WASHINGTON — President Bush has appointed the leader of the U.S. Pacific Command to head the Central Command, in a move seen as a part of a shifting U.S. focus to the threat posed by Iran.
Adm. William Fallon, 62, was appointed by President George Bush to head
Central Command, which oversees most of the Middle East and Central Asia. His focus after confirmation, however, will be Iran, and not the ongoing campaign in Iraq.
Fallon, a four-star officer and combat aviator, would move to Central
Command from Pacific Command, which focuses on China and North Korea, Middle East Newsline reported.
Officials said Fallon was recommended to Bush by Defense Secretary Robert
Gates.
The administration has sought to use naval power in a show of U.S.
strength against Iran. Over the last month, the Defense Department has
ordered two aircraft carrier groups to the Gulf from the Indian Ocean and
the Red Sea in a drive to assuage fears of Arab allies.
"Fox Fallon is one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today and
his reputation for innovation is without peer," Gates said on Jan. 5.
"Subject to confirmation, he is exactly the right person for this most
challenging assignment. Admiral Fallon combines nearly four decades of
military experience with a fresh perspective to the challenges America faces
in the Central Command's area of operations."
Fallon, who headed an air wing during the 1991 war against Iraq, was the
first naval officer selected to command the region.
"The appointment of Fallon marks the recognition that any war against
Iran
would be decided in the Persian Gulf," an official said. "If the Iranians
succeed in blocking the Straits of Hormuz for more than a few days, then we
would be in serious trouble."
[On Tuesday, a senior Iranian military commander said Teheran could
block the Straits of Hormuz. Gen. Majid Mir Ahmadi, deputy commander of the
paramilitary Basij, said Britain and the United States were vulnerable to
Iran's capability to halt 40 percent of world shipping that passes through
the straits.]
[On Tuesday, the Pentagon reported that a U.S. nuclear submarine
collided with a Japanese tanker in the Arabian Sea. No injuries or oil leaks
were reported.]
Officials said Fallon's appointment, expected to be confirmed by the
Senate, marked preparations of what could be U.S. military strategy against
Iran. They said Fallon would be spared of the daily operations in Iraq,
which would be the responsibility of Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, appointed to
succeed Gen. George Casey as commander of the multinational
force in Iraq.
"This creates a potential for a major change in course but doesn't
guarantee one," Stephen Biddle, a senior fellow for defense policy at the
Council on Foreign Relations, said.
