List of Commanders Involved in the War
The U.S. and coalition leaders who set the strategy used to break Iraq's military will
now oversee peacekeeping operations
President George W. Bush
Command: Under the Constitution, the president is the commander-in-chief of the
U.S. armed forces
Civil experience: Bush was the governor of Texas from 1995 up until his election as
president in 2000.
Military service: Bush served in the Texas Air National Guard from 1968 to 1973 as
a F-102 pilot.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
Command: As defense secretary, Rumsfeld is the principal defense policy adviser to
President Bush and is responsible for general defense policy and policy related to all
matters of direct concern to the Department of Defense.
Civil experience: Rumsfeld previously served as defense secretary in the Ford
Administration from 1975 to 1977. Before that, he was White House chief of staff
under President Ford and the ambassador to NATO. In the Nixon administration, he
served as a counselor to the president and director of the Office of Economic Opportunity.
Rumsfeld also was an elected official, serving as a congressman from Illinois in 1962-1968.
Military service: Rumsfeld was a U.S. Navy pilot from 1954 to 1957.
Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks
Command: Until his retirement in July 2003, Franks was the commander-in-chief of U.S.
Central Command (CENTCOM), one of the Defense Department's nine unified commands,
overseeing U.S. security interests in the 25 countries of the Middle East, central and
southwest Asia, and northeast Africa. Franks assumed command of CENTCOM in June
2000 and commanded the U.S. forces in Iraq and in Afghanistan during the ouster of the
Taliban following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Years of service: Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1967 after graduating from the
Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Previous commands: He headed the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea from 1995 to 1997 and
then assumed command of the 3rd Army/Army Forces Central Command in Atlanta,
Georgia, in May 1997.
Combat experience: Served as a forward observer and fire support officer in Vietnam and
was the assistant division commander for the 1st Cavalry Division during Operation Desert
Storm.
Regional headquarters: Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar
Army Gen. John Abizaid
Command: Gen. John Abizaid was named commander of U.S. Central Command on July 7,
2003, following the retirement of Gen. Tommy Franks. Abizaid is one of the most senior U.S.
military officers of direct Arab descent, born in the United States of a Lebanese family. As
the head of CENTCOM, Abizaid is the point man for operations inside Iraq and U.S. military
relations in the Muslim world. CENTCOM is one of the Defense Department's nine unified
commands, overseeing U.S. security interests in the 25 countries of the Middle East,
Central and Southwest Asia, and Northeast Africa.
Years of service: Abizaid graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in June 1973 and was
commissioned a second lieutenant. He began his career with the 82nd Airborne Division at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Previous commands: Abizaid has led the 1st Infantry Division, the 82nd Airborne's 504th
Parachute Infantry Regiment and was the 66th commandant at the U.S. Military Academy.
Abizaid was director of the Joint Staff, a powerful organization that serves the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, until he was named deputy commander of Central Command in February 2003. He was
promoted from lieutentant general to four-star general when named CENTCOM commander.
Combat experience: Abizaid led a Ranger rifle company during the invasion of Grenada and
deployed to northern Iraq with the 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Battalion during the Persian
Gulf war.
Based: Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
Marine Lt. Gen. Michael P. DeLong
Command: Lt. Gen. DeLong is the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command stationed
at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
Years of service: DeLong graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1967 and was
commissioned as a second lieutenant.
Previous commands: DeLong commanded the 3rd Marine Air Wing at Miramar Marine
Corps Air Station in California; was deputy commanding general of the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force; deputy commander and Acting Commander, U.S. Marine Corps
Forces, Atlantic, and his previous duty as commander of the 3rd Marine Air Wing.
Headquarters: MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida
Combat experience: DeLong served in Vietnam, including tours with a Marine helicopter
squadron and participated in Operations Eagle Pull and Frequent Wind, the U.S.
evacuations of Vietnam. He has logged more than 800 combat hours.
Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez
Command: Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez assumed command of the Army's V Corps on
June 14, 2003. As commander of Coalition Task Force 7, he is the leader of all U.S.
ground forces in Iraq.
Years of service: Lt. Gen. Sanchez was commissioned a second lieutenant of armor after
graduating from Texas A&I University in 1973.
Previous commands: Before commanding V Corps, Sanchez was commanding general of
the 1st Armored Division, which is part of V Corps. Sanchez also has led the 2nd Brigade,
1st Infantry Division and served as an investigator at the U.S. Army Inspector General
Agency's office in Washington, D.C.
Based: V Corps is based in Germany but Sanchez is currently based in Baghdad.
Combat experience: Sanchez commanded an armor battalion in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Air Force Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley
Command: Gen. Moseley is commander of the U.S. Ninth Air Force, which
covers six wings in the eastern United States. He also is the commander of
U.S. Central Command Air Forces, giving him the responsibility of planning
and conducting air operations in the Persian Gulf region.
Years of service: Moseley joined the Air Force in 1971 while a student at Texas
A&M University.
Previous commands: Moseley has commanded the F-15 Division of the Air Force
Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; and the 33rd Operations
Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. He also has served as the director of
Operations for Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia, and commanded the 57th Fighter
Weapons Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, the service's largest, most diverse flying wing.
Based: Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar
Marine Lt. Gen. Earl Hailston
Command: Lt. Gen. Earl Hailston is the commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces
Central Command, overseeing all Marine Corps units in Central Command's
25-nation area of responsibility, including the Persian Gulf. He also is the
commander of Marine Corps Forces and Bases Pacific. He assumed his current
assignment on August 10, 2001.
Years of service: Hailston enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1967. Following graduation
from boot camp, he was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division for duty as an infantry
rifleman and received his officer's commission in 1968 through the Enlisted
Commissioning Program.
Previous commands: Before his current assignment, Hailston was commander of the II
Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan. He also served as the
commanding general of 3rd Force Service Support Group in Okinawa, Japan. Earlier in
his career, as lieutenant colonel, he was the commanding officer of Marine Fighter
Attack Squadron 312.
Based: 5th Fleet headquarters, Manama, Bahrain
Combat experience: Hailston served in Vietnam with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion,
1st Marine Division.
Army Lt. Gen. William Wallace
Command: Lt. Gen. William S. Wallace commanded the Army's V Corps from
July 18, 2001 to June 14, 2003. As V Corps commander, he led U.S. ground
forces during major combat in Iraq in March and April 2003. He is now the
commanding general of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Army's Combined
Arms Center located there.
Years of service: Lt. Gen. Wallace graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in
1969 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Armor branch.
Previous commands: Before commanding V Corps, Wallace commanded the Joint
Warfighting Center and was director of Joint Training at the U.S. Joint Forces
Command. He also has commanded the Army's 4th Infantry Division and the Army's
National Training Center.
Based: Heidelberg, Germany
Combat experience: Wallace served in Vietnam as an assistant district adviser and
later as operations adviser in the Bac Lieu Province.
Lt. Gen. David D. McKiernan
Command: Lt. Gen. McKiernan is the commanding general of the 3rd U.S. Army,
U.S. Army Forces Central Command (USARCENT) and the Coalition Forces Land
Component Command (CFLCC). As CFLCC commander, he was in charge of all
coalition land forces in Iraq until that authority was transferred from CFLCC to
Coalition Joint Task Force 7, led by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchex, in mid-June 2003.
McKiernan assumed command of the 3rd Army and CFLCC on September 4, 2002.
Years of service: Lt. Gen. McKiernan entered the Army in 1972, receiving an ROTC
commission from the College of William and Mary.
Previous Command: Before his current assignment, McKiernan was the Army's
deputy chief of staff for operations in Washington, D.C. He also commanded the 1st
Cavalry Division from October 1999 through October 2001 in Fort Hood, Texas.
Wartime service: In December 1990, Lt. Gen. McKiernan was attached to VII Corps
headquarters to run the corps tactical command post during Operations Desert
Shield and Desert Storm.
Vice Adm. Timothy J. Keating
Command: Keating is the commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and the U.S. Naval
Forces Central Command. He started on February 10, 2002.
Years of service: Keating, a native of Dayton, Ohio, graduated from the United
States Naval Academy in 1971.
Previous Command: Keating served as deputy chief of Naval operations for plans,
policy and operations from September 2000 to February 2002. Before that, he
commanded Carrier Group 5 based in Yokosuka, Japan, starting in June 1998.
Wartime service: During Operation Desert Storm, Keating was deputy commander,
Carrier Air Wing 17, participating in combat operations in from the aircraft carrier
USS Saratoga.
Headquarters: Manama, Bahrain
Brig. Gen. Gary Harrell
Command: Harrell is commander-in-chief of Special Operations Command Central,
which is responsible for planning special operations throughout U.S. Central
Command's area of responsibility.
Years of service: He was commissioned through the Army ROTC program at East
Tennessee State University in 1973.
Previous commands: After qualifying for Special Forces in 1977, he led a Special
Forces A-team in Panama and commanded an airborne rifle company in the 82nd
Airborne Division.
Combat experience: Harrell served in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, Operation
Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm. He was wounded by mortar fire
in 1993 as part of Task Force Ranger in Somalia, where he was the overall ground
commander during the firefight portrayed in the movie "Black Hawk Down."
Headquarters: MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida.
JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
Gen. Richard B. Myers
Command: Gen. Myers was named chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on
October 1, 2001. As chairman, he is the nation's highest-ranking military
officer and is the principal military adviser to President Bush, the Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and the National Security Council.
Years of service: Myers entered the Air Force in 1965 through the Reserve
Officer Training Corps program.
Previous commands: Before becoming chairman, he served as vice chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for 19 months. From August 1998 to February 2000,
Myers was commander-in-chief of the North American Aerospace Defense
Command and U.S. Space Command, and commander of Air Force Space
Command, responsible for U.S. defense via space and intercontinental ballistic
missile operations. He also has commanded U.S. Forces Japan, the 5th Air Force
and U.S. Pacific Air Forces.
Headquarters: Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Combat experience: Myers logged 600 combat hours flying the F-4 Phantom in
Vietnam.
Gen. Peter Pace
Command: Gen. Peter Pace is the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the
nation's second highest-ranking military officer. He is the first Marine to hold the
position.
Years of service: He was commissioned in June 1967, following graduation from the
United States Naval Academy.
Previous commands: Pace served as the commander, U. S. Marine Corps Forces,
Atlantic/Europe/South, from November 1997 to September 2000. He then served as
commander-in-chief, United States Southern Command until September 2001.
Combat experience: Pace served as a rifle platoon and assistant operations officer
with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division in Vietnam from 1968 to
March 1969.
Below are brief biographies on the senior British commanders involved in Operation
Telic, the name given to the British contribution to the coalition forces.
Air Marshal Brian Burridge
Command: Burridge is the overall commander of the U.K. National Contingent and
is the deputy commander-in-chief of Great Britain's Strike Command.
Years of service: Burridge joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1967.
Previous commands: Burridge previously was the officer in command of the RAF's air
defense, maritime, and search and rescue forces. He also served as commander of the
Joint Services Command & Staff College.
Regional headquarters: Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
Rear Admiral David Snelson
Command: Snelson is the commander of the Royal Navy's forces in Operation
Telic.
Years of service: Snelson joined the Royal Navy in 1969.
Previous commands: Upon promotion to rear admiral in November 2002, he was
named commander of the U.K. Maritime Forces and the Anti-Submarine Warfare
Striking Force. He previously was commander of U.K. Maritime Operations in the
Middle East, and also commanded both the destroyer HMS Liverpool and aircraft
carrier HMS Ark Royal.
Regional headquarters: Manama, Bahrain
Maj. Gen. Robin Brims
Command: Brims is commander of all the land-based forces in Operation Telic and
is the commander of the 1st Armoured Division in November 2000.
Years of service: Brims was commissioned into the British Army's Light Infantry in 1970.
Previous commands: Headed the Multi-National Division (South West) in Bosnia. He
also commanded the Light Infantry's 3rd Battalion in Germany and Belfast, Northern
Ireland, and commanded the 24th Airmobile Brigade, which deployed to Bosnia as
part of the U.N. Rapid Reaction Force in 1995.
Regional headquarters: Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
Air Vice-Marshal Glenn Torpy
Command: Torpy is commander of all air forces in Operation Telic.
Years of service: Torpy joined the Royal Air Force in 1974 after studying aeronautical
engineering at Imperial College, London.
Previous commands: Named Air Officer Commanding 1 Group in March 2001, he
previously commanded RAF Bruggen in Germany and served as director of air
operations for the British Ministry of Defense. During the 1998 strike on Iraq known as
Operation Desert Fox, he served as the assistant chief of staff for operations. He has
piloted both the Jaguar and Tornado GR1 fighter/reconnaissance aircraft.
Combat experience: Torpy saw active service with the RAF's 13th Squadron during the
Persian Gulf War.
Regional headquarters: Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
Below is a brief biography on the Australian commander in charge of Operation Falconer,
the name given by the Australian Defense Force its to contribution to coalition forces in
Iraq.
Australian Army Brigadier Maurie McNarn
Command: In November 2002 he deployed as Australian National Commander for Middle East
Area of Operations. McNarn monitors the assignment of Australian Defense Force forces and
can veto any proposed tasks that fall outside bounds set by the Australian government.
Years of service: McNarn entered the Royal Military College at Duntroon, Australia, in 1975,
graduated in 1978 and was assigned to the Royal Australian Signal Corps.
Previous commands: He has served as commanding officer of 1st Signal Regiment (1st Division)
and commanding officer of the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters in 1994/95.ÊIn 1999, he
was appointed commandant of the Royal Military College in December 1999. In January 2002,
McNarn was appointed director general of Joint Operations and Plans at Strategic Command,
Australian Defense Force headquarters
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