McKiernan 'Embarrassed' By Removal From Top Post In Afghanistan

cnn.com:

General David McKiernan was "dismayed, disappointed, and more than a little embarrassed" when he was ousted as the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, he said at his retirement ceremony Wednesday at Fort McNair in Virginia.

McKiernan took over the post of International Security Assistance Force Commander in June 2008. Just a year into his appointment, however, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates asked for McKiernan's resignation, citing a need for "new thinking and new ideas" in Afghanistan.

"If you had asked me 30 days ago if I would be here today at my retirement ceremony, I probably would have said no, maybe in a bit stronger terms. Make no mistake -- I was dismayed, disappointed, and more than a little embarrassed," McKiernan said.

Read the whole story: cnn.com

Comments

[UncleJimbo]

08:33 AM on 07/16/2009

Didn't we go in to Afghanistan to get Bin Laden and Friends? When we failed at that we should have departed! Another Army of "Occupation" will fail in the mountains of that country! Leave it alone!

[vippy]

07:50 AM on 07/16/2009

I feel for the generals. They are half politicians and half have to do their job and sometimes the two don't mix. A general knows what needs to be done but then congress has other ideas and they have to juggle it best to satisfy congress while still getting the job done but that does not always work, the job usually suffers. Sorry, general, don't feel bad, you did all you could with these wishy washy guys in Washington.

[Whinger]

06:41 AM on 07/16/2009

Tried and failed strategies will always be failed strategies, they failed in Vietnam too!

Some leaders never learn how to change tack!

[JGDC]

12:06 PM on 07/16/2009

Whinger, please elaborate.
What are we doing in Afghanistan that we did in Vietnam?

[mamacat]

03:41 AM on 07/16/2009

Perhaps the real problem with McKiernan was that he refused to stop the aerial bombing of civilian targets. It might be acceptable in Israel to bomb civilians, but we are supposed to be in Afghanistan to help them, not to kill them. Since he has left, the complaints of civilian deaths have all but disappeared. Under the new commander, the enemy is not targeted when they hide among civilians.

Some people just can't change with the times, and that was, apparently, McKiernan's problem. He had plenty of chances to change, but he refused to follow orders. He's lucky he wasn't court martialed.

[JGDC]

12:09 PM on 07/16/2009

Mamacat,
Who ordered General McKiernan to stop Close Air support, and under what violation would he be court martialed?

[baddadd49]

02:17 AM on 07/16/2009

just more proof of dem disdain for the military

[mamacat]

03:47 AM on 07/16/2009

Gen. McClellan in the Civil War, Gen. MacArthur in the Korean War, and now Gen. McKiernan in the Afghanistan War - when a war does not go well, and the general in charge has disobeyed orders, it is not unusual for him to be forced out.

[wanked]

06:34 AM on 07/16/2009

When did a war ever go well in Afghanistan? We DONT belong there. Its time to GET OUT

[Losercuda]

06:47 AM on 07/16/2009

You might want to re-consider your analogy.

McClellan was almost a complete and total operational failure.
MacArthur was shockingly insubordinate, almost pathological in his arrogance, and more of risk to U.S. security than almost any military leader, ever.

[1differentdrummer]

06:42 AM on 07/16/2009

And now, more quotes from the Karl Rove playbook.

[Ergon]

12:56 AM on 07/16/2009

Why are you deleting my appraisals of Petraeus and McChrystal? Shall I come back when they retreat, er, retire?

[Raster]

02:32 AM on 07/16/2009

Huffpoo censors in strange and mysterious ways, known only to them.

[MisterHands]

10:54 PM on 07/15/2009

Now General David McKiernan will have to pay for his child r.ape p.orn.

[AliMB]

10:48 PM on 07/15/2009

Part I

Without a doubt General McKiernan was embarrassed; he was essentially declared inadequate and moved into early retirement. Professionally, it doesn't get much worse for a uniformed officer.

FYI: the decision to "fi.re" McKiernan was made by Robert Gates, NOT President Obama. In fact, at the press conference announcing this decision, Secretary Gates used unusually blunt language, claiming responsibility for sacking McKiernan and admitting that the substitution would end the General's career. This inauspicious announcement surely added to McKiernan's embarrassment.

In my informed opinion (and I do mean informed), replacing McKiernan was a sagacious move, if however foretold. The Administration has launched a new military effort in Afghanistan (bolstered by 21,000 c0mbat troops). It is de rigueur governance that with a new campaign you bring in fresh bl00d. President Bush did the same thing when he tapped General Petraeus to spe.ar the "Surge" in 2007.

Fortuitously, Gates is not repeating the dis.aster that was the General Casey situation, where you basically had a lame duck commander who nobody had confidence in loitering in theatre for an unnecessary amount time. Gates did the quick hook.

McKiernan is good officer, but he wasn't suited for a grinding and dizzying COIN c0nflict. His reputation among defense circles is that he is too 'traditional' Army. He wasn't schooled in COIN doctrine like Petraeus or his successor LtGen. McChrystal.

[Lefty08]

12:09 AM on 07/16/2009

Interesting comment, but what is COIN?

[AliMB]

12:16 AM on 07/16/2009

counterinsurgency

[AliMB]

10:48 PM on 07/15/2009

Part II

Unfortunately, McKiernan did a subpar job in command (with the hallmark indicator being that Afghanistan deteri0rated thru his tenure). One of McKiernan's biggest mistakes was failing to implement a robust indigenous security program (like Petraeus' "Sons of Iraq").

I also believe there is a Petraeus element involved. General Petraeus is the ayatollah of American COIN, and his opinions carry more weight than any officer in recent US history. I suspect he was behind the lobbying to get McChrystal this billet, particularly given their close collaboration when Petraeus was heading MNF-Iraq and McChrystal was still the commander of JSOC. Petraeus learned a lot from the shadowy task forces under McChrystal's command, particularly the concept of "collab0rative war.fare".

McChrystal also has a lot experience working with other government elements, including the blackest-of-black units from those 3 letter institutions that makes Hu.ffy cry at night. This will be a critical factor down the road.

However, I also have sympathy for McKiernan. As someone who considers herself non-partisan, I found him to be an intelligent individual whose candor was refreshing (always da.ngerous for a uniformed public servant). McKiernan was very forceful in pushing both White Houses for supplemental ground troops (which President Obama eventually acquiesced to).

In the end, it is incumbent on the Administration to have the crème de la crème in key command posts. In the unforgiving and complex cauldron that is Afghanistan, McChrystal is a better choice.

[Lefty08]

12:10 AM on 07/16/2009

Please, what is COIN?

[Luvial]

10:36 PM on 07/15/2009

The leader of a lost cause should be grateful he is out of there. Eight years of total failure by the US military. What a friggin disaster. The whole country should be embarassed for wasting so much money to kill so many innocent people for absolutely nothing.

[THE JEDI 69]

10:01 PM on 07/15/2009

Now that he's retired he will come out and blast the President..real simple as a former Marine..if your doing your job you won't be replaced..I bet this guy was still doing what Bush and Cheney wanted and wouldn't change...nobody like Patton.....but he got the job done.....

[stringer]

09:48 PM on 07/15/2009

Well he could have just tortured some more people, like his replacement. Seriously. That might have helped.

[Maythirteenth]

09:37 PM on 07/15/2009

Sometimes unfortunate things happen to fortunate people. I wish the General the best.

[betty22]

09:15 PM on 07/15/2009

these people go through like a revolving door ...is that good for strategy ....listen to this one then listen to that one where is the stability

[MacManLB]

09:11 PM on 07/15/2009

"If you had asked me 30 days ago if I would be here today at my retirement ceremony, I probably would have said no, maybe in a bit stronger terms. Make no mistake – I was dismayed, disappointed, and more than a little embarrassed," McKiernan said.

I see a pattern developing. Disgruntled military personnel, "birthers", secessionist governors, ex politicians (Cheney), right wing bloggers, and radio shock jocks are mumbling and grumbling until it boils over into attempts to bring down a black president.

[JulieSA]

10:28 PM on 07/15/2009

Breathing into a paper bag helps with that.

[UncleJimbo]

08:29 AM on 07/16/2009

Seven Days in May?

[JGDC]

12:16 PM on 07/16/2009

MacMan,
You're incredibly off target. The SECDEF took responsibility for this action. I doubt that GEN McKiernan blames the president for being fired.