thedrifter
05-15-07, 07:14 PM
Army general to be named ‘war czar’
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 15, 2007 19:13:00 EDT
An active-duty three-star general is expected to be named as the White House’s coordinator of the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior U.S. defense official said today.
While cautioning that no official announcement has yet been made, the official said Army Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute, the director of operations for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, will be nominated to be the White House point man on the wars, serving as a direct link between commanders in the field and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. He would also coordinate interagency efforts in support of the wars.
Lute, if confirmed by the Senate, would carry the title of Special Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan Policy and Implementation, the defense official said. Lute would continue to serve on active duty and would be nominated as a three-star general. By law, he must be renominated at his current grade.
An announcement would end an administration recruiting effort that has lasted for at least six weeks and seemed aimed at hiring someone out of uniform. The White House apparently had no luck in that regard, having offered the job to at least three retired general officers, all of whom turned it down.
They included retired Marine Gen. Jack Sheehan, retired Army Gen. Jack Keane and retired Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston, sources say. Sheehan, a former NATO commander, rejected the job in very public fashion, harshly criticizing the administration’s conduct of the war.
While Lute’s range of responsibilities and power are yet to be detailed, the administration does not want someone to micromanage or “run the war,” as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told Pentagon reporters during an Apr. 11 press conference. Gates said he was surprised by the level of interest in the concept and said the phrase “war czar,” quickly coined after news of the administration’s search leaked out last month, struck him as “kind of silly.”
“The person is better described as a coordinator and a facilitator, somebody — this is what [National Security Advisor] Steve Hadley would do if Steve Hadley had the time, but he doesn't have the time to do it full-time,” Gates said.
“One of the arguments that we hear frequently — and frankly are very sympathetic with — is that [DoD] and the State Department are about the only parts of the government that are at war,” Gates said. “This kind of position is intended to ensure that where other parts of the government can play a contributing role, that in fact they understand what the president's priorities are and make sure that the commanders in the field, the ambassador in the field gets what he needs.”
If nominated and confirmed, Lute would fall into a special wartime category of general officers — there currently more than 20 — who serve in special positions at the pleasure of the president, the defense official said. As such, they are not counted against the congressional limit on how many generals the Army can have on active duty at any given time.
Lute is a 30-year veteran and armor officer who served much of his early career in Germany during the Cold War. He took part in the 1991 Gulf War as the operations officer for the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He later commanded the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and was assistant division commander (support) for the 1st Infantry Division in Kosovo.
Lute would also bring a wide range of joint planning and senior staff experience to the White House. His jobs have included two years as the politico-military planner — and later, the chief of the Central and Eastern European Branch — on the Joint Staff. He later served as deputy director of operations for U.S. European Command. From June 2004 to September 2006, Lute was the director of operations for U.S. Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ellie
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 15, 2007 19:13:00 EDT
An active-duty three-star general is expected to be named as the White House’s coordinator of the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior U.S. defense official said today.
While cautioning that no official announcement has yet been made, the official said Army Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute, the director of operations for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, will be nominated to be the White House point man on the wars, serving as a direct link between commanders in the field and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. He would also coordinate interagency efforts in support of the wars.
Lute, if confirmed by the Senate, would carry the title of Special Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan Policy and Implementation, the defense official said. Lute would continue to serve on active duty and would be nominated as a three-star general. By law, he must be renominated at his current grade.
An announcement would end an administration recruiting effort that has lasted for at least six weeks and seemed aimed at hiring someone out of uniform. The White House apparently had no luck in that regard, having offered the job to at least three retired general officers, all of whom turned it down.
They included retired Marine Gen. Jack Sheehan, retired Army Gen. Jack Keane and retired Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston, sources say. Sheehan, a former NATO commander, rejected the job in very public fashion, harshly criticizing the administration’s conduct of the war.
While Lute’s range of responsibilities and power are yet to be detailed, the administration does not want someone to micromanage or “run the war,” as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told Pentagon reporters during an Apr. 11 press conference. Gates said he was surprised by the level of interest in the concept and said the phrase “war czar,” quickly coined after news of the administration’s search leaked out last month, struck him as “kind of silly.”
“The person is better described as a coordinator and a facilitator, somebody — this is what [National Security Advisor] Steve Hadley would do if Steve Hadley had the time, but he doesn't have the time to do it full-time,” Gates said.
“One of the arguments that we hear frequently — and frankly are very sympathetic with — is that [DoD] and the State Department are about the only parts of the government that are at war,” Gates said. “This kind of position is intended to ensure that where other parts of the government can play a contributing role, that in fact they understand what the president's priorities are and make sure that the commanders in the field, the ambassador in the field gets what he needs.”
If nominated and confirmed, Lute would fall into a special wartime category of general officers — there currently more than 20 — who serve in special positions at the pleasure of the president, the defense official said. As such, they are not counted against the congressional limit on how many generals the Army can have on active duty at any given time.
Lute is a 30-year veteran and armor officer who served much of his early career in Germany during the Cold War. He took part in the 1991 Gulf War as the operations officer for the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He later commanded the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and was assistant division commander (support) for the 1st Infantry Division in Kosovo.
Lute would also bring a wide range of joint planning and senior staff experience to the White House. His jobs have included two years as the politico-military planner — and later, the chief of the Central and Eastern European Branch — on the Joint Staff. He later served as deputy director of operations for U.S. European Command. From June 2004 to September 2006, Lute was the director of operations for U.S. Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ellie