How tall is petraeus

And that was quite an elaborate structure, and it was enormously important to the Afghans, who still had a very modest-sized air force. So you have the withdrawal of U. And, somewhat overlooked, although some of us did identify this months ago, the departure of some eighteen thousand contractors who maintain the U.

It is a huge system that involves supply chains and regular inspections—a lot of very sophisticated diagnostic equipment, tools, and this enormous logistic support structure to provide these spare parts in a very austere environment. And of course they are also being shot up by the Taliban.

That air force worked very, very hard. And they are trying to ferry commandos who are really quite good fighters, very well trained by our Special Ops, and well equipped. And they did go out in these early battles, and they were holding off the Taliban, but I think at a certain point in time they realized that there was nobody coming to the rescue anymore, nobody has our back, there is no emergency resupply, there are no reinforcements, there is no emergency medical evacuation, and there is no close air support.

And I think that happened in a couple of cases, and those troops did what I think troops do in those circumstances, if they are left alone and isolated and no one is coming to the rescue.

Along with local leaders of those districts or provinces, they either cut a deal or they negotiate a surrender or they flee. And then I think the psychological collapse of the Afghan military set in.

And I think that was infectious. You talk about infectious enthusiasm. This was an epidemic of, basically, surrender. Was there an error somewhere along the way, given that when we pulled out this collapse just happened? How did we not prepare for that in twenty years? I just think it was premature to leave. Now, you can say, Well, when do you leave? Ideally you say that there are certain conditions. Well, part of nation-building is developing security forces. It is developing institutions that can take over tasks that we were provided.

Undoubtedly, there were innumerable mistakes made in the name of nation-building and infrastructure overbuilt. You can name the different shortcomings. But, again, you have to build something you can hand off. Keep in mind that, once we topple the Taliban, we own the country. What are you hanging around for? Well, there are a lot of lessons.

There are actually five lessons from the last twenty years of war, if you want to hear them. The first is that Islamist extremists will exploit ungoverned spaces, or spaces governed by kindred spirits in the Muslim world.

It is not a question of if, it is a question of when and how it will be. I was walking. The sign I am really serious about this, and giving someone my best attention, is that you walk the dog instead of doing it in front of a screen.

Lesson No. And these situations tend to have violence, extremism, instability, and, most significantly in the case of Syria, a tsunami of refugees in our NATO allies, causing the biggest domestic political challenges since the end of the Cold War. We should. And you should have Muslim partners with you, as we did. By the way, the validation of No. We know the U.

You saw people in the U. You can say the Taliban did that, but they had bases in Pakistan, and that is something you cannot forget. We knew we could do it. And we got that.

I laid this out to [Defense] Secretary [Donald] Rumsfeld in September, , when, on my way home from Iraq, he asked me to come to Afghanistan. Beyond that, the country has very limited roads and other infrastructure. So, every time we increased bases, they had no money. By the way, the Taliban is about to experience this. In any event, we were up to No. You have to have something that is more comprehensive. The American military and State Department. Press accounts in January indicated that Department of Defense staff were reviewing Department of Justice documents from the Petraeus prosecution and considering whether to recommend to the Secretary of Defense that Petraeus be demoted on the Army's retired list.

Laws and regulations indicate that members of the military are retired at the last rank in which they are deemed to have served successfully; Petraeus's admission of an extramarital affair and guilty plea with regard to removing and retaining classified information while serving in the grade of general could be grounds for reduction in rank to lieutenant general. The matter was reviewed by then-Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh before he left office in October ; he recommended no further action.

On January 29, press accounts indicated that Stephen C. Senate Armed Services Committee. In his letter, Hedger informed the committee that Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter had concurred with the Army's recommendation, and would not impose any further punishment on Petraeus. On November 18, , an article by The Guardian cited "diplomatic sources" as having said that Petraeus had entered the race for Secretary of State in Donald Trump's administration.

Petraeus confirmed his interest in the position during a BBC Radio 4 interview, stating that he would serve if asked. Petraeus expressed his gratitude for Trump's consideration and deferred to former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' endorsement when asked his opinion of Tillerson.

In January , The New York Times reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department had recommended bringing felony charges against Petraeus for providing classified information to Broadwell. Petraeus denied the allegations and was reported to have had no interest in a plea deal. However, on Tuesday, March 3, , the U.

Justice Department announced that Petraeus agreed to plead guilty in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina to a charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified information. The fine was more than double the amount the Justice Department had requested. There are differing explanations for the apparent collapse of the police force in Mosul. The Guardian quoted an anonymous US diplomat saying "Mosul basically collapsed after he [Petraeus] left.

He wrote for The New York Review of Books that "Petraeus ignored warnings from America's Kurdish allies that he was appointing the wrong people to key positions in Mosul's local government and police. Army in Iraq was trying to adopt in Moving away from counterinsurgency principles, "they were occupiers, not builders. Throughout Petraeus's tenure in Iraq, Multi-National Force-Iraq endeavored to work with the Government of Iraq to carry out this strategy that focuses on securing the population.

Doing so required establishing—and maintaining—persistent presence by living among the population, separating reconcilable Iraqis from irreconcilable enemies, relentlessly pursuing the enemy, taking back sanctuaries and then holding areas that have been cleared, and continuing to develop Iraq's security forces and to support local security forces, often called Sons of Iraq, and to integrate them into the Iraqi Army and Police and other employment programs.

Alongside the other honorary faculty, the appointment will help inform the Institute's key objectives of exploring policymaking, strategy, and security. Petraeus met with then President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower on November 28 to discuss the position and world affairs. Both Petraeus and Trump expressed favorable views of the meeting, with Trump taking to Twitter to announce, "Just met with General Petraeus—was very impressed!

The strategy underpinning the "surge" of forces, as well as the ideas Petraeus included in US army Field Manual 3—24, Counterinsurgency, have been referred to by some journalists and politicians as the "Petraeus Doctrine", although the surge itself was proposed a few months before Petraeus took command. Despite the misgivings of most Democratic and a few Republican senators over the proposed implementation of the "Petraeus Doctrine" in Iraq, specifically regarding the troop surge, Petraeus was unanimously confirmed as a four-star general and MNF-I commander on January Toward the close of his tenure as CENTCOM Commander, including in his interview published in Vanity Fair, Petraeus discussed the effort to determine and send to Afghanistan the right "inputs" for success there; these inputs include several structures and organizations that proved important in Iraq, including "an engagement cell to support reconciliation According to a statement from Petraeus, "I look forward to leading a seminar at Macaulay that examines the developments that could position the United States—and our North American partners—to lead the world out of the current global economic slowdown.

On May 1, , the University of Southern California named David Petraeus as a Judge Widney Professor, "a title reserved for eminent individuals from the arts, sciences, professions, business and community and national leadership".

The president of the Currahee Board of Trustees announced May 6, , that Petraeus agreed to serve on the board of trustees that preserves Camp Toccoa. Petraeus will support its investment teams and portfolio companies when studying new investments, especially in new locations. According to RUSI, "The honorary role was created by RUSI's trustees and advisory council in recognition of General Petraeus's long association with the Institute and his distinguished contribution to the study and development of defence and international security concepts, as well as his implementation of those concepts in operations in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

According to the school, Petraeus will jointly lead a new project focusing on the technological, scientific and economic dynamics that are spurring renewed North American competitiveness.

In , the Center announced a new project involving Petraeus and focusing on strategic leadership. The New York Historical Society awarded its History Makers Award to Petraeus on December 2, , for his "groundbreaking work in Iraq, his dynamic approach to counterinsurgency, his advocacy of a comprehensive civil-military approach, and his encouragement of strategies that resolve problems through political processes rather than violence" according to Dr.

Louise Mirrer. Although Petraeus was given good marks by most observers for his work heading the CIA, during October some critics took issue with the availability of accurate information from the CIA concerning a terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, the month prior.

On September 11 four Americans had been killed, including the Ambassador, and more than thirty evacuated. Only seven of those evacuated did not work for the CIA. According to a Wall Street Journal story, other government agencies complained about being left "largely in the dark about the CIA's role", with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoning Petraeus directly the night of the attacks seeking assistance.

Although the "State Department believed it had a formal agreement with the CIA to provide backup security", "the CIA didn't have the same understanding about its security responsibilities," said The Wall Street Journal. Clapper, was advised. That same evening Clapper called Petraeus and urged him to resign. Clapper notified the White House the next day, November 7.

Obama accepted his resignation on November 9, and Petraeus cited his affair when announcing that same day that he would resign as CIA Director. Eventually, Petraeus pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling the classified information that he provided to his mistress and biographer.

Petraeus had a strategy to influence military conditions by using press relations, both in theater and in Washington, according to critics of his military career. Together they assessed the general's extensive military-media strategy linking his writings on counterguerrilla operations and subsequent military media efforts, to his downfall with his female biographer. Critics said that the Petraeus media strategy would prove damaging for American policy in the future because of omissions and distorted interpretations that Washington policymakers, other experts, and the American public accepted from Petraeus's media contacts.

The Minister thanked Petraeus in his speech for his, "unconditional support to the Dutch troops and for being a driving force behind a successful mission. Through his personal efforts for cooperation between the Netherlands and America, the Netherlands could achieve significant operational successes with the Task Force Uruzgan.

Petraeus was the keynote speaker during Defense Night when the award was presented. Senate 94—0. Petraeus relinquished command of U. Army on August 31, On November 9, , he resigned from his position as Director of the CIA, citing his extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell, which was reportedly discovered in the course of an FBI investigation.

In January , officials reported the FBI and Justice Department prosecutors had recommended bringing felony charges against Petraeus for allegedly providing classified information to Broadwell while serving as Director of the CIA.

Eventually, Petraeus pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information. In early March , Petraeus made a "rare apology" following a NATO helicopter airstrike under his command that resulted in the deaths of nine Afghan boys and the wounding of a 10th, as they gathered firewood in Eastern Afghanistan. In a statement, Petraeus apologized to the members of the Afghan government, the people of Afghanistan and the surviving family members, and said: "These deaths should have never happened.

Petraeus retired from the U. Lynn also cited General Petraeus's efforts in current counter insurgency strategy. Grant, John J. Pershing, George Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower as one of the great battle captains of American history. The nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate 94—0 on June 30, Petraeus reportedly ended the affair in the summer of , around the time that he learned that Broadwell had been sending harassing emails to a longstanding family friend of the Petraeuses, Jill Kelley.

In April, Petraeus was named in the Time The New Statesman annual survey presents the most influential people from pop stars and dissident activists to tech gurus and heads of state, the people doing most to shape our world keep changing. September 26, , Petraeus was listed as number 2 of the 50 for Bragg on November 2, at its annual Special Operations Exposition.

Petraeus has repeatedly stated that he has no plans to run for elected political office. According to the testimony, the conflict was "fomenting anti-American sentiment" due to "a perception of U. This was widely commented on in the media. When questioned by journalist Philip Klein, Petraeus said the original reporter "picked apart" and "spun" his speech.

He believes there are many important factors standing in the way of peace, including "a whole bunch of extremist organizations, some of which by the way deny Israel's right to exist. There's a country that has a nuclear program who denies that the Holocaust took place. So again we have all these factors in there. This [Israel] is just one. Petraeus spoke a few days after the seventh anniversary of the U. The visit to Saint Anselm created rumors that Petraeus was contemplating a run for the Presidency; however, he denied the speculation saying that he was not aware that the college has been the site of numerous presidential debates.

On May 7, , Petraeus announced that Times Square bombing suspect, Faisal Shahzad, is a "lone wolf" terrorist who did not work with others. He quickly recovered and was able to walk and exit the room without assistance.

He attributed the episode to possible dehydration. McChrystal as the commander of U. Forces in Afghanistan. The change of command was prompted by McChrystal's comments about the Obama administration and its policies in Afghanistan during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. The nomination was technically a positional step down from his position as commander of Central Command, however the President said that he believed that he was the best man for the job.

After being confirmed by the Senate on June 30, Petraeus formally assumed command on July 4. During the assumption of command remarks, Petraeus provided his vision and goals to NATO, the members of his command, and his Afghan partners.

As he was known to do while the Commander in Iraq, Petraeus delivered his first Letter to the Troops on the same day he assumed command. On August 1, , shortly after the disclosure of the Afghan war logs on WikiLeaks, Petraeus issued his updated Tactical Directive for the prevention of civilian casualties, providing guidance and intent for the use of force by the U.

This directive reinforced the concept of "disciplined use of force in partnership with Afghan Security Forces" in the fight against insurgent forces. You try it. You throw it at the wall and see if it sticks. You had a meeting with General John Galvin when you were still in your twenties, and he talks about remembering you very well because you escorted him to the base outside Savannah. He had some changes in mind that he wanted to implement. Can you tell us about your response to those changes he had in mind?

David Petraeus: Actually, what he was trying to do was to develop his big ideas. Do you have any thoughts on what I might do here? I wrote a big memo that talked about big personnel changes in certain areas, some very significant different ways of doing business, if you will, than his predecessor had. Again, some of these were very significant changes in personnel. I mean, some of those were self-evident, I would assume, as well to him.

But what it began was a relationship that was really quite extraordinary. I spent that year as his aide and it was a wonderful experience. He was very much a soldier-scholar — and ultimately, statesman as well — in his four-star assignments as the Commander in Chief of the U.

I worked for him again as a temporary duty Special Assistant in Panama, where the headquarters was for Southern Command, traveled with him all that summer. And then, when he was named the next Supreme Allied Commander, he requested that I be released from West Point a year early, where I was teaching, and go over there and spend this first year with him as a speechwriter.

The truth is, we had a correspondence that continued forever. I might add, I am literally right now finalizing the foreword for a book — this will be his memoirs — Memoirs of a Cold Warrior. He was a speechwriter as well, earlier in his life. He was an English professor. He had written three books.

He was really quite an extraordinary individual. He was highly decorated on the battlefield in Vietnam, but was also known for very calm forthright responses to senior officers, one of which got him fired and he still survived.

David Petraeus: It was a case where a very senior commander came in after a battle. God bless him. He was a very — again, a very low ego — but there were moments where he could be very, very determined in a very forthright way. I saw this during the years when he was the Supreme Allied Commander in particular. It was quite an experience to be, to a degree, at his right hand.

So I have to travel with him. I have to be in the car with him on the way to the speech. I know him personally. I know how to get him focused, get him in the zone, and all the rest of this stuff. But it was a great experience and it continued for years and years. And in a day when people sent correspondence back and forth, we had sent two- and three-page, single-spaced letters to each other every couple of weeks, really. He was a great correspondent. He was a fabulous mentor. He was very generous with his time.

He was wonderfully considerate of others. Would you say General Galvin was the most important influence in your life and career? David Petraeus: General Galvin was a huge influence. He was, I think, the most wonderful mentor anybody could have and certainly the most wonderful I had.

And I had a lot of great ones over the years. And then some below me, if you will. A command sergeant major or a first sergeant. I was very privileged to serve with some extraordinary individuals, some above me, some peers, some subordinates in the chain of command.

One hallmark of your military career has been the ability to communicate well. Do you stress that in your teaching? The importance of being an effective communicator? David Petraeus: Yes. This course that I teach now at the Honors College of the City University of New York, after two semesters, the students have all agreed that what they got out of it most of all, the most important skill or knowledge they got, was writing and briefing of all things.

They actually bring him back to teach the other students in the first session of each semester how to write a policy paper and how to give a Power Point briefing.

We work that quite hard. Although at a certain point you have to call them like they are. You did some very in-depth writing about Vietnam when you were in graduate school at Princeton. Could you tell us how looking at that conflict influenced your later thoughts about strategy? David Petraeus: Sure. Whether you should or should not, and if so, how it should be applied. It was a very useful exercise in a host of different ways. One, it taught me more about how to communicate, how to write.

I was very privileged to have as my senior dissertation adviser an individual who had been at the editorial page of The New York Times. David Petraeus: Richard Ullman. An extraordinary individual. In fact, one who gave a tremendous amount of himself.

We just had the memorial ceremony for him recently, and it was astonishing the number of people who were there overall. And then, second, what many of those people had achieved — national security advisers, trade representatives, generals, titans of the financial industry, you name it. All of us felt an enormous debt of gratitude to him for the time he gave to us.

I specifically chose a topic that I thought would help me develop intellectual capital that I might use later on in my career. I wanted it to be a bit more current and to get at the most important issue that senior military leaders ever confront in their careers, if they confront it at all. And that is the issue of military advice on the use of force. What was the character of their advice? What was it that again led to that advice? What were the factors on which they drew? When it came time, when I was the one actually offering a recommendation and options to two different Presidents in two different wars, I found that a very, very useful study.

So you know, you have to acknowledge there are national politics, Congressional politics, coalition politics, fiscal deficits, strain on the force, programs, you name it. But at the end of the day, that advice is based on — is driven by — the facts on the ground.

There was a moment where — and I reminded each President of this at some key moments — in one moment, I did not change my recommendation after several meetings, to the surprise of some of those in the room who were all changing or at least agreeing to a new forthcoming decision. But it did mean that my recommendation was unchanged. That was, at least to me, an issue of integrity. David Petraeus: There were a lot of different theories.

A lot of different handy conclusions, if you will. Really, it went on for quite a long time with a very high level of casualties. What do you think of the military aspects of this? That brings up a more difficult question.

How do you deal with officers — subordinates — who are not able to perform as you would wish? David Petraeus: We had some units that took very, very tough losses and very tough casualties. You know, public firings. It seems like executing these ideas requires not only discipline, but creativity, and a sense of trust in yourself. Is that so? David Petraeus: Yes, but you have to be careful not to take that too far. It can lead you down the wrong path at times.

Galvin did this amazingly well. Galvin used to have me do a monthly performance evaluation of him. And I would grade every one of his speeches. I flunked him one time. We had a huge fight over this. You communicated that effectively to your audience and it was deficient. People constantly ask folks who have risen to a certain level about their leadership style. I might need guidance twice a day. Someone else might need guidance twice a year.

I need pats on the back every half-hour. Some may need an application of a foot somewhere. But you have to understand each individual and your style with each individual is slightly differentiated. The Agency is a combination of very highly developed analytical folks and superb operators.

David Petraeus: You have to be that too. Actually, for me it was dragging yourself out and getting that workout in, especially in combat. We tried to run a few days a week in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is a foolish position to find yourself. In fact, God bless the command sergeant major. So for one thing, physical fitness helps you a great deal. What do you see as the next great challenge militarily? The President, I felt, made a very compelling case for the threat that the Islamic State poses to the region, to our allies, and ultimately to us.

I think he had a very convincing argument for the need to take action to combat that threat. And then he provided a good point of departure for the strategy that we will now follow.