CAMP VICTORY, Iraq (Sept. 1, 2010) -- Gen. Raymond T. Odierno put it very simply today, as he finished his address at the change of command ceremony for U.S. Forces Iraq.
"Lion 6 - Out," Odierno said, meaning that the commander had finished using his call sign and was heading for his new assignment at U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va. The ceremony was held here at the al Faw Palace - an ornate edifice built near the Baghdad airport by Saddam Hussein to commemorate the victory over Iran in 1988.
Odierno handed the reins of the command to Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III. Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey and Iraqi security leaders attended the ceremony. U.S. Marine Corps. Gen. James Mattis, U.S. Central Command Chief, presided as Odierno passed the command flag to Austin.
The change in command coincided with a change in mission for USFI. "The United States has ended its combat mission in Iraq," Biden said before the ceremony. "Iraqi troops are taking lead responsibility for their country's security".
The United States kept its promise to draw down troops and end Operation Iraqi Freedom and put in place Operation New Dawn, the vice president said. It means that the 50,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq are involved solely in training and mentoring Iraqi units. There is a residual counterinsurgency mission, but even that is Iraqi-led.
The mission here, though, remains important to the United States and to the region, Gates said.
Gates took the opportunity to focus on the troops still in Iraq that will serve in an advise and assist role for Iraqi security forces. "Even as the weight of our military efforts and public attention has shifted to Afghanistan, you should know your work here going forward is critical to the future of this part of the world, and to the national security of our country," the secretary said. "You have my gratitude and respect for your service and sacrifice, and for the service and sacrifice of your families".
Gates praised Odierno for his leadership in Iraq. During Odierno's tenure, the command shifted from Multinational Forces Iraq to U.S. Forces Iraq. Odierno shifted American forces out of the cities and sculpted the advise and assist mission that all six U.S. brigades in country now have. And he did all this while redeploying 74,000 servicemembers back to the United States.
U.S. Army
