# Lt. Gen. McChrystal takes over Afghan Operations



## Ravage (May 21, 2009)

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212229619.shtml

After not even a year, Obama and the Pentagon have decided that they new set of fresh eyes in Afghanistan as the new top American commander. According to reports, Gen. David McKiernan is being dismissed ashis duty as head of the military in Afghanistan.

According to New York Times, "Defense officials said that General McKiernan was removed because of what they described as a conventional approach to what has become one of the most complicated military challenges in American history. He is to be replaced by Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, a former commander of the Joint Special Operations Command who recently ran all special operations in Iraq."

Apparently things have gotten so complex that the military feels a new commander from an unconventional side of the military is needed to take over. McKiernan as it stands did nothing really wrong and this could prove to be a disasterious switch in such a critical moment in the Afghan war. (c) tPC








> A handout photograph released by the while house on 20 May 2009, shows US President Barack Obama (L) meeting with Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the new US Commander for Afghanistan, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on 19 May 2009. Obama fired Gen. David McKiernan, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, last week, replacing him with McChrystal, a former special forces commander


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## Ravage (May 21, 2009)

*No Food for Thought: The Way of the Warrior*

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/refer...tanley_a_mcchrystal/index.html?inline=nyt-per

Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, a former commander of the Joint Special Operations Command who recently ran all special operations in Iraq, has been named as the next top commander of American forces in Afghanistan.

General McChrystal is replacing Gen. David McKiernan less than a year after he took over. The move marks a major overhaul in military leadership of a war that has presented President Obama with a worsening national security challenge.

Defense officials said that General McKiernan was removed because of what they described as a conventional approach to what has become one of the most complicated military challenges in American history. The decision reflects a belief that the war in Afghanistan has grown so complex that it needs a commander drawn from the military's unconventional warfare branch.

Forces under General McChrystal's command were credited with finding and capturing Saddam Hussein and with tracking and killing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. His success in using intelligence and firepower to track and kill insurgents, and his training in unconventional warfare that emphasizes the need to protect the population, made him the best choice for the command in Afghanistan, Defense Department officials said.

At the same time, he will be confronted with deep tensions over the conduct of Special Operations forces in Afghanistan, whose aggressive tactics are seen by Afghan officials as responsible for many of the American mistakes that have resulted in the deaths of civilians.

General McChrystal, a West Point graduate from the class of 1976, is a Green Beret and a Ranger, as well as a veteran Special Operations commander. He served in Afghanistan as chief of staff of the military operations in 2001 and 2002. He also commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment and served tours in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf war in 1991.

One spot on his generally sterling military record came in 2007, when a Pentagon investigation into the accidental shooting death in 2004 of Cpl. Pat Tillman by fellow Army Rangers in Afghanistan held General McChrystal accountable for inaccurate information provided by Corporal Tillman's unit in recommending him for a Silver Star.

The information wrongly suggested that Corporal Tillman, a professional football player whose decision to enlist in the Army after the Sept. 11 attacks drew national attention, had been killed by enemy fire.


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## HoosierAnnie (May 21, 2009)

This is the first time since Doug McA that a theater commanding gen has been relieved of his position dring a time of war.


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## Scotth (May 21, 2009)

HoosierAnnie said:


> This is the first time since Doug McA that a theater commanding gen has been relieved of his position dring a time of war.


 
What about LTG Sanchez back in '04?


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## Tracker275 (May 24, 2009)

Not sure if I am correct in this statement, as I am still looking to make sure it is correct...,but I don't think we have burned through this many Generals since the Civil War???

Geesh! 

However, I would say that LTG "Stan-the-Man" McChrystal is a lot better suited to take on the challenges of Afghanistan than the last fella. Of course I'm biased since his was my BC and RC while at Bat.

Not that I agree with all of this political views, he is a lot better suited, in my opinion, than most the senior leadership currently out there.

Just my $0.02...


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## Diamondback 2/2 (May 24, 2009)

It's a good move if LTG McChrystal can get the war on track. The OEF forces should get some room to get back on the hunt, with LTG McChrystal. So I would think that would be a big A+ ;)


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## Tracker275 (May 24, 2009)

J.A.B. said:


> It's a good move if LTG McChrystal can get the war on track. The OEF forces should get some room to get back on the hunt, with LTG McChrystal. So I would think that would be a big A+ ;)



Yeah, I personally think he will take things into a new direction. Of course, it was needed.


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## AWP (May 24, 2009)

Tracker275 said:


> Not sure if I am correct in this statement, as I am still looking to make sure it is correct...,but I don't think we have burned through this many Generals since the Civil War???
> 
> Geesh!



WWII. Sacking a division commander wasn't that uncommon, I'm sure there were a few at the Corps and above level too. Ira Eaker was relieved of command of the Eighth Air Force, the general and admiral at Pearl Harbor, others I don't recall off the top of my head.

I hope McChrystal changes things for the better. This theater has languished for years, living in Iraq's shadow.


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## RetPara (May 24, 2009)

Tracker275 said:


> Not sure if I am correct in this statement, as I am still looking to make sure it is correct...,but I don't think we have burned through this many Generals since the Civil War???



Not really numbers that are recorded....  It would be researchable though.  I think in WWII there a number of Generals who did a hast CoC....  like after the battle of Kaserene Pass, Anzio, Battle of Bulge....


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## Tracker275 (May 24, 2009)

RetPara said:


> Not really numbers that are recorded....  It would be researchable though.  I think in WWII there a number of Generals who did a hast CoC....  like after the battle of Kaserene Pass, Anzio, Battle of Bulge....



Dang!!! Totally forgot about Kaserene Pass...yeah...that should have cost someone a Star for sure. That was kinda like NTC that went live in about 5 minutes.

Figured there were other places where there were more than now that have been relieved. What is jacked is that Gen Westmoreland was never relieved in snap of a finger. Of course, Võ Nguyên Giáp of the North Vietnamese Army was on the verge of getting the boot too, however the US resolve crapped out first. So, I guess there are more than one occasion where we have burned through Generals like water.


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## lancero (May 25, 2009)

I think he will do well.  I really liked him when he was our RC.


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## JohnnyBoyUSMC (May 30, 2009)

It seems like a good pick for me....personally, I say let General Mattis command there! When you have a commander who is not afraid to go to "really hot" areas to visit his troops and see how their doing (as was the case in Husaybah after our CO was killed), and one who has on record saying, and I quote, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right upfront with you, I like brawling", then you know you got a commander who has your back. 

~JohnnyBoy


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## DA SWO (Jun 5, 2009)

He's building his team.

The conventional role may have change to SOF support, which is what it should be.

From FOX news.....

The Pentagon is sending 1,000 more special operations forces and support staff into Afghanistan to bolster a larger conventional troop buildup, and is revamping the way Army Green Berets and other commandos work to rid villages of the Taliban.

While much of the public focus has been on 24,000 additional American troops moving into the country this year, U.S. Special Operations Command is quietly increasing its covert warriors in what could be a pivotal role in finally defeating insurgents, military sources tell FOXNews.com.

The movement comes as Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a special operator who led successful manhunts in Iraq for Al Qaeda terrorists, is about to take command in Afghanistan.

McChrystal, who underwent a Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing Tuesday, is expected to put more emphasis on using commandos in counterinsurgency operations and on finding or killing key Taliban leaders.

Underscoring that theme, McChrystal has asked two veteran special operators on the Pentagon's Joint Staff, which he directs, to accompany him to Afghanistan once he wins Senate approval for a fourth star. The two are Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn, who headed intelligence for the chief terrorist hunting unit in Iraq; and Brig Gen. Austin Miller, a Joint Staff director for special operations.

Military sources say Brig. Gen. Ed Reeder, who commands special operations in Afghanistan, went in-country earlier this year to revamp the way Green Beret "A" Teams, Delta Force and other special operators conduct counter-insurgency.

Green Berets, the same group that led the 2001 ouster of the Taliban from power, now primarily work out of fire support bases, often independently of conventional forces. They fight to control the Taliban-infested border with Pakistan, and train the Afghan army.

Critics within special operations have said the A Teams need to work more closely with conventional forces and with NATO counterparts. "This would give us a needed one-two punch," said a former operator who served in Afghanistan.

Reeder heads the new Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command. It is a mix of the more open Green Berets and Marine commandos, and the super-secret Delta Force and Navy SEALs who conduct manhunts.

The covert side works in task forces that are only identified by a secret three-digit number. They are aided by Army Rangers and a Joint Interagency Task Force made up of the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other intelligence units.

McChrystal is a former commander of Joint Special Operations Command, the home of Delta Force. He led the hunt in Iraq that killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, one of Al Qaeda's leading terrorists in the Middle East, in 2006.

Those who worked with him talk of a tenacious warrior who worked to link his direct-action fighters with the intelligence operatives who provided crucial information on terrorist locations. McChrystal allowed Delta operatives at the troop level (akin to a conventional platoon) to call in Predator spy drones during a mission.

"We need a Predator on that house," is the way the former operative in Iraq described Delta's freer rein.

The increase in special operations forces is an attempt to rebalance commando presence there, after the demands of the Iraq War stripped some of its manpower in Afghanistan. The influx will bring the total special operations forces in Afghanistan to about 5,000, a spokesman at special operations command confirmed to FOXNews.com.

Usama bin Laden is believed to be hiding across the border in Pakistan, where U.S. ground troops are forbidden. But intelligence sources say if bin Laden is located, American commandos may be dispatched to kill or capture him.


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## 7point62 (Jun 7, 2009)

"We need a Predator on that house..."

Good on him to give that asset to smaller SOF units. They are big boys, they need to be able to access the big boy toys without too many hurdles. I wish Gen McChrystal good hunting.


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## Marauder06 (Jun 7, 2009)

I worked with BG Flynn before too.  BG Flynn was LTG McChrystal's J2 at JSOC, this is shaping up to be an impressive team.  I wonder if they need any more intel support...


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## car (Jun 7, 2009)

Marauder06 said:


> I worked with BG Flynn before too.  BG Flynn was LTG McChrystal's J2 at JSOC, this is shaping up to be an impressive team.  I wonder if they need any more intel support...



I've worked for Flynn and McCrystal (Flynn on more than one occasion). Great Americans, both of 'em. I'm not at all surprised that LTG Mc is bringing BG Flynn onto his team. :)


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## Marauder06 (Jun 7, 2009)

car said:


> I've worked for Flynn and McCrystal (Flynn on more than one occasion). Great Americans, both of 'em. I'm not at all surprised that LTG Mc is bringing BG Flynn onto his team. :)



I'll tell them I know a good E9


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## DA SWO (Jun 7, 2009)

Marauder06 said:


> I worked with BG Flynn before too.  BG Flynn was LTG McChrystal's J2 at JSOC, this is shaping up to be an impressive team.  I wonder if they need any more intel support...



I may have worked for BG Flynn, name sounds very familiar?  Does anyone have a bio on him?


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