Army Gen. David Petraeus will begin his new assignment as CIA director Tuesday, after receiving unanimous confirmation in June from the Senate.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn praised Petraeus as a great military leader. Mullen said Patreaus set the gold standard for wartime commanding and ranks among the great military leaders in history.
Patreaus, during his farewell speech, took the opportunity to warn against budget cuts to the military.
“As our nation contemplates difficult budget decisions, I know that our leaders will remember that our people, our men and women in uniform, are our military,” Petraeus said. “And that taking care of them and their families must be our paramount objective.”
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