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New Centcom Boss

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By LINDSAY PETERSON

lpeterson@tampatrib.com

Published: November 1, 2008

TAMPA - Gen. David Petraeus took charge of U.S. Central Command at a ceremony Friday morning at MacDill Air Force Base, saying his first trip after being sworn in would be to Pakistan.

The former top U.S. commander in Iraq and the architect of the surge strategy there will take over military planning for an area that contains 20 countries from Egypt to Kazakhstan, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He will be responsible for "thwarting the malevolent designs" of the terrorists in these countries and "keeping them from our shores," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

Petraeus, 55, took over for Centcom's acting commander, Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who had held the position since March, when he replaced Adm. William Fallon. Among the hundreds of people attending the ceremony were 84 members of the 1974 graduating class of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, classmates of Petraeus and Dempsey.

Petraeus was one of the top graduates, but he joked at the ceremony that "behind every successful man is a bunch of surprised classmates."

Petraeus spent 20 months leading a turnaround in Iraq, which many thought was on the brink of civil war. He also led troops in the initial invasion in 2003 and spent more than a year heading the organization responsible for training Iraqi security forces.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Lindsay Peterson can be reached at (813) 259-7834.

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