Marine Gen. James Mattis to Replace Petraeus as Head of U.S. Central Command

A "brilliant'' combat Marine, who once said it was "quite fun'' shooting at the enemy in Afghanistan, has been named to command all military and security operations across the volatile Middle East and South Asia.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has proposed the nomination of James N. Mattis to head the U.S. Central Command. His nomination, to replace Gen. David Petraeus, is expected to be quickly endorsed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate.

Petraeus agreed to move from Central Command to take over the war in Afghanistan -- technically a demotion -- after Gen. Stanley McChrystal was relieved of that command last month after he and his top aides jocularly derided the Obama administration and others in front of a reporter.

Mattis is known as an innovative strategist and aggressive combat leader. As a battalion commander in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, he won a Bronze Star for heroism during the fighting that ousted Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Mattis also led a task force of Marines against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan in November 2001, and later led Marines in combat in Iraq.

A relentless commander, Mattis is known to have sacked subordinates who weren't moving quickly enough. But in keeping with counterinsurgency doctrine, which seeks to protect the civilian population from insurgents, Mattis insisted that his troops treat civilians with utmost respect, removing their sunglasses when speaking with them and requesting permission before searching their homes.

Despite his combat medals and occasional swagger, Mattis is known as a deep and innovative strategic thinker. In announcing his recommendation Thursday, Gates called Mattis "brilliant,'' and said the Marine general's "insights into the nature of warfare in the 21^st century have influenced my own views about how the armed forces must be shaped and postured for the future.''

As commander of Central Command, Mattis technically would outrank Petraeus, a situation that could invite friction. But the two men are friends who have worked closely together, notably on development of the joint Army-Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Manual, which has provided the basic strategy for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In his new position, Mattis would oversee the application of that strategy not only in Iraq and Afghanistan but in Yemen, Somalia and other regions where Islamist insurgents are active. He will also be responsible for dealing with Iran, its support of terrorism and its race to develop a nuclear weapons capability. Developing plans for a military confrontation with Iran, and for helping secure the Gulf Arab states and Israel against Iran, also will fall under his direction.

Mattis is currently commander of the Joint Forces Command, where he has pioneered work on developing the combat effectiveness of small infantry units, which do the majority of the fighting in counterinsurgency.

A favorite of his troops and journalists, with whom he loves to chat, Mattis is plain-spoken and occasionally outspoken. He was reprimanded by the Marine Corps commandant in 2005 for these remarks made to a panel in San Diego about Afghanistan:

"Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot ... It's fun to shoot some people -- I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling,'' Mattis said. Click play below for video:

"You go into Afghanistan,'' he continued, "you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them.''

Gates brushed aside these comments at a Pentagon briefing Thursday when he announced his choice of Mattis.

"That was five years ago,'' Gates said. "Action -- appropriate action -- was taken at the time. I think the subsequent five years have demonstrated that the lesson was learned.''

Given that it was less than two weeks ago that another four-star general was forced into retirement for crude comments, Gates said he and Mattis had "discussed this kind of thing. And I have every confidence that General Mattis will respond to questions and speak publicly about the matters for which he is responsible in an entirely appropriate way.''

One reason for Gates' confidence, perhaps, is the new guidance he has issued requiring that all interviews with the media must be cleared beforehand with the Pentagon.

Pentagon reporters have warned that the new guidance will have a chilling effect on the willingness of military officers to speak freely to the press.

But Gates insisted that it "should not infringe or impede the flow of accurate and timely information ... that is not my intent, nor will I tolerate it.''