BARACK OBAMA has nominated Gen Martin Dempsey, head of the US army, for chairman of the joint chiefs of staff after the candidacy of the previous frontrunner, the president’s favourite general, collapsed suddenly.
Mr Obama made the formal announcement about Gen Dempsey, who took office as army chief of staff last month, while also nominating Admiral James Winnefeld as vice-chairman and Gen Ray Odierno, a former commanding officer in Iraq, as the army chief.
“With nearly 40 years in uniform, Martin Dempsey is one of our nation’s most respected and combat-tested generals,” Mr Obama said. “I expect him to push all our forces to continue adapting and innovating to be ready for the missions of today and tomorrow.”
But the man long expected to win the nomination for the top military job was Gen James Cartwright, whose advice had been prized by the White House on issues such as missile defence and cyberwar and who had been at odds with many Pentagon colleagues over Afghanistan.
In making his announcements in the White House Rose Garden yesterday, Mr Obama said Gen Cartwright, the outgoing vice-chairman, was a “rare combination” of technical expert and strategic thinker and he would always be grateful for his “friendship and partnership”. The marine general had poor relations with Admiral Mike Mullen, the outgoing chairman, and was a less enthusiastic backer of the troop surge in Afghanistan than Admiral Mullen or defence secretary Robert Gates.
When Mr Obama grew frustrated about the limited options the Pentagon was giving him during the 2009 debate about the surge, Gen Cartwright was asked to provide an option with fewer troops – and was accused by colleagues of going behind their backs.
Gen Cartwright was also unpopular in the Pentagon for his management style – and this year, after an apparent whispering campaign against him, a 2010 internal report that criticised his conduct with a female subordinate was released.
Nine days ago, Mr Obama told him his nomination was no longer politically viable. Some of the marine’s supporters say the president was outmanoeuvred by the Pentagon.
Gen Cartwright did not serve in Iraq or Afghanistan and will now retire, while Gen Dempsey will head a team more steeped in the two wars of the past two decades. In the ceremony, coinciding with Memorial Day, Mr Obama told nominees he wanted “honest, unvarnished advice, and the full range of options”. He stressed the planned troop pull-out from Iraq this year, the start of a drawdown in Afghanistan this summer, fighting al-Qaeda, contributing to the Libya mission and adapting to spending cuts. Mr Gates, who retires next month, and Admiral Mullen, who leaves in October, endorsed the picks. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011