"Gen. Petraeus is particularly capable, and it would be good for any administration to work with him," Danzig said. "The problem is not that he is valued; it is that the advice of so many other able military leaders has been suppressed or ignored by this administration."
In announcing the nominations Wednesday, Gates noted that all military commanders serve at the pleasure of the president.
"I was just trying to provide some continuity for a new administration, but they always have the opportunity to make a change," Gates said.
Still, military experts consider the act of ousting a top officer unlikely, arguing that such a move would needlessly politicize the job of war commander.
In his new job, Petraeus will have responsibility for overseeing military operations from the Horn of Africa through the Persian Gulf to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Oversight of the war in Afghanistan is split between the U.S. Central Command and NATO.
Afghanistan will pose an interesting challenge for Petraeus. While U.S. and NATO commanders there have been requesting more troops, any additional U.S. forces for Afghanistan would have to come from Iraq.
"The main question is will he be willing to see resources shift from Iraq to Afghanistan?" said Crowley, the retired Air Force colonel, who now advises the presidential campaign of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Gates said Wednesday that Petraeus' role in Afghanistan would be somewhat limited.
But historian Crane said that as Centcom commander, Petraeus will have plenty of opportunities to inject new ideas into the Afghanistan fight. Petraeus knows how to work with allied commanders, and his reputation will ensure that people listen to his ideas, Crane said.
"This job will give Gen. Petraeus more of a chance to influence what is going on in Afghanistan," said Crane, a retired Army colonel who helped Petraeus write the Army's 2006 counterinsurgency field manual.
"If you were someone who thought Afghanistan was in need of a fresh approach, you should be excited about Gen. Petraeus' appointment."
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julian.barnes@latimes.com
Times staff writer Peter Spiegel in Washington contributed to this report.
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Begin text of infobox
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus
Age: 55
Experience: Commanding general of the Multinational Force in Iraq, 2007-present; commanding general of U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., 2005-07; first commander of the Multinational Security Transition Command in Iraq, 2004-05; commander of NATO training mission in Iraq, 2004-05. Various other positions, including commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); assistant chief of staff for operations of the NATO Stabilization Force; and deputy commander of the U.S. Joint Interagency Counter-Terrorism Task Force in Bosnia.
Education: Bachelor's degree, U.S. Military Academy, 1974; master's degree, Princeton University, 1985; doctorate, Princeton University, 1987.
Family: Wife, Holly; two children.
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Source: Associated Press
