John R. Allen

The Petraeus Saga: Epitaph For A Four Star

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FYI.

– The Petraeus Saga: Epitaph for a Four Star (CounterPunch, Nov 14, 2012):

by Col. DOUGLAS MACGREGOR, Ret.

When Major General David H. Petraeus, commander of the 101st Airborne Division met Lieutenant General William Wallace, commander of the U.S. Army’s V Corps on 27 March 2003 at a site near Najaf, only five days after American forces began the attack to Baghdad Petraeus and Wallace were deeply pessimistic. They concluded, “The war was in dismal shape.” Petraeus, an officer who had risen to Major General and Division Command with no previous combat experience, was deeply worried about the level of Iraqi resistance.

The fact that 3rd Infantry Division (mechanized), an armored force of hundreds of tanks and armored fighting vehicles was already 50 miles south of Baghdad and poised to attack the city did not seem to matter.  Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. would have flown into a rage and fired them on the spot.  Yet both men went on to four stars.

Read moreThe Petraeus Saga: Epitaph For A Four Star

Petraeus Investigation Ensnares Commander Of US, NATO Troops In Afghanistan (Washington Post – Video)

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Video: Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, is now under investigation in a case that’s linked to the scandal that forced CIA Director David Petraeus to step down.

– Petraeus investigation ensnares commander of U.S., NATO troops in Afghanistan (Washington Post, Nov 12, 2012):

PERTH, Australia — The FBI probe into the sex scandal that prompted CIA Director David Petraeus to resign has expanded to ensnare Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced early Tuesday.According to a senior U.S. defense official, the FBI has uncovered between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of documents — most of them e-mails — that contain “potentially inappropriate” communication between Allen and Jill Kelley, the 37-year-old Tampa woman whose report of harassment by a person who turned out to be Petraeus’s mistress ultimately led to Petraeus’s downfall.

Allen, a Marine, succeeded Petraeus as the top allied commander in Afghanistan in July 2011. He also served as Petraeus’s deputy when both generals led the military’s Tampa-based Central Command from 2008 until 2010.

The FBI first notified the Pentagon of its investigation into Allen’s communications with Kelley on Sunday evening, according to the senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the pending case.

In response, Pentagon chief Leon E. Panetta referred the investigation on Monday to the Defense Department’s Inspector General for further review, according to a statement released by Panetta early Tuesday as he was traveling to Australia.

Read morePetraeus Investigation Ensnares Commander Of US, NATO Troops In Afghanistan (Washington Post – Video)