TAMPA, Fla., 17 March 2007 — The US is ready to defend its interests in the Middle East for decades to come, even though the Iraq war has been tougher than expected, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday.
Gates appeared at a change-of-command ceremony where Navy Adm. William Fallon was installed as the new head of US Central Command. “The situation in Iraq is critical and time is of the essence,” Fallon declared.
His new assignment puts him in charge of American forces in the Middle East and Central Asia.
Gates said the United States is “dedicated to strengthening those commitments and defending our interests for decades to come. And we will do all in our power to protect and defend our homeland.” He spoke before 600 top military commanders, guests and rank-and-file servicemen and women crowded into the airport hanger at MacDill Air Force Base for Fallon’s installation ceremony.
Fallon replaced Gen. John Abizaid, who led Central Command since 2003 but is leaving as part of a reshuffling of Mideast military commanders by President Bush. Besides Iraq, Fallon will also oversee the war in Afghanistan, where Gates is pushing for a coalition offensive to counter the expected increase in Taleban attacks as the weather warms this spring. The US has already increased forces there.
“I am sure that General Abizaid would agree that not everything has gone as planned, as expected, or as hoped,” Gates said. “This is the nature of war.”
He said that Abizaid realized early on that the fight against jihadist extremism “would be a long and difficult endeavor.”
Abizaid repeated a warning he has proffered often during his command — that the US is fighting an evil ideology in a long war that is much bigger than just Iraq and Afghanistan. “War is never easy, nor pretty, nor easily resolved,” said Abizaid. “We will need both courage and time to withstand the impatience and dissatisfaction that could cause us to fail despite our great abilities to succeed.”
