The Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly in favor of confirming Army Gen. David Petraeus as the next CIA Director. Senators approved his nomination by a vote of 94 to 0, reported AFP. Petraeus has been the top US general in Afghanistan since July 2010. He is retiring from the Army and will take over at the CIA as a civilian. He will replace Leon Panetta, who is scheduled to be sworn in as the new Defense Secretary Friday at the Pentagon. The full Senate’s vote came two days after the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence unanimously approved Petraeus’ nomination. Several years back, Petraeus led coalition forces in Iraq during the surge of US forces there that turned the tide of that conflict in favor of the Iraqi government and coalition and against anti-government insurgents. (See also Los Angeles Times report.)
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.