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In command: General switch shows decisiveness of Robert Gates

The Oklahoman

May 15, 2009

Generals of the caliber of Washington, Lee, Grant, MacArthur and Eisenhower don't come along often - a noteworthy point after this week's dismissal of Gen. David McKiernan, the U.S. ground commander in Afghanistan.

High military command is the ultimate test of intelligence, courage and that great intangible, leadership. McKiernan is an excellent officer with a distinguished record, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates didn't believe he was the right general for Afghanistan.

McKiernan's replacement, Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is among the Army's top authorities on counterinsurgency tactics. Afghanistan will test his mettle, and Gates' judgment.

It's unfortunate for McKiernan, whom Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, called a "combat-proven warrior." But the move signals a Gates strength: the ability to move decisively when required.

Since replacing Donald Rumsfeld in 2006, Gates has swiftly addressed incompatibility, as in McKiernan's case, and incompetence, such as when he dismissed senior military and civilian officials for nuclear weapons mismanagement and failures at Walter Reed Medical Center.

It's hard to remove a commander from the battlefield. It hadn't happened since President Truman fired Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War. During the Civil War, President Lincoln went through a number of generals before finding Ulysses Grant.

Secretary Gates, who sold the McKiernan decision to President Barack Obama, deserves credit for refusing to wait on the regular command rotation to get the right leader in place in Afghanistan.

We thank Gen. McKiernan for his service yet have confidence Gates has chosen wisely in Gen. McChrystal.