WASHINGTON (June 23, 2010) -- President Barack Obama today accepted Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's resignation as the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, calling it the right decision for national security.
The president also announced that he has nominated Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, to replace McChrystal in Afghanistan.
The decision comes in the wake of a Rolling Stone magazine article that depicts McChrystal and members of his staff as being at odds with the president's administration.
"The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general," Obama said. "It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system. And it erodes the trust that's necessary for our team to work together to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan".
Obama noted that his decision wasn't based on a difference in policy or "any sense of personal insult," and he said he greatly admires McChrystal for his decades of service.
"Over the last nine years with America fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has earned a reputation as one of our nation's finest Soldiers," Obama said. "But war is greater than any one man or woman, whether a private, a general or a president. As difficult as it is to lose General McChrystal, I believe it is the right decision for our national security".
Obama said he didn't make the decision lightly, noting the importance of his responsibility to the "extraordinary men and women who are fighting this war".
"I've got no greater honor than serving as commander in chief of our men and women in uniform, and it is my duty to ensure that no diversion complicates the vital mission that they are carrying out," he said. "That includes adherence to a strict code of conduct. The strength and greatness of our military is rooted in the fact that this code applies equally to newly enlisted privates and to the general officer who commands them. That allows us to come together as one. That is part of the reason why America has the finest fighting force in the history of the world".
The president also noted his responsibility to do whatever is needed to succeed in Afghanistan and "in our broader effort to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida".
"I believe that this mission demands unity of effort across our alliance and across my national security team," he added.
