Breaking News: General McKiernan to be replaced as commander

The Defense Secretary is expected to announce later in the day the replacement of the Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan. Lt. General Stanley McChrystal is said to be his replacement.

Expected to be announced today at a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., the decision to replace the top United States commander in Afghanistan has come down the wire. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to be announcing that Lt. General Stanley McChrystal will be taking over as commander of NATO forces, replacing Gen. David McKiernan. In a report yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, Gates had apparently made several decisions to "bolster" the highly criticized leadership in the region, including placing Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez in Kabul and adding a task force last month, also headed up by Lt. General McChrystal. The revamped leadership roles were mainly due to increased violence and conflicts in the region as well as criticisms surrounding the planning and strategies associated with the government's current war efforts. Just last week, a bombing raid by the United States prompted a rock throwing protest after claims of a local death toll of nearly 150, including innocent civilians. The United States Military is investigating those claims. In the WSJ, the change in leadership was compared to the Iraq war:

Unlike in the Iraq war, which has been overseen by both a four-star general who develops big-picture strategy and a three-star general who handles the day-to-day running of the war, Afghanistan has had one senior U.S. general in command, Gen. David D. McKiernan. That's not enough to win the war, according to a growing number of current and retired officers.

Both Rodriguez and McChrystal were originally believed to be the running contenders for McKiernan's job when his tour was up. McKiernan was assigned as head of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as well as the Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan less than a year ago. In March of 2003, General McKiernan was said to have led the forces that attacked Iraq and brought Saddam Hussein from his position of power. Former President Bush named him as the commander to his most recent assignment. This recent announcement is part of a complete overhaul of the current Afghanistan plan due to the current effort "failing to adapt to an evolving situation" and includes pushing for more troops. President Obama approves of an updated strategy that focuses on less military operations to build long-term successes and is trying to turn around what is being called a "stalemated" war. That new strategy will require new leadership.