SACEUR: NATO Leadership AWOL

James Joyner · Monday, May 11, 2009 · 1 Comment

Supreme Allied Commander John Craddock told the Atlantic Council that “the political leadership of NATO is AWOL” and that fixing the “imbalance” between an enormous strategic ambition and modest political will is vital for success in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Asked in the Q&A about today’s replacement of David McKiernan with Stanley McChrystal as ISAF commander, he twice demurred, calling it a “U.S. decision” rather than a NATO one. He did allow that he was “informed but not consulted” on the decision.

FILED UNDER: James Joyner, Military Affairs, Afghanistan, David McKiernan, NATO, Stanley McChrystal

About James Joyner
James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. Follow James on Twitter.