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091126-N-8960W-015 GULF OF OMAN (Nov. 26, 2009) Rainbow side boys render honors to Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 are currently deployed to the Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Robert Winn/Released) 091126-N-9760Z-005 GULF OF OMAN (Nov. 26, 2009) Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander, U.S. Central Command, address the crew before a reenlistment ceremony in the forecastle of the aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz and embarked Carrier Air...

U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan are retreating somewhat from an effort to ban embedded journalists from publishing photos or video of American soldiers killed in action there, according to ground rules issued Thursday.  But the new limitations on embeds – put in place after a flap between the Pentagon and the Associated Press over a photo of a wounded soldier - have elicited deep concerns from military journalists and press advocates. "It's punishment for war photographers. They're saying if you want access, you have to play by our rules. And our rules are this — the public will NOT...

CORNWALL — Thirteen-year-old Megan Gagnon is killing time outside her middle school on Thursday afternoon, waiting for police and federal agents to finish a sweep of the building. This is a big deal. Gen. David H. Petraeus is about to arrive. He grew up here, she says, graduated from Cornwall High, then West Point. “Now he runs Iraq and Afghanistan.” Gagnon's dad is in the Army too, deployed to Iraq for the past nine months. She told him, over a webcam, that Petraeus was visiting on Thursday so the town could name a street after him. The band was going...

ARLINGTON, Va. – President Barack Obama late last week asked for and received from Defense Secretary Robert Gates a copy of Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s resource request for executing the war in Afghanistan. But the request has not been introduced into the White House’s war sessions that began last week and continued on Wednesday. The document is the Afghanistan war commander’s follow-on to his earlier strategy assessment, and reportedly contains options calling for increases of 10,000 to 40,000 more troops. The Pentagon for weeks had said that the request would not be considered ahead of the strategy. As reporters in Washington...

Gen. David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, said that the situation in Afghanistan needs “sustained and substantial” commitment. His statements echoed the assessment made by the senior U.S. general in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal. However, Petraeus, in his comments Tuesday to a convention of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), refused to detail what a substantial commitment means and whether it would translate to sending more troops into Afghanistan. McChrystal was criticized for airing his views on the Afghanistan war in a public forum as President Barack Obama works on a strategy to tackle growing security...

Note: Video included. SNIPPET: "CENTCOM Commander General David Petraeus discusses Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Long War at the World Affairs Council's Global Leadership Series in Seattle's Town Hall."

KABUL, May 20, 2009 – A U.S. Central Command investigation team today released its interim findings here after reviewing information on recent events in Afghanistan’s Farah province associated with alleged civilian casualties. The investigation remains ongoing, officials said. Investigators said they reviewed weapon-sight video from the aircraft supporting the coalition rescue of Afghan forces in Bala Baluk on May 4 that clearly depicts insurgents entering the buildings which were then targeted in the final strikes of the fight. Combined with audio recordings of the ground commander and aircrew conversations, the investigators were able to confirm that the insurgents fleeing...

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2009 – A substantial and sustained commitment is required to disrupt and ultimately defeat al-Qaida and other extremist elements in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Central Command told a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee today. “The strategy described by President [Barack] Obama several weeks ago constitutes such a commitment,” Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told members of the military construction, Veterans Affairs and related agencies subcommittee. “Although … additional resources will be applied in different ways on either side of the [border between Afghanistan and Pakistan], Afghanistan and Pakistan comprise a single theater that...

Pentagon brass chafes at Obama's Iraq pullout plan Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service WASHINGTON: CENTCOM commander General David Petraeus, supported by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, tried to convince President Barack Obama that he had to back down from his campaign pledge to pullout all US combat troops from Iraq within 18 months at an Oval Office meeting on January 21, sources have said. But Obama informed Gates, Petraeus and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen that he wasn't convinced and wanted Gates and the military leaders to come back quickly with a detailed 16-month plan, according to two sources who...

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (IPS) - CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus, supported by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, tried to convince President Barack Obama that he had to back down from his campaign pledge to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months at an Oval Office meeting Jan. 21. But Obama informed Gates, Petraeus and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen that he wasn't convinced and that he wanted Gates and the military leaders to come back quickly with a detailed 16-month plan, according to two sources who have talked with participants in the meeting. Obama's decision to override...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2009 – A new patrol in the U.S. Central Command is working to make it unprofitable to be a pirate, the commander of U.S. Navy Central Command and 5th Fleet said today. Acts of piracy have “spiked” off the coast of Somalia with merchant vessels and crews being held for millions in ransom by pirates using AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and ladders to take “low and slow” ships traversing one of the world’s busiest sea lanes. The pirates come from a clan based on the northern coast of Somalia, Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney said,...

Gen. David Petraeus took over U.S. Central Command during a one-hour ceremony this morning at MacDill Air Force Base, assuming responsibility for military operations in the most volatile part of the world -- the Middle East. Under a large American flag and with 84 members of Petraeus' West Point class of 1974 looking on, he accepted the CentCom battle flag from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Petraeus is widely credited with being the architect of the Iraq surge that many believe led to a dramatic reduction in violence. Now expectations are high as Petraeus tries the same thing in Afghanistan,...

BAGHDAD — Gen. Raymond Odierno assumed command of the war effort in Iraq on Tuesday, saying that future troop withdrawals would be heavily influenced by a new U.S. administration and the long-term security pact with Iraq still under negotiation. Odierno, who added his fourth star just hours before the ceremony in Baghdad’s Al Faw Palace, said of the past 18 months’ gains in Iraq, "where chaos reigned, hope prevails." But, he warned, "our work here is far from done." Odierno assumed command of Multi-National Force — Iraq from Gen. David Petraeus in the ceremony attended by Secretary of Defense Robert...

It reads: Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Civilians of Multi-National Force-Iraq: It has been the greatest of privileges to have been your commander for the past 19 months. During that time,we and our civilian and Iraqi partners have been engaged in an exceedingly complex, difficult, and important task. And in the face of numerous challenges, we and our partners have helped bring new hope to a country that was besieged by extremists and engulfed in sectarian violence. When I took command of Multi-National Force-Iraq in February 2007, I noted that the situation in Iraq was hard but not...

Evidence introduced during pre-trial motions in the court-martial of Marine Lt. Col Jeffrey Chessani for his role at Haditha revealed that commanding generals of Marine Corps Forces Central Command are often preoccupied with court fights as well as battlefields while the seemingly endless investigations drag on. The Marine Corps Forces Central Command – CENTCOM – was assigned the onerous task of investigating and adjudicating the sensationalized charges against Chessani. CENTCOM is the umbrella organization that controls Marine Corps’ war fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Marine Corps designated the CENTCOM commander to be the convening authority and final arbiter in...

Next 9/11 to come from Fata: US general By Anwar Iqbal WASHINGTON, May 22: A top American general on Thursday endorsed a US intelligence assessment that the next 9/11-type attack on the US soil would come from Al Qaeda bases in Pakistan’s tribal region but urged the United States to increase its security assistance to the country to help it deal with the threat. Gen David Petraeus, a top US military commander nominated to lead the Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Pakistan would be the first country he would visit, if confirmed, to assess its desire...

The United States should increase diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran to counter its rising influence, while retaining possible military action as a "last resort," a top U.S. military officer said on Thursday. Gen. David Petraeus, President George W. Bush's nominee to oversee military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, told the Senate that current international pressure on Iran already appears to be "affecting the Iranian energy market and may convince Tehran to focus on longer-term, less malign interests." Petraeus, currently the U.S. commander in Iraq, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee for a confirmation hearing on...

For many Americans who are weary of Iraq, Afghanistan is the "good war" where the U.S. and its European allies are destroying what's left of al- Qaeda and the Taliban. That view certainly holds with the Democratic presidential candidates, who talk of adding more troops in Afghanistan next year even as they pull troops out of Iraq. But "bad" Iraq has more in common with "good" Afghanistan than people sometimes realize. Both have evolved into classic counterinsurgencies with a "clear and hold" strategy for providing security; both show the benefits of a military surge; and both run the risk of...

The Petraeus Promotion Good for Iraq, good for the Middle East...and good for McCain. by Jeffrey Bell 05/05/2008, Volume 013, Issue 32 President Bush's decision to elevate General David Petraeus to lead the Central Command is not only an act of courage, it may prove to be transformative in the global war on terror, and even in the 2008 election. God has apparently seen fit to give the U.S. Army a great general in this time of need, a simple fact which President Bush has had the sense to recognize and act on. Bush's action comes not a moment too...

Petraeus's appointment as combatant commander of Central Command was set in motion several weeks ago, with the firing of then-combatant commander Adm. William Fallon. The administration let him go not for opposing a possible strike against Iran, as was widely speculated, but for arguing too often with Petraeus over troop levels in Iraq. Petraeus, who may be the most well-read analytical mind in the military, wanted to maintain troop levels, rather than reduce them for use in Afghanistan and for other contingencies -- to say nothing of relieving strains on the army. But Fallon and Pentagon generals wanted troop levels...

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2008 – The White House will nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, currently commander of Multinational Force Iraq, to be the next U.S. Central Command commander, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today. “I recommended him to the president because I am absolutely confident he is the best man for the job,” Gates told reporters. He cited Petraeus’ in-depth understanding of the situation in Iraq as well as counterinsurgency operations, and the successes seen in Iraq under his leadership. “The kinds of conflicts we are dealing with not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan and some of...

WASHINGTON — Gen. David Petraeus has been tapped to become the next commander of U.S. Central Command, FOX News confirms. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Navy Adm. William Fallon, who stepped down in March. Taking Petraeus' position as the senior commander in Iraq would be Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, who had until recently been serving as Petraeus' deputy. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2008 – As U.S. Central Command continues to focus on fighting terrorism in its area of responsibility, its main priorities are southern Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, a senior CENTCOM official told online journalists and “bloggers.” Recent violence in Iraq’s Basra province indicates a secular power struggle in southern Iraq as provincial elections approach later this year, Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert H. Holmes, CENTCOM’s deputy director of operations, said during a conference call April 2. The situation is unfortunate, he said, but more violence may erupt in other provinces as people posture for power. CENTCOM pays close...

POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C., April 1, 2008 – The spike of violence in Basra and southern Baghdad proves the contention of military leaders that there are still going to be tough days ahead in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told soldiers and airmen here that the fighting in the two cities is an indication that “we are very much tied to conditions on the ground, and conditions on the ground are going to continue to evolve.” Mullen said this does not mean the redeployment of the surge...

WASHINGTON — One of the Army's most Iraq-savvy generals is taking charge, at least temporarily, of arguably the most important command in the U.S. military, with responsibility for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a ceremony Friday at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey is to assume command of U.S. Central Command from Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, who announced unexpectedly on March 11 that he was quitting. Fallon cited press reports that he was at odds with President Bush over Iran policy. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has denied that Fallon was out of step...

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2008 – The increased cooperation between coalition forces and Iraqis at the local level as well as economic progress in Iraq are leading reasons for increasing stability in an unstable region, said Navy Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon, the retiring CENTCOM commander. Fallon said the command’s efforts, which include operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, aim to provide stability and security, restore hope in the region and allow future generations the chance to live peaceably. “There are a lot of challenges, but we’re succeeding, and we’re going to succeed because we have (the) best people in the world...

As the White House talked up conflict with Iran, the head of U.S. Central Command, William "Fox" Fallon, talked it down. Now he has resigned. If, in the dying light of the Bush administration, we go to war with Iran, it'll all come down to one man. If we do not go to war with Iran, it'll come down to the same man. He is that rarest of creatures in the Bush universe: the good cop on Iran, and a man of strategic brilliance. His name is William Fallon, although all of his friends call him "Fox," which was his...

REVIEW & OUTLOOK The Pentagon vs. Petraeus March 12, 2008; Page A20 Yesterday's resignation of Admiral William Fallon as Centcom Commander is being portrayed as a dispute over Iran. Our own sense is that the admiral has made more than enough dissenting statements about Iraq, Iran and other things to warrant his dismissal as much as early retirement. But his departure will be especially good news if it means that President Bush is beginning to pay attention to the internal Pentagon dispute over Iraq. A fateful debate is now taking place at the Pentagon that will determine the pace of...

Rumor is Admiral William Fallon will retire suddenly No link yet

The top U.S. commander in the Middle East is the subject of a glowing magazine article describing him as the only person who might stop the Bush administration from going to war against Iran. Esquire magazine's forthcoming profile of Adm. William "Fox" Fallon portrays the chief of the U.S. Central Command as "brazenly challenging" President Bush on Iran, pushing back "against what he saw as an ill-advised action." Written by Thomas P.M. Barnett, a former professor at the Naval War College, the article in the magazine's April issue predicts that if Fallon leaves his position at Central Command, "it may...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2008 – Looking beyond Iraq and Afghanistan, the forces of U.S. Central Command have to be positioned to deal with violent networked extremists, a top general in the command said today. “Regionally, we’ve got to network ourselves to prosecute that fight along all the lines of irregular warfare,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert H. Holmes, the command's deputy director of operations, said in a conference call. The general stressed that the command must go beyond traditional combat and embrace building governance capabilities, financing economic development, building and maintaining infrastructure, and providing basic utilities to be successful. In...

ACTION TAKEN FOLLOWING CALL AND E-MAIL FROM AMERICANS AGAINST HATE (Coral Springs, FL) Yesterday, the Department of Defense: Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that its upcoming event featuring a speech by CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier was cancelled or, as CENTCOM put it, “postponed” with no future date planned. The event had originally been scheduled for Tuesday, January 15th. A CENTCOM representative stated that there was no reason given for the “postponement.” The cancellation occurred after a phone conversation on Thursday took place between Americans Against Hate (AAH) Chairman Joe Kaufman and a CENTCOM official, who said that he would bring...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A mandatory grounding of Air Force F-15s has been expanded to cover those flying combat missions over Afghanistan after a crash in Missouri last week, Air Force officials said Monday. The F-15Es in Afghanistan can fly only in emergency situations to protect U.S. and coalition troops in a battle, according to Maj. John Elolf, a spokesman for the U.S. Air Force Central Command. Maj. Cristin Marposon, an Air Force spokeswoman, told The Associated Press the country's fleet of 676 F-15s, including mission critical jets, was grounded on November 3 for "airworthiness concerns" after the crash of an...

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, who directed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and then resigned last November after months of mounting pressure, will join Stanford University's Hoover Institution as a visiting fellow. Rumsfeld, who also led the nation's response to Sept. 11, will participate in the institution's new task force of scholars and experts studying post-Sept. 11 ideology and terror, according to Hoover director John Raisian, in a statement released Friday afternoon. "I have asked Don to join the distinguished group of scholars that will pursue new insights on the direction of thinking that the United...

Multi-National Corps-Iraq Conducts Operation Phantom Strike Release Date: 8/13/2007 Release Number: 07-01-03P Description: BAGHDAD - Multi-National Corps-Iraq launched a major offensive, Operation Phantom Strike, on August 13 in a powerful crackdown to disrupt AQI and Shia extremist operations in Iraq. It consists of simultaneous operations throughout Iraq focused on pursuing remaining AQI terrorists and Iranian-supported extremist elements. Recent Coalition offensive operations, such as Fardh Al-Qanoon and Phantom Thunder, have reduced the effectiveness of extremist groups. The operations denied AQI safe havens, disrupted extremist support zones and supply lines, captured or killed significant AQI and Shia extremist leaders, and liberated large...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2007 – The Afghan National Army is developing into a professional force, and its soldiers have the will to fight and, if need be, die for their country, the top enlisted leader in U.S. Central Command said. Marine Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey A. Morin, senior enlisted leader for U.S. Central Command, said during an interview Aug. 1 that he has been impressed with the Afghan National Army and its nascent noncommissioned officer corps. The 39,000 members of the Afghan National Army are a group of soldiers with an extreme will to fight, Morin said. “They are developing nationalism;...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2007 – A trip to the Baghdad Zoo was an eye-opener for the senior enlisted leader of U.S. Central Command. The opportunity came up by chance as Marine Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey A. Morin was visiting a unit based near the zoo in central Baghdad. “The unit wanted me to see the zoo,” he said. “To be honest, I thought it was going to be a waste of time. I’m thinking, ‘Why do I want to go to the zoo to look at some animals?’ “But as soon as I crested the gates and saw what was going...

Today, President Bush Addressed The CENTCOM Coalition Conference At MacDill Air Force Base In Tampa, Florida. • America is joined in the fight against terrorists by more than 90 nations, including every country represented in the CENTCOM Coalition. The work of these countries has helped liberate millions of people, has kept brutal enemies on the defensive, and has helped keep millions of our citizens safe. Complete Transcript Here and Video may be viewed here • Fact Sheet: America and Our Allies Are Working Together to Keep Our Nations Safe It has now been 85 days since President Bush requested...

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2007 – The new commander of U.S. Central Command met with U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan last week as part of an introductory tour of U.S. operations in the Middle East and Horn of Africa. Members of the Combined Joint Task Force-82 Joint Visitors Bureau welcomes Navy Adm. William Fallon, left, U.S. Central Command commander during an office call Mar. 29 on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 82, briefed CENTCOM chief...

The Central Command's top lawyer," one Air Force official acknowledged, "repeatedly refused to permit strikes even when the targets were unambiguously military in nature". -snip-

When it was announced by the President last week that Navy Admiral William J. Fallon, current commander of Pacific Command (PACOM), will replace Central Command (CENTCOM) boss Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, the reaction was nearly universal: why a Navy man to lead what are predominately Army and Marine forces in the Central Region? The blogs and the New York Times suggested that if we are to deal with Iran, we need a commander who has experience with naval forces and airpower.  While that is certainly a factor in his favor, the real reason for his selection as I see...

The United States has developed a grudging respect for Iran's military. Officials said the Defense Department and Joint Chiefs of Staff have assessed that Iran's military was the second most powerful in the Middle East. They said that unlike Iraq, Iran was capable of sustaining a long war against the United States. "Right now Iran is the most powerful military force in the region, except for the United States of America," U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid said. Abizaid said he was referring only to those countries in Central Command. The command contains such Arab countries as Egypt and...

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Ground Forces Command assumed command and control here today of one of its Iraqi Army divisions from the Multi-National Corps-Iraq, marking the first step toward Iraqi sovereignty over their own armed forces. The 8th Iraqi Army Division, commanded by Maj. Gen Othman Ali Salih Farhood, which had reported to Multi-National Division-Baghdad as a subordinate unit, will now report directly to the IGFC as an adjacent unit to MND-B. It was the first Iraqi Army division to take the lead in its sector on January 27, 2006. In a gradual sequence over the following months, the IGFC...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2006 – As NATO forces prepare to take over security operations in portions of Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Abizaid said he’s pleased with the progress he sees in regard to the country’s security situation. “We’re pretty satisfied with the military situation despite the fact that there’s been a lot of fighting,” the commander of U.S. Central Command told “Fox and Friends” in a telephone interview from Bagram, Afghanistan, yesterday. “There’s nothing we can’t handle militarily out here, although we’re pretty realistic that there’s going to be continued fighting.” NATO forces recently took over security operations in the...

Today, in another sign of progress toward a stable and secure Iraq, the Fourth Iraqi Army Division Headquarters officially assumed the lead in its area of responsibility from the 101st Airborne Division. This achievement represents the Division halfway mark of our joint goal of putting all Iraqi Security Forces in the lead in coordinating, planning and conducting security operations in Iraq. We congratulate the Iraqi people and the Government on Iraq on this important milestone. Five of the Iraqi Army’s ten division headquarters, 25 brigade headquarters, and 85 battalions in the Iraqi Army now have the lead for security responsibilities...

BAGHDAD, June 13, 2006 – Defeating an ideology is much more difficult than defeating a physical threat, but that is at the heart of U.S. Central Command's strategy in this region, the command's chief, Army Gen. John Abizaid, said in an interview today. Abizaid, the commander of U.S. CENTCOM, is in Iraq, where he met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and newly appointed Defense Minister Abdel Qader Jassim. It is no shock that al Qaeda and associated groups are the main threat facing the United States, the general said. "This ideology backed by (Osama) bin Laden, (Ayman al-) Zawahiri and,...

More interesting news on the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Zarqawi still alive after bombingAccording to the Associated Press, al-Zarqawi was still alive when Iraqi police arrived at the scene of the attack. His last sight on earth was of US armed forces while his next sight in eternity was not Paradise, but rather hell. What a way to go. A mortally wounded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was still alive and mumbling after American airstrikes on his hideout and tried to get off a stretcher when he became aware of U.S. troops at the scene, a top military official said Friday....Al-Zarqawi could...

By now, everyone knows that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has assumed room temperature, which in the Iraqi summer, is probably more like the temperature in hell. It's a good thing that al-Zarqawi is no stranger to hot temperatures because I have the feeling that he's finding out about now that Allah is a demon. From the Centcom press release: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Coalition Forces killed al-Qaeda terrorist leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and one of his key lieutenants, spiritual adviser Sheik Abd-Al-Rahman, yesterday, June 7, at 6:15 p.m. in an air strike against an identified, isolated safe house. “Tips and intelligence from...

U.S. Army Col. John Nicholson (second from left), Task Force Spartan commander, illustrates friendly and enemy positions for U.S. Army Gen. John P. Abizaid (second from right), U.S. Central Command commander, as U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John M. Custer, U.S. Central Command commander director of intelligence, and U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, Combined Joint Task Force-76 commander, look on May 2, 2006, at Provincial Reconstruction Team Asadabad headquarters. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Michael Pintagro CENTCOM Commander Visits 'Mountain Lion' Battlefields General Abizaid also met with U.S. Marines of Task Force Lava, wrapping up his...

LONDON [MENL] -- U.S. Central Command has been preparing for the prospect of an American-led war against Iran. Officials stressed that Centcom has not received orders to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. But they said the command, which covers an area of 27 countries from North Africa to Central Asia, was preparing to respond quickly to any contingency in the region. "I remain persuaded that we would be able to do anything that our nation asks us to do," Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, director of strategic policy and planning at Centcom, said. "And any nation that somehow miscalculates in that regard...