General Peter Pace to Retire as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
By DAVID STOUT
WASHINGTON, June 8 — Gen. Peter Pace is being replaced as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a move that reflects a feeling among top civilian officials at the Pentagon and in the White House that the American military needs a new direction after years of being strained by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
General Pace is to be succeeded by Adm. Michael G. Mullen, who has been chief of naval operations since the summer of 2005, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today, explaining that re-nominating General Pace would be an intolerable “divisive ordeal” for the military and the general himself.
General Pace, who has been chairman for just less than two years, is known to have wanted to be nominated for a second term as chairman, and his re-nomination by President Bush had been rumored to be in the works. So today’s announcement that Admiral Mullen is being nominated to succeed him reflected a late reassessment of where the military stands and how it can best be turned around.
Mr. Gates said he was honored to nominate Admiral Mullen. “He has the vision, strategic insight and integrity to lead America’s military,” Mr. Gates said.
The secretary said his decision to replace General Pace had “absolutely nothing to do” with the general’s performance as chairman. Rather, Mr. Gates said, he had concluded after extensive discussion with key Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, that General Pace’s renomination hearings “would have been on the past rather than the future.”
“I am disappointed that the circumstances make this kind of decision necessary,” Mr. Gates said. “I wish that were not the case. I wish it were not necessary to make a decision like this.” The secretary said the political figures he had conferred with were unanimous in their respect for General Pace — and unanimous in their feeling that a change in Pentagon leadership was needed.
Asked what Admiral Mullen would bring to the post, Mr. Gates replied in part that the admiral is “a very smart strategic thinker.”
The admiral has been overseeing the Navy’s expansion to a fleet of more than 300 ships by 2020. But Mr. Gates indicated that one of his top priorities will be upgrading the Army. If confirmed, the admiral will be the first Navy man to be chairman since Adm. William J. Crowe, who served from 1985 to 1989.
