The Odierno File
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, 53, has been chosen to be the top commander
in Iraq. He grew up in northern New Jersey, played football at Morris
Hills High School and then enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at
West Point.
Key posts: Commanding general, Army's 3rd Corps, 2006-present;
commander, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, 2006-08; assistant to chairman
of Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2004-06; special assistant to vice chief of
staff, Army, 2004; commanding general, Army 4th Infantry Division
(Mechanized), 2001-04.
Education:
B.S., U.S. Military Academy, 1976
M.S., North Carolina State University
Master's Degree, U.S. Naval War College.
+++++++++++++++++
By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno's tours in Iraq embody much of
the U.S. war experience there — early, aggressive tactics followed by
a more subtle approach and a measure of success.
An officer who has served with Odierno and those who have analyzed his
performance say his selection to the top post in Iraq assures the
continuation of the counterinsurgency strategy put in place more than
a year ago by Gen. David Petraeus.
"Through their shared sacrifices, they have come to a common view on
conditions on the ground," said Lt. Col. Nathan Freier, a senior
fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a
former assistant to Odierno.
Early in the war, as the insurgency grew, Odierno showed few signs
that he would rise to the top.
As commander of the 4th Infantry Division in Iraq in 2003, Odierno was
known for emphasizing combat, not building relations with Iraqis.
"Odierno had a reputation in his first tour as part of the
kick-down-the-doors crew," said Andrew Bacevich, a retired Army
colonel and international relations professor at Boston University.
"By the time of his second tour, he had become a convert to
counterinsurgency. My expectation is that he would hew to the same."
Odierno's experience in Iraq has given him an unmatched understanding
of "street-level detail," Freier said. His knowledge of key Sunni,
Shiite and Kurdish leaders came from long service in Iraq, Freier
said.
"He's the best possible choice," said Frederick Kagan, a chief
architect of the strategy to send 30,000 extra troops to Iraq that has
been credited with reducing violence. "He's turned in an absolutely
brilliant performance. He will provide the greatest possible degree of
continuity at a critical moment. There will be no learning curve."
-----
-C-
|
