The Senate on July 10 confirmed Army Gen. David Petraeus as commander of US Central Command and Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno for promotion to general to succeed Petraeus as head of Multinational Force-Iraq. Petraeus assumed command of MNF-I in February 2007 and is the architect of the US surge of forces. He replaces Adm. William “Fox” Fallon who resigned in March just one year into his assignment amid rumors that he resisted a White House desire to pursue military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Odierno is commanding general of the Army’s 3rd Corps commander and has led Multinational Corps-Iraq since December 2006. (Includes American Forces Press Service report by Jim Garamone)
The U.S. continued to move a significant amount of airpower toward the Middle East in recent days as talks to forge a nuclear deal with Iran hung in the balance. Flight tracking data indicate there was unusually heavy movement of dozens of fighter jets and other assets that might be…
