Changes Coming in U.S. Military Command for Iraq

By Steve Inskeep,

Guy Raz

Published January 5, 2007 at 5:00 AM CST

Admiral William J. Fallon on a visit to the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in July 2006.

President Bush and Lt. Gen. David Petraeus with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in October 2005.

Reports say President Bush's new Iraq strategy is likely to be carried out by new commanders.

Media reports say the president will replace the two top generals in the region.

It was announced in December that Gen. John Abizaid would step down as top commander of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

His replacement will be Adm. William Fallon, currently the top U.S. commander in the Pacific.

Meanwhile, the commander on the ground in Iraq is also changing, with Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus -- who at one time was in charge of training Iraqi security forces -- taking the place of Gen. George Casey.

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Steve Inskeep

Steve Inskeep is a host of NPR's Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.

See stories by Steve Inskeep

Guy Raz

Guy Raz is the host, co-creator, and editorial director of three NPR programs, including two of its most popular ones: TED Radio Hour and How I Built This.Both shows are heard by more than 14 million people each month around the world. He is also the creator and co-host of NPR's first-ever podcast for kids, Wow In The World.