Pentagon's Investigation On General Allen Is Now Focused On 60 Emails

Investigation Into General Narrows Look At E-Mail -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Two and a half weeks after Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced an inquiry into e-mail exchanges between Gen. John R. Allen of the Marines and a socialite in Tampa, Fla., some 15 investigators working seven days a week in the Pentagon inspector general’s office have narrowed their focus to 60 to 70 e-mails that “bear a fair amount of scrutiny,” a defense official said.

The official did not disclose the content of the e-mails, but senior Pentagon officials have described the voluminous correspondence between General Allen, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, and the socialite, Jill Kelley, as potentially “inappropriate communication.”

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More News On the Investigation Of Gen. John Allen

Allen investigation focuses on 70 emails -- UPI
Pentagon moving quickly on Allen-Kelley investigation; focus now on 60-70 emails -- Stars and Stripes
Probe of Jill Kelley, Gen. Allen centers on 60 e-mails -- Detroit Free Press
Pentagon Flags 60 Emails in Jill Kelley Inquiry -- Newser
The Jill Kelley–Gen. John Allen E-mails: Focusing on Just the Bad Ones -- Vanity Fail
Jill Kelley Launches Fight for Privacy As Pentagon Digs Deeper Into Her Inbox -- New York Magazine

My Comment: It looks like he is not going to get his NATO promotion.

U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta Defends General Allen

Panetta Expresses Support for General Mired in Petraeus Scandal -- Voice of America

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he has "continued confidence" in General John Allen to remain as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, despite his connection to a scandal that forced Central Intelligence Agency chief David Petraeus to resign.

Panetta made his first public remarks on the controversy Wednesday in Australia, where he is taking part in bilateral strategic cooperation talks.

General Allen is under an internal Pentagon investigation after the Federal Bureau of Investigation uncovered 20,000 to 30,000 pages of communications involving him and Jill Kelley. The probe is focusing on wheather the messages were "inappropriate."

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More News On U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta Defending General Allen

Panetta cautions against jumping to conclusions about Gen. Allen -- Washington Post/AP
Panetta Praises General Linked to Petraeus Scandal -- New York Times
Panetta Maintains Confidence in General -- Wall Street Journal
"Don't jump to conclusions" on general, Pentagon chief says -- Reuters
Pentagon Outs General’s ‘Flirtatious’ E-Mails in Most Uncomfortable Military Briefing Ever -- Danger Room

My Comment: Because of our allies (and the war) in Afghanistan .... I can understand why Panetta is defending him publicly. Privately .... I suspect that he is concerned. I know that President Obama is concerned .... while he states publicly that he has confidence in General Allen .... it is after-all he who suspended his promotion to NATO in Europe.

Update: General Allen nomination for European command on hold – Leon Panetta -- The Guardian

Top General In Afghanistan Could Face A Court-Martial

Gen. Allen (left) with Gen. Petraeus (right). NATO

Top US General John Allen Could Be Court-Martialed Over 'Flirtatious' Emails -- Business Insider

Four-star Marine General John Allen—the top American and NATO commander in Afghanistan—could be court-martialed because of his alleged involvement in the sex scandal that led to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus, Philip Ewing of Politico reports.

Allen, 58, is being investigated for a possible inappropriate relationship with Jill Kelley—the woman who prompted the initial investigation when she asked a friend in the FBI to look into hostile emails she had received from Petraeus' mistress—after it was revealed that the two exchanged thousands of emails, some of which were "flirtatious."

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Update: John Allen could face court-martial -- Politico

My Comment: The Pentagon is trying to defend Gen. Allen .... but I doubt that it will work. President Obama has already suspended Gen. Allen's appointment, and it is safe to assume that General Allen's career is at an end.

Update: Obama has faith in Allen's command in Afghanistan: White House -- Reuters

Gen. Allen To Be US-NATO Supreme Commander For Europe

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, right, announces that U.S. President Barack Obama plans to nominate U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, left, to succeed U.S. Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis to serve as commander of U.S. European Command and as NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe. The announcement came during a press conference Oct. 10, 2012, following a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Nato Names US Gen John Allen As New Supreme Commander -- BBC

Nato has appointed US General John Allen as its new Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

He will be replaced as US commander of international forces in Afghanistan by Joseph Dunford, who is currently US Marine Corps deputy commander.

Gen Allen has led the Nato campaign in Afghanistan since July 2011.

He was nominated for the new Nato role by US President Barack Obama and is expected to begin work in spring 2013, pending approval by the US Senate.

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More News On Gen. Allen To Be The New US-NATO Supreme Commander For Europe

NATO Names Allen as Supreme Commander -- Defense News/AFP
ISAF leader Allen tapped to lead NATO, EUCOM -- Stars and Stripes
NATO names Allen to succeed Stavridis as supreme commander -- AFP
Command Change In ISAF, Gen. Allen To Be US-NATO Supreme Commander For Europe -- RTT

My Comment: This will be treated as a promotion .... but for me .... it is President Obama's way of putting fresher eyes and thinking into Afghanistan .... which I also believe is sorely needed.

A New Commander For NATO Forces In Afghanistan

Marine Gen. John Allen, commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. (D. Myles Cullen / Department of Defense / August 20, 2012)

Change Of U.S. Command Expected In Afghanistan -- L.A. Times

The White House plans to nominate Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. to replace Gen. John Allen, who has directed NATO forces in Afghanistan since mid-2011.

WASHINGTON – The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan is being transferred and another Marine general will take over the war effort early next year as the United States and its allies shrink their combat role against the still-potent insurgency.

The White House plans to nominate Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, to replace Gen. John Allen, who has directed U.S. and other foreign forces in Afghanistan since mid-2011, officials said.

Although Allen is not being forced out, "the president wants somebody who can take a fresh look at the effort in Afghanistan and isn't an architect of the current strategy," said David Barno, a retired Army general who headed the war in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005 and now is a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank.

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My Comment: General Allen is being politely shoved aside ....  and another sign that the situation in Afghanistan is not improving and President Obama now wants someone new to look at the situation differently. What's my take .... the faces may change on the ground but the conflict continues, and the person who is ultimately responsible for the U.S. presence and policy in Afghanistan (President Obama) .... he is still there and I suspect that (if the polls are accurate) .... will still be there next year. As to what are the Taliban thinking with this change in leadership .... this is just more evidence for them that they are winning.

An Optimistic View On Afghanistan

Photo: General John Allen

We Can Build A Durable Peace In Afghanistan -- John R. Allen, Washington Post

John R. Allen is commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

We can achieve what we set out to do in Afghanistan, defeating al-Qaeda and denying it a haven, but that depends on achieving an Afghanistan that can stand on its own.

I recently attended a celebration in Kabul to commemorate Afghanistan’s 93rd year of independence. I was struck by the hope and strengthening of the Afghans’ national identity and their determination to grip their country’s future. Most Americans do not get to see Afghans’ commitment to their country or the improving security that has emerged from our fight together. But I do. And I am confident that, with the international community’s commitment, we can consolidate our gains and build a durable peace in a part of the world vital to American national security.

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My Comment: His assessment is too optimistic.