CAMP VICTORY ( 2008-09-16 16:00:10 ) :US General Raymond Odierno took charge of US-led forces in Iraq on Tuesday from David Petraeus, warning that security gains in the country were 'fragile and reversible.'
Petraeus, the general credited with pulling Iraq back from all-out civil war, handed over command of the 146,000-strong US force at a ceremony at a former Saddam Hussein-era palace turned US base near Baghdad airport.
But Odierno, a towering four-star general, said he was aware of the tough task ahead despite a dramatic fall in violence attributed to a military "surge" strategy.
"Iraq is now a different country from the one I had seen first. However, we must realise that these gains are fragile and reversible," said Odierno.
On the eve of the transfer, Odierno was given a powerful reminder of the violence when a series of bomb blasts killed at least 34 people.
"He knows we are at a pivotal moment -- where progress remains fragile and caution should be the order of the day," US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said as he handed the multinational force Iraq flag from Petraeus to Odierno.
"And as we proceed further into the endgame here, I am sure he will make tough but necessary decisions to protect our national interest."
Petraeus becomes the new chief of Central Command with responsibility for US troops from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia, including the conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Gates said Petraeus took charge when "darkness had descended on this land."
"Merchants of chaos were gaining strength. Death was commonplace. Around the world, questions mounted about whether a new strategy -- or any strategy, for that matter -- could make a real difference."
"You have dealt enemies of the United States and Iraq a tremendous, if not mortal blow. History will regard you as one of our nation's great battle captains."
Petraeus oversaw the surge, but it was his former deputy Odierno who first proposed it in December 2006 to a resistant Pentagon, setting the stage for what would become a pivotal turn in the unpopular war.
Odierno, a hulking artillery man criticised for running roughshod over civilians during his first tour to Iraq in 2003-2004, implemented the "surge" strategy as the corps commander from December 2006 to March 2008, which Gates said made him the right person to replace Petraeus.
Odierno carried out the detailed counter-insurgency campaign that poured US troops into Baghdad, cleared al Qaeda insurgents from havens in communities surrounding the capital, and targeted Shia extremists.
"Just as important as the surge was the change in our tactics, techniques and procedures that got us back out in the neighbourhoods," Odierno told reporters at the end of his previous tour in March.
The imposing Odierno will have his hands full as he takes command of the 146,000 troops at a time of what Gates said was a "mission in transition" as troop numbers shrink with more provinces being handed back to Iraqi control.
"There is no question we will still be engaged as we are, but the areas in which we are seriously engaged will I think continue to narrow," Gates said.
"And the challenge for General Odierno is how do we work with the Iraqis to preserve the gains that have already been achieved, and expand upon them even as the number of US forces are shrinking."
Iraq currently handles security in 11 of its 18 provinces with plans to take over a couple more by the end of the year. Odierno has argued consistently against sharp cutbacks in troop levels in Iraq, which is negotiating a controversial security pact with Washington to determine troop levels after a UN mandate expires at the end of the year.
But the US force will shrink by about 8,000 troops by January, when US President George W. Bush leaves office and pressure for further reductions is intensifying as attention shifts to Afghanistan
Petraeus, the general credited with pulling Iraq back from all-out civil war, handed over command of the 146,000-strong US force at a ceremony at a former Saddam Hussein-era palace turned US base near Baghdad airport.
But Odierno, a towering four-star general, said he was aware of the tough task ahead despite a dramatic fall in violence attributed to a military "surge" strategy.
"Iraq is now a different country from the one I had seen first. However, we must realise that these gains are fragile and reversible," said Odierno.
On the eve of the transfer, Odierno was given a powerful reminder of the violence when a series of bomb blasts killed at least 34 people.
"He knows we are at a pivotal moment -- where progress remains fragile and caution should be the order of the day," US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said as he handed the multinational force Iraq flag from Petraeus to Odierno.
"And as we proceed further into the endgame here, I am sure he will make tough but necessary decisions to protect our national interest."
Petraeus becomes the new chief of Central Command with responsibility for US troops from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia, including the conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Gates said Petraeus took charge when "darkness had descended on this land."
"Merchants of chaos were gaining strength. Death was commonplace. Around the world, questions mounted about whether a new strategy -- or any strategy, for that matter -- could make a real difference."
"You have dealt enemies of the United States and Iraq a tremendous, if not mortal blow. History will regard you as one of our nation's great battle captains."
Petraeus oversaw the surge, but it was his former deputy Odierno who first proposed it in December 2006 to a resistant Pentagon, setting the stage for what would become a pivotal turn in the unpopular war.
Odierno, a hulking artillery man criticised for running roughshod over civilians during his first tour to Iraq in 2003-2004, implemented the "surge" strategy as the corps commander from December 2006 to March 2008, which Gates said made him the right person to replace Petraeus.
Odierno carried out the detailed counter-insurgency campaign that poured US troops into Baghdad, cleared al Qaeda insurgents from havens in communities surrounding the capital, and targeted Shia extremists.
"Just as important as the surge was the change in our tactics, techniques and procedures that got us back out in the neighbourhoods," Odierno told reporters at the end of his previous tour in March.
The imposing Odierno will have his hands full as he takes command of the 146,000 troops at a time of what Gates said was a "mission in transition" as troop numbers shrink with more provinces being handed back to Iraqi control.
"There is no question we will still be engaged as we are, but the areas in which we are seriously engaged will I think continue to narrow," Gates said.
"And the challenge for General Odierno is how do we work with the Iraqis to preserve the gains that have already been achieved, and expand upon them even as the number of US forces are shrinking."
Iraq currently handles security in 11 of its 18 provinces with plans to take over a couple more by the end of the year. Odierno has argued consistently against sharp cutbacks in troop levels in Iraq, which is negotiating a controversial security pact with Washington to determine troop levels after a UN mandate expires at the end of the year.
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