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Iraq general to retire

Early edition

By Wes Allison and Carrie Weimar
Published December 20, 2006

TAMPA - Army Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East whose tenure was marred by spiraling chaos in Iraq, plans to retire early next year.

His departure will quiet a powerful voice against sending more troops into the fight and give the new defense secretary the chance to install his own team at a time when the nation is clamoring for change.

Abizaid, 55, has led U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa for nearly three years, longer than anyone else. The command controls military operations in the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, including Afghanistan and Iraq.

Wednesday’s announcement came the same day President Bush acknowledged that the United States is not winning in Iraq, and that he’s inclined to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps.

The president also said he’s considering sending more troops to Iraq in hopes of quelling violence - something Abizaid has opposed, on grounds it would only increase Iraq’s dependence on the Americans.

Instead, Abizaid has advocated shifting U.S. combat troops to training and advising Iraqi security forces so they can replace the Americans.

Multiple assessments by the U.S. military, however, show the Iraqis remain incapable of stemming the sectarian violence rocking the country or thwarting the insurgency, which has claimed nearly 3,000 U.S. troops.

That’s led some members of Congress and some of the president’s top military advisers to call for temporarily boosting the number of U.S. troops, particularly in Baghdad.

“I think this is a definite signal that a major change in policy and tactics in Iraq is about to be decided,” U.S. Rep. C.W. “Bill” Young, R-Indian Shores, said of Abizaid’s retirement.

Abizaid was in Baghdad on Wednesday with new Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is assessing U.S. military resources and tactics before advising President Bush about troop levels and other matters.

At a press conference there, Abizaid said he always planned to retire in early 2007 and that “it’s certainly not considered precipitous by the Abizaid family. After 50 months out here, I think it’s okay to think about retiring.”
Asked if it was totally his decision, Abizaid said no.

“No decision that anybody makes in a position like this is ever totally their decision, but I think the time is right, and it has nothing to do with dissatisfaction,’’ Abizaid said.

But Tom Donnelly, a defense analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think-tank, and other experts said it’s reasonable to connect Abizaid’s departure with a change in U.S. strategy.

“Abizaid has not been the only strategy maker, but he’s been a hugely important one, and the strategy we’ve been following ... hasn’t produced a result that anybody thinks is a good result,” Donnelly said.

A spokesman for Central Command did not offer details.

“In the spring of 2006, Secretary (Donald) Rumsfeld asked Gen. Abizaid to remain as the commander of U.S. Central Command until early in 2007,’’ a spokesman said. “He does not intend to extend beyond that period.”

Reaction from Capitol Hill was unusually muted. Neither the outgoing nor incoming chairmen of the House or Senate armed services committee issued statements.

But as he finished a 12-day trip to the Middle East, including Iraq, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., a member of the Armed Services Committee, said he was “distressed” to hear of Abizaid’s retirement. Nelson met this week with U.S. troops and commanders in Bagdad, southern Iraq and Fallujah.

“He is the one person that I have felt like was shooting straight when he would come in front of our ... committee, and I just hope that does not portend anything other than he is tired and ready to retire,’’ Nelson said in a conference call from Kuwait.

“He is the one person who I knew that if his judgment is this, you could count on that judgment.”

Abizaid visited Iraq and Afghanistan often, meeting with troops and commanders alike. As a Lebanese-American, he often preached the importance of understanding the cultures of the people the United States is trying to help. Military strength was hardly enough.

Lawrence Korb, an assistant defense secretary in the Reagan administration, said Abizaid did the best he could after inheriting a bad situation in Iraq.

Abizaid’s ability to lead also was hindered by Rumsfeld, who repeatedly downplayed the growing instability in Iraq, Korb added. But he faulted Abizaid for failing to be more direct with Congress and the American people as the situation began to deteriorate in 2005.

“He always couched his statements,” Korb said. “He would always say, 'Well, it’s bad but it’s not that bad.’ ”

Retired Army Lt. Col. James Carafano said Abizaid’s difficulties illustrate the limitations in the current military structure. “The problems in the Middle East aren’t simply military problems,” said Carafano, who is now a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “They’re economic and political and diplomatic.”

Since moving to Tampa, Abizaid has focused on his work and has not been a presence in local charity or social circles. Air Force Capt. Gary Arasin, a spokesman for Central Command, said it was unknown whether Abizaid and his family would remain in Tampa following his retirement.

“He has not discussed future plans,” Arasin said.

[Last modified December 20, 2006, 20:34:38]