Admiral William J. Fallon: Controversial Admiral Set to Retire

Admiral William J. Fallon, the former commanding officer of the United States Central Command, is set to retire from military service this Friday, April 18, 2008. As the CENTCOM commander, Admiral Fallon was responsible for one of the world's most troubled regions, the Middle East, and oversaw the conduct of U.S.-led military operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Fallon submitted his resignation to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates shortly after an Esquire magazine article gave the impression that Fallon was at odds with the Bush administration on how to deal with Iran and Army General David Petraeus, who leads U.S. military forces in Iraq. Secretary Gates accepted the resignation effective at the end of March. Army Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, who served as Fallon's deputy, assumed responsibility for CENTCOM until President Bush nominates a successor and the Senate approves that nomination. Fallon disputed the notion that he was at odds with the President, but asserted that even the perception of disagreement was reason enough to step aside. General Petraeus, similarly, has downplayed any notion of disagreement with Fallon. May critics of Fallon's resignation have alleged that he was fired for dissenting from the Bush Administration's tough stance against Iran for that country's continued pursuit of nuclear technology. The Bush Administration believes Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, despite Iran's claims to the contrary.

In a short statement released by the White House just after the announcement of Fallon's resignation, President Bush said, "During his tenure at CENTCOM, Admiral Fallon's job has been to help ensure that America's military forces are ready to meet the threats of an often troubled region of the world, and he deserves considerable credit for progress that has been made there, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan."