Pentagon Removes Top U.S. Military Commander in Afghanistan

This move is historic because it is the first time that a military commander has been removed from his post by a civilian since President Harry Truman removed General Douglas MacArthur from his command in the Korean War in 1951. Part of the issue in McKiernan's removal has to do with the fact that the Obama administration is trying to shift the focus of the War on Terror from Iraq to Afghanistan. In order to do that effectively, the administration is going to need to show some immediate gains on the ground in Afghanistan. Under McKiernan's leadership, that simply was not happening, although it's important to note that he was only in the post for 11 months.

McKiernan's replacement is hand-picked by Gates - Army Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal. Accompanying McChrystal in his new post will be Army Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, Gates' top military aide, who will serve as a deputy to McChrystal.

In Pentagon circles, it's understood that McKiernan is not a dominant personality. He was a company man who wanted to stay within defined channels to get things accomplished. Gates and others viewed that approach as too complacent and the move to McChrystal was made in the hopes that his more aggressive style will yield near-term tangible results.

Time will tell about the impact of this change, but for now it is the latest indication that the Obama administration is trying to stir things up in Afghanistan.