Secretary of Defense Gates has asked for the resignation of Gen. David McKiernan and plans to appoint Lieutenant General Stanley A. McChrystal to the post.
From WaPo:
Gates refused to detail why he asked for McKiernan's resignation. Instead he said that the Afghanistan mission "requires new thinking and new approaches from our military leaders. Today we have a new policy set by our new president. We have a new strategy, a new mission and a new ambassador. I believe that new military leadership also is needed."
For more information on the man Gates believes is best for the job at hand, follow me over the fold.
Not only was Lt. General McChrystal the Commander of Joint Operations Forces from 2003 - 2008, he was also the man credited with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Some of you might remember Lt. General McChrystal's role in the Pat Tillman debacle.
SAN FRANCISCO — Just a day after approving a medal claiming former NFL player Pat Tillman had been cut down by "devastating enemy fire" in Afghanistan, a high-ranking general tried to warn President Bush that the story might not be true, according to testimony obtained by The Associated Press.
Despite this apparent contradiction, Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal was spared punishment in the latest review of Tillman's shooting. On Tuesday, the Army overruled a Pentagon recommendation that he be held accountable for his "misleading" actions.
What, pray tell, might constitute misleading? From the same USA Today story linked to above:
McChrystal acknowledged he had suspected several days prior to approving the Silver Star citation on April 28, 2004, that Tillman may have died by fratricide.
SNIP
"Because I thought it was friendly fire I thought it was important that key attendees know that that theory could become the finding of the investigation, and if they were going to make a statement about 'killed by enemy fire,' it might not be certain," McChrystal said.
That's really all I have to say.