LONDON — When Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon was chosen to replace Gen. John Abizaid as the commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in March 2007, many analysts didn't shy away from reaching a seemingly clear-cut conclusion: the Bush administration was preparing for war with Iran and had selected the most suitable man for this job. Almost exactly a year later, as Fallon abruptly resigned over a controversial interview with Esquire Magazine, we are left with a less certain analysis.
Fallon was the first man from the U.S. Navy to head the Central Command. With the U.S. Army fighting two difficult and lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and considering the highly exaggerated Iranian threat, a war with Iran seemed inevitable, albeit one that had to be conducted differently.
Echoing the year-old speculation, Arnaud de Borchgrave of UPI wrote (March 14) that an attack against Iran "would fall on the U.S. Navy's battle carrier groups and its cruise missiles and Air Force B-2 bombers based in Diego Garcia."