonable assurance that they...

General Tommy Franks, who led US forces to victory in Afghanistan and Iraq, has turned down a promotion to army chief of staff, it was reported yesterday. Gen Franks had promised his wife he would shortly retire and, after days of intense speculation in Washington, he has now declined the offer of the army's top post, Pentagon officials told CNN television. The general has made no secret of his dislike of Washington and the power struggles and intrigue that dominate life there. His decision leaves the defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, without a key ally in his long-running, and often bitter,...

The Bush administration wants Air Force Secretary James Roche to be the next Army secretary, InsideDefense.com has learned. Two industry sources tracking the issue said Roche is the favorite to fill the shoes of outgoing Army Secretary Thomas White, who recently resigned at the request of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Whether Roche will accept the position remains to be seen. Roche is viewed as a trusted aide who could “fix” problems in the Army, said one of the sources, noting Rumsfeld's well-publicized disagreements with White and outgoing Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki. White's effective date of resignation is...

Rumsfeld to offer Franks top army post: report WASHINGTON (AFP) Apr 27, 2003 US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld plans to offer the top army post to General Tommy Franks, who led coalition forces to victory in Iraq, according to a report here. Secretary of the Army Thomas White announced his resignation abruptly on Friday after a meeting with Rumsfeld and Deputy US Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. A brief Pentagon statement announcing the departure offered no explanation and did not say when it would take place. Now Rumsfeld, who has clashed with top Army leadership due to his drive to streamline...