Obama Sacks Top Afghanistan Commander

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced Monday that he asked for the resignation of the top American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, and recommended veteran Special Operations commander Lieutenant Gen. Stanley McChrystal as a replacement. The move seems so sudden. As the operation is different from the standard procedure in the Pentagon, this personnel change has drawn much concern from around the world.

During the press conference, Mr. Gates stated that on his recent visit to Afghanistan he had informed Gen. McKiernan about this decision, after having gained Obama’s approval. According to the U.S. armed forces, the president of the United States is the commander-in-chief. The secretary of Defense must be a civilian, while the National Security Advisor is served by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When making any important decision, the Defense secretary needs to consult with the White House. As for the high-level personnel change, the decision must be approved by the president. Moreover, the high-ranking military officers can serve in some important positions only when they have the approval of the Senate. That is why Mr. Gates said President Obama will soon submit the nomination of Lieutenant Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his deputy, Lieutenant Gen. David Rodriguez, to the Senate. He hopes both could be approved soon.

Whenever asked about the reason for firing Gen. McKiernan, both Mr. Gates himself and those higher-ranking officers of the Pentagon unanimously indicated that it was all about applying Obama’s new Afghanistan strategy, which needs a new American commander for “fresh thinking” and “fresh eyes.” However, having served as an infantryman in the past, Gen. McKiernan may not lack for “fresh thinking.” For instance, increasing forces in Afghanistan and countering Taliban militants back at several critical locations were his ideas after assuming the position of commander in Afghanistan. In the early stages of the Iraq War in 2003, Gen. McKiernan commanded all the coalition and U.S. conventional ground forces that finally removed Saddam Hussein from power. He served as the commander of the American Army in Europe, he has been sent to Afghanistan as the front line commander last year, when he received high praise from Mr. Gates and the Pentagon.

The U.S. media is suspicious about why Gen. McKiernan is out. According to the norms of the Pentagon, unless there were some terrible mistakes that have been made, the leadership tends to uncharacteristically lay off those senior officers in an honorable manner to minimize the possible impact on related sectors. Therefore, the personnel change at this time seems to have been a very rare exception for many years; in fact, ever since President Truman sacked Gen. Douglas MacArthur from the front line of North Korea in May 1951. Gen. McKiernan could be the very first commander who has been laid off in this way. This kind of high-profile action fully shows how disappointed the Obama administration is with the war in Afghanistan, and how desperate is it trying to solve the stalemate in the combat zone.

Nevertheless, the war in Afghanistan is so complicated that it has lasted for more than seven years. In order to defeat Taliban militants, the U.S. army needs a comprehensive cooperation with the governments of both Afghanistan and Pakistan, whereas the leaders of these two countries are at a disadvantage. Their army will not be able to collaborate either with America to vanquish Taliban militants. Hence, the U.S. military may possibly not have an instant effect with this personnel change.

The “fresh thinking” may not be the silver bullet, as Mr. Gates, the Defense secretary, has to take some action, including sending special forces into the mountainous area to conquer the Taliban, no matter what. President Obama announced the new Afghanistan strategy in March, which means that the U.S. will keep dispatching more and more troops into Afghanistan in the following three months. By then, there will be approximately 68 thousand American troops employed in Afghanistan for large-scale military action. Apparently, the White House wants to see improvement as soon as possible, which will be a strict challenge waiting ahead for the two new generals. If they could not make this, it is likely that they will be on the chopping block next time.