WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Two top officers tapped for key military roles will testify before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee this week.
Army Gen. George Casey, in charge of the Iraq war for nearly three years but nominated to become Army chief of staff is likely to face a contentious hearing focusing on missteps in Iraq - particularly his decision not to ask for additional troops to pacify Baghdad until late fall.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday defended his choice of Casey, saying he did in fact adjust the strategy in Baghdad, but was bound by decisions made by civilians above him in the chain of command.
"One has to look at this in the context of decisions made by civilians superior to these officers and how the battlefield was shaped by those decisions," Gates said.
Casey "was the first choice of the professional military and the secretary of the Army for this position. I think he is imminently qualified and has rendered good service," Gates said.
Adm. William Fallon, now head of U.S. Pacific Command, is nominated to take over U.S. Central Command.
Gates said he was selected for his strategic thinking and his diplomatic skills. But his military credentials are useful too.
"The reality is if you look at the Central Command area of responsibility there is a lot of water there and if you look at the range of options available to the United states ... the use of naval and air power, potentially, it made sense for all those reasons to have Adm. Fallon there," Gates said.
If the U.S. military were called on to attack Iran, the war would likely be heavily weighted toward carrier-based aircraft and long-range bombers, according to top U.S. military officials.
