Syrian Rebels Lose Again as U.S. General Departs

Apr 15, 2015 12:31 PM EDT
By Josh Rogin

The man in charge of the troubled U.S.-led program to train and equip a new Syrian rebel army is leaving his job, yet another sign of the deep troubles with the Barack Obama administration’s plan to fight the Islamic State in Syria.

Major General Michael Nagata, who has been leading the Syrian training program since last year, will leave his post as commander of Special Operations Command Central in May or June, having completed two years in the job, Pentagon spokeswoman Amy Derrickfrost told me. There’s no word what job Nagata will have next or who will replace him. The Syrian program will continue under the Central Operations Command Central.

Nagata was not only the head of the Syrian program, which Congress voted to finance last September to the tune of $500 million at Obama's request, but the face of it as well. He was the one who explained it Congress, foreign governments and the Syrian opposition. Congressional leaders were shocked to learn of his exit.

“I don’t recall a time when a mission was entrusted to a senior officer, that that officer didn’t see that mission through to completion. We need to know why this change is taking place,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain told me Tuesday. “Whoever is replacing him will take time to get up to speed on a process that has already been significantly delayed.”

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http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-15/syrian-rebels-lose-again-as-u-s-general-departs