War Critic Admiral Takes Top Post at Joint Chiefs

Navy Admiral Michael Mullen is the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing General Peter Pace in the country's highest military post. Mullen has been critical of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—complaining about military performance and worried about resources stretched too thin—and his appointment marks an ideological shift from Pace, a steadfast defender of Bush administration policies.

At the ceremony marking his appointment, Mullen said that the US has to prepare to wrap up operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and deal with "who and what comes after." Pace defended his controversial tenure, saying the US was fighting in two countries because "the enemy has declared war on us." (More Iraq war stories.)