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Saturday, June 16, 2007

[wvns] US Military Leader Forced Out

The US military's outgoing top commander says he opposed plans to
replace him at the end of his term.


Head of US military 'forced out'
Friday, 15 June 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6759115.stm



Gen Pace has been criticised for his handling of the Iraq war
The US military's outgoing top commander, Gen Peter Pace, says he
opposed the decision to replace him at the end of his first term.
Gen Pace said he did not resign voluntarily as he felt this would be
"unacceptable" for him as a leader. "I've been told I'm done," he said.

His term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is to end in October.

Washington said last week it would not seek another term to avoid a
"divisive" confirmation process in Congress.

The Bush administration has faced several challenges on Iraq in recent
months from Congress, which is now controlled by the Democrats.

Gen Pace has been involved in all the controversial decisions
surrounding the US military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is regarded as a close ally of former Defence Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld, who resigned last year amid criticism of his handling of the
Iraq war.

Senate criticism

Gen Pace told an audience at the Joint Forces Staff College in
Norfolk, Virginia, that he felt resigning during a war would be a
betrayal of his troops.

"One thing that was discussed was whether or not I should just
voluntarily retire and take the issue off the table," he said.

But, he said, he rejected this because he did not want anyone under
his command to "think - ever - that his chairman, whoever that person
is, could have stayed in the battle and voluntarily walked off the
battlefield."

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates last week said he had intended to
seek another two-year term for Gen Pace but chose to avoid a "a
backward-looking and very contentious process".

He recommended Adm Michael Mullen, the current chief of naval
operations, as his replacement.

He said Adm Mullen had the "vision, strategic insight and integrity to
lead America's armed forces".

On Thursday, Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took the
unusual step of openly criticising Gen Pace.

Senator Reid said he had told Gen Pace "he had not done a very good
job of speaking out for some obvious things that weren't going right
in Iraq".

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