JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday welcomed David Petraeus as the new chief of Central Command with responsibility for America’s two wars, saying he hopes the general will help bring needed coherence to the U.S. and allied strategy in an increasingly volatile Afghanistan.
Gates presided at Petraeus’ change-of-command ceremony at Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla. He later told reporters traveling with him to Jacksonville that Petraeus faces many challenges after winning wide praise for rescuing a failing Iraq war strategy.
Petraeus spent 20 months as the top U.S. commander in Baghdad.
Now he will oversee U.S. military operations across the Middle East — from Egypt to the Persian Gulf — as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“The military strategy throughout Afghanistan, with our coalition partners, needs greater coherence,” Gates said in an interview aboard his plane after stopping in Jacksonville to visit a nearby Navy submarine base.
“I think Gen. Petraeus can help Gen. McKiernan in doing that,” Gates said, referring to David McKiernan, the American general who is commander of the NATO-led security force in Afghanistan.
Several reviews of the Afghan war strategy are underway, including one led by the White House and another, broader study by Petraeus. Gates said Petraeus will need time to pull the results of those together to achieve more coherence.
Gates called for the fastest-possible further expansion of Afghanistan’s military and police forces, saying that is the long-term solution to its problems on the security, economic and political fronts.
At his change-of-command ceremony, under bright sunshine on the shores of a glistening Tampa Bay, Petraeus pledged to push for more than military solutions to the conflicts and instability of the greater Middle East.
The four-star commander underlined the many problems facing not only Iraq and Afghanistan but also other countries in his new area of military responsibility.
“As we have all seen in recent years, addressing these challenges requires comprehensive approaches to employ the whole of our government’s capabilities,” Petraeus said, alluding to his effort, during 20 months as the top U.S. commander in Iraq, to involve more fully the State Department and other agencies.
