David Petraeus

"Petraeus" redirects here. For other uses, see Petraeus (disambiguation).

David Petraeus
Official portrait, 2011
4th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
In office
September 6, 2011 – November 9, 2012
PresidentBarack Obama
DeputyMichael Morell
Preceded byLeon Panetta
Succeeded byJohn Brennan
Commander of the International Security Assistance Force
In office
July 4, 2010 – July 18, 2011
Preceded byStanley A. McChrystal
Succeeded byJohn R. Allen
Commander of United States Central Command
In office
October 31, 2008 – June 30, 2010
Preceded byMartin Dempsey (acting)
Succeeded byJohn R. Allen (acting)
Personal details
Born
David Howell Petraeus

(1952-11-07) November 7, 1952 (age 72)
Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (before 2002)[1]
Independent (since 2002)[2]
Spouse
​
(m. 1974)​
Children2
EducationUnited States Military Academy (BS)
Princeton University (MPA, PhD)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1974–2011
RankGeneral
CommandsInternational Security Assistance Force
United States Forces-Afghanistan
United States Central Command
Multinational Force-Iraq
United States Army Combined Arms Center
Fort Leavenworth
Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division
3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal (4)
Army Distinguished Service Medal (3)
Defense Superior Service Medal (2)
Legion of Merit (4)
Bronze Star with valor
NATO Meritorious Service Medal
Officer of the Order of Australia
(More)
David Petraeus's voice
David Petraeus on applying past experiences in Iraq to his position as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan
Recorded June 29, 2010

David Howell Petraeus (/pɪˈtreɪ.əs/; born November 7, 1952) is a retired United States Army general and public official. He served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency from September 6, 2011,[3] until his resignation on November 9, 2012.[4] Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus served 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A) from July 4, 2010, to July 18, 2011. His other four-star assignments include serving as the 10th commander, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) from October 13, 2008, to June 30, 2010, and as commanding general, Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) from February 10, 2007, to September 16, 2008.[5] As commander of MNF-I, Petraeus oversaw all coalition forces in Iraq.[6][7]

Petraeus was the General George C. Marshall Award winner as the top graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College class of 1983.[8] He later served as assistant professor of international relations at the United States Military Academy and also completed a fellowship at Georgetown University.[9] Since 2022, he has taught courses in international relations at Yale University as a Kissinger Senior Fellow of the university's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs.[10]

Petraeus has repeatedly stated that he has no plans to run for elected political office.[11][12][13] On June 23, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Petraeus to succeed General Stanley McChrystal as commanding general of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, technically a step down from his position as Commander of United States Central Command, which oversees the military efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Egypt.[14][15][16]

On June 30, 2011, Petraeus was unanimously confirmed as the director of the CIA by the U.S. Senate 94–0.[17] Petraeus relinquished command of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan on July 18, 2011, and retired from the U.S. Army on August 31, 2011.[18] On November 9, 2012, he resigned from his position as director of the CIA, citing his extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell, which was reportedly discovered in the course of an FBI investigation.[19][20] In January 2015, officials reported the FBI and Justice Department prosecutors had recommended bringing felony charges against Petraeus for allegedly providing classified information to Broadwell while serving as director of the CIA.[21] Eventually, Petraeus pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information.[22] He was later sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000 for the unauthorized removal and retention of classified material he gave to Broadwell.[23]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference newyorker.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Lunch with the FT: David Petraeus". Financial Times. May 6, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016. 'I'm completely non-partisan,' Petraeus continues.
  3. ^ "Petraeus sworn in as CIA director". CNN. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Johnson, Kevin (November 9, 2012). "David Petraeus resigns from CIA". USA Today. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  5. ^ "Gates Notes Shift in Mission as Iraq Command Changes Hands". Defenselink.mil. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  6. ^ Holusha, John (January 23, 2007). "General Calls Iraq Situation Dire". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Gordon, Michael (January 5, 2007). "Bush to Name a New General to Oversee Iraq". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Profile: Gen. David Petraeus". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008.
  9. ^ "David H. Petraeus – Central Intelligence Agency". CIA. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  10. ^ "Overview – Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs". Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  11. ^ Hames, Tim (February 11, 2008). "McCain and Petraeus the dream ticket". The Times. London. Archived from the original on February 12, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  12. ^ "Generally Speaking". The New York Times. April 6, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  13. ^ "Petraeus says he's not interested in presidency". NBC News. December 23, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  14. ^ "Obama replaces McChrystal with Petraeus". Houston Chronicle. June 23, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010. [dead link]
  15. ^ Cooper, Helene; Shanker, Thom; Filkins, Dexter (June 23, 2010). "Gen. McChrystal Is Relieved of Command". The New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  16. ^ Peter Grier (June 23, 2010). "Gen. David Petraeus takes over in Afghanistan: Will it make a difference?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  17. ^ Kathleen Hennessey (June 30, 2011). "Senate confirms David Petraeus as CIA director". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  18. ^ Karen Parrish (July 1, 2011). "Petraeus Confirmed as CIA Director". U.S. Department of Defense. American Forces Press Service. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  19. ^ Whitlock, Craig (February 3, 2015). "In e-mails, glimpses of a striving Tampa socialite and smitten military brass at U.S. Central Command" – via washingtonpost.com.
  20. ^ Johnson, Kevin (November 9, 2012). "NBC: David Petraeus resigns from CIA". USA Today. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  21. ^ Schmidt, Michael; Apuzzo, Matt (January 9, 2015). "F.B.I. and Justice Dept. Said to Seek Charges for Petraeus". The New York Times.
  22. ^ Pierre Thomas; Mike Levine; Jack Cloherty; Jack Date (March 3, 2015). "Former CIA Head David Petraeus to Plead Guilty". ABC News.
  23. ^ Chappell, Bill (April 23, 2015). "Petraeus Sentenced To 2 Years' Probation, Fine For Sharing Classified Info". NPR News.