Stanley A . McChrystal Stanley Allen McChrystal ( born August 14 , 1954 ) is a retired United States Army General . His last assignment was as Commander , International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF ) and Commander , U . S . Forces Afghanistan ( USFOR - A ) . He previously served as Director , Joint Staff from August 2008 to June 2009 and as Commander , Joint Special Operations Command from 2003 to 2008 , where he was credited with the death of Abu Musab al - Zarqawi , leader of Al - Qaeda in Iraq , but also criticized for his alleged role in the cover - up of the Pat Tillman friendly fire incident . McChrystal was reportedly known for saying and thinking what other military leaders were afraid to ; this was one of the reasons cited for his appointment to lead all forces in Afghanistan . He held the post from June 15 , 2009 , to June 23 , 2010 . Following unflattering remarks about Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials attributed to McChrystal and his aides in a " Rolling Stone " article , McChrystal was recalled to Washington , D . C . , where President Barack Obama accepted his resignation as commander in Afghanistan . His command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan was immediately assumed by the deputy commander , British General Sir Nicholas " Nick " Parker , pending the confirmation of a replacement . Obama named General David Petraeus as McChrystal ' s replacement ; Petraeus was confirmed by the Senate and officially assumed command on June 30 . Days after being relieved of his duties in Afghanistan , McChrystal announced his retirement . Early career . McChrystal graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York , in 1976 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army . His initial assignment was to C Company , 1st Battalion , 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment , 82nd Airborne Division , serving as weapons platoon leader from November 1976 to February 1978 , as rifle platoon leader from February 1978 to July 1978 , and as executive officer from July 1978 to November 1978 . In November 1978 , McChrystal enrolled as a student in the Special Forces Officer Course at the Special Forces School at Fort Bragg , North Carolina . Upon completing the course in April 1979 , he remained at Fort Bragg as commander of an SFOD - A Special Forces Operational Detachment — Alpha ( or " A - team " ) in A Company , 1st Battalion , 7th Special Forces Group ( Airborne ) until June 1980 , when he attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at the Infantry School at Fort Benning , Georgia , until February 1981 . In February 1981 , McChrystal moved to South Korea as intelligence and operations officer ( S - 2 / S - 3 ) for the United Nations Command Support Group — Joint Security Area . He reported to Fort Stewart , Georgia , in March 1982 to serve as training officer in the Directorate of Plans and Training , A Company , Headquarters Command . He moved to 3rd Battalion , 19th Infantry , 24th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) , in November 1982 , where he commanded A Company before becoming battalion operations officer ( S - 3 ) in September 1984 . McChrystal moved to 3rd Battalion , 75th Ranger Regiment , as battalion liaison officer in September 1985 , became commander of A Company in January 1986 , served again as battalion liaison officer in May 1987 , and finally became battalion operations officer ( S - 3 ) in April 1988 , before reporting to the Naval War College in Newport , Rhode Island , as a student in the Command and General Staff Course in June 1989 . It was during this time that McChrystal also completed a Master of Science degree in international relations from Salve Regina University . After completing the course in June 1990 , he was assigned as Army Special Operations action officer , J - 3 , Joint Special Operations Command until April 1993 , in which capacity he deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm . From April 1993 to November 1994 , McChrystal commanded the 2nd Battalion , 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment , 82nd Airborne Division . He then commanded the 2nd Battalion , 75th Ranger Regiment , from November 1994 to June 1996 . During this time he initiated what would become a complete revamping of the existing Army hand - to - hand combat curricula . After a year as a senior service college fellow at the John F . Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University , he moved up to command the entire 75th Ranger Regiment from June 1997 to August 1999 , then spent another year as a military fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations . General officer . Promoted to brigadier general on January 1 , 2001 , he served as assistant division commander ( operations ) of the 82nd Airborne Division from June 2000 to June 2001 , including duty as Commander , United States Army Central ( dubbed " Coalition / Joint Task Force Kuwait " ) in Camp Doha , Kuwait . From June 2001 to July 2002 he was chief of staff of XVIII Airborne Corps , including duty as chief of staff of Combined Joint Task Force 180 , the headquarters formation contributed by XVIII Airborne Corps to direct all Operation Enduring Freedom operations in Afghanistan . At the beginning of the Iraq War in March 2003 , he was serving in the Pentagon as a member of the Joint Staff , where he had been vice director of operations , J - 3 , since July 2002 . McChrystal was selected to deliver nationally televised Pentagon briefings on U . S . military operations in Iraq , including one in April 2003 shortly after the fall of Baghdad in which he announced , " " I would anticipate that the major combat engagements are over . " " Commander , Joint Special Operations Command . He commanded the Joint Special Operations Command ( JSOC ) for five years , serving first as Commanding General , Joint Special Operations Command , from September 2003 to February 2006 , and then as Commander , Joint Special Operations Command / Commander , Joint Special Operations Command Forward , from February 2006 to August 2008 . Nominally assigned to Fort Bragg , North Carolina , he spent most of his time in Afghanistan , at U . S . Central Command ' s forward headquarters in Qatar , and in Iraq . In Iraq , he personally directed special operations , where his work there is viewed as " pivotal " . Early successes included the capture by JSOC forces of Saddam Hussein in December 2003 . He was promoted to lieutenant general on February 16 , 2006 . As head of what " Newsweek " termed " the most secretive force in the U . S . military " , McChrystal maintained a very low profile until June 2006 , when his forces were responsible for the death of Abu Musab al - Zarqawi , leader of Al - Qaeda in Iraq . After McChrystal ' s team successfully located Zarqawi and called in the airstrike that killed him , McChrystal accompanied his men to the bombed - out hut near Baqubah to personally identify the body . McChrystal ' s Zarqawi unit , Task Force 6 - 26 , became well known for its interrogation methods , particularly at Camp Nama , where it was accused of abusing detainees . After the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal became public in April 2004 , 34 members of the task force were disciplined . McChrystal was also criticized for his role in the aftermath of the 2004 death by friendly fire of Ranger and former professional football player Pat Tillman . Within a day of Tillman ' s death , McChrystal was notified that Tillman was a victim of friendly fire . Shortly thereafter , McChrystal was put in charge of paperwork to award Tillman a posthumous Silver Star for valor . On April 28 , 2004 , six days after Tillman ' s death , McChrystal approved a final draft of the Silver Star recommendation and submitted it to the acting Secretary of the Army , even though the medal recommendation deliberately omitted any mention of friendly fire , included the phrase " in the line of devastating enemy fire " , and was accompanied by fabricated witness statements . On April 29 , McChrystal sent an urgent memo warning White House speechwriters not to quote the medal recommendation in any statements they wrote for President Bush because it " might cause public embarrassment if the circumstances of Corporal Tillman ' s death become public . " McChrystal was one of the first to caution restraint in public statements , until the investigation was complete . McChrystal was one of eight officers recommended for discipline by a subsequent Pentagon investigation but the Army declined to take action against him . According to Pulitzer Prize - winning " Washington Post " reporter Bob Woodward , beginning in late spring 2007 JSOC and CIA Special Activities Division teams launched a new series of highly effective covert operations that coincided with the Iraq War troop surge of 2007 . They did this by killing or capturing many of the key al - Qa ' ida leaders in Iraq . In a CBS " 60 Minutes " interview , Woodward described a new special operations capability that allowed for this success , noting that it was developed by the joint teams of CIA and JSOC . Several senior U . S . officials stated that the " joint efforts of JSOC and CIA paramilitary units were the most significant contributor to the defeat of al - Qa ' ida in Iraq . " Journalist Peter Bergen also credits McChrystal with transforming and modernizing JSOC into a " force of unprecedented agility and lethality , " playing a key factor in the success of JSOC efforts in subsequent years and in the success of the war in Iraq . Director , Joint Staff . McChrystal was considered a candidate to succeed General Bryan D . Brown as commander of U . S . Special Operations Command in 2007 , and to succeed General David Petraeus as commanding general of Multi - National Force – Iraq or Admiral William J . Fallon as commander of U . S . Central Command in 2008 , all four - star positions . Instead , McChrystal was nominated by George W . Bush to succeed Lieutenant General Walter L . Sharp as director of the Joint Staff in February 2008 , another three - star position . Normally a routine process , McChrystal ' s Senate confirmation was stalled by members of the Senate Armed Services Committee who sought more information about the alleged mistreatment of detainees by Special Operations troops under McChrystal ' s command in Iraq and Afghanistan . After meeting with McChrystal in private , the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmed his reappointment as lieutenant general in May 2008 and he became Director of the Joint Staff in August 2008 . Commander of US and ISAF forces in Afghanistan . With his June 10 , 2009 , Senate approval to take command in Afghanistan , McChrystal was promoted to general . Shortly after McChrystal assumed command of NATO operations , Operation Khanjar commenced , marking the largest offensive operation and the beginning of the deadliest combat month for NATO forces since 2001 . Afghanistan assessment made public . McChrystal submitted a 66 - page report to Defense Secretary Robert Gates calling for more troops in Afghanistan , saying " We are going to win . " That became public on September 20 , 2009 . McChrystal warned that the war in Afghanistan may be lost if more troops are not sent , but the report ends on a note of cautious optimism : " While the situation is serious , success is still achievable . " Recommended troop increases . In 2009 , McChrystal publicly suggested between 30 , 000 and 40 , 000 more troops were needed in Afghanistan , as the lowest risk option out of a number of possible troop level changes . McChrystal was advised by White House Staff not to present troop increases numbers to " defeat the Taliban " , but to " degrade " them . Scott Ritter , former Chief UN Weapons Inspector in Iraq , has stated that McChrystal should be fired for insubordination for disclosing information that he should have said only in private to the President of the United States . The New York Magazine refers to the leaked report as the " McChrystal risk " as it boxed Obama into a corner about boosting troop levels in Afghanistan . " Rolling Stone " article and resignation . In an article written by freelance journalist Michael Hastings , ( " The Runaway General " , appearing in " Rolling Stone " magazine , July 8 – 22 , 2010 issue ) , McChrystal and his staff mocked civilian government officials , including Joe Biden , National Security Advisor James L . Jones , US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W . Eikenberry , and Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke . McChrystal was not quoted as being directly critical of the president or the president ' s policies , but several comments from his aides in the article reflected their perception of McChrystal ' s disappointment with Obama on the first two occasions of their meeting . According to Rolling Stone , McChrystal ' s staff was contacted prior to release of the article and did not deny the validity of the article , though senior members of his staff dispute this , and have accused Hastings in " Army Times " of exaggerating the seniority of aides quoted and breaking the " off the record " trust of private conversations . Hastings told Newsweek that he was quite clearly a reporter gathering material , and actually bemused at the degree to which soldiers were free when speaking to him . The statements attributed to McChrystal and members of his staff drew the attention of the White House when McChrystal called Biden to apologize . McChrystal issued a written statement , saying : Biden ' s call to tell him of the apology prompted Obama to request a copy of the profile and then to summon McChrystal to attend in person the president ' s monthly security team meeting at the White House in lieu of attending via secure video teleconference . During a brief ( less than 20 minutes ) meeting with Obama on June 23 , two days before the article was released to newsstands and only one day after it was released online , McChrystal tendered his resignation , which the president accepted . Shortly thereafter , Obama nominated General David Petraeus to replace McChrystal in his role as top commander in Afghanistan . Obama ' s statement on the topic began as follows : " " Today I accepted Gen . Stanley McChrystal ' s resignation as commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan . I did so with considerable regret , but also with certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan , for our military and for our country . " " Later that day McChrystal released the following statement : Retirement . Shortly after his removal from command in Afghanistan , McChrystal announced that he would retire from the Army . The day after the announcement , the White House announced that he would retain his four - star rank in retirement , although law generally requires a four - star officer to hold his rank for three years in order to retain it in retirement . His retirement ceremony was held on July 23 , 2010 , at Fort McNair in Washington D . C . During this ceremony , McChrystal was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by Army Chief of Staff Gen . George Casey and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates . Pentagon inquiry . Hastings and Eric Bates , executive editor of " Rolling Stone " , repeatedly defended the accuracy of Hastings ' article . General McChrystal , an inquiry by the Defense Department inspector general has found no proof of wrongdoing by General McChrystal or his military and civilian associates . The Pentagon report also challenged the accuracy of Mr . Hastings ' article " The Runaway General , " disputing key incidents or comments reported in Hastings ' article . The report from the inquiry states : " In some instances , we found no witness who acknowledged making or hearing the comments as reported . In other instances , we confirmed that the general substance of an incident at issue occurred , but not in the exact context described in the article . " In response , " Rolling Stone " stated that “ The report by the Pentagon ’ s inspector general offers no credible source — or indeed , any named source — contradicting the facts as reported in our story , ' The Runaway General . ' " After the report was made public , the White House tapped McChrystal to head a new advisory board to support military families , an initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden , wife of the vice president . The selection of McChrystal was announced on April 12 , four days after the inspector general ' s report was finished . Post - military career . In 2010 , after leaving the Army , McChrystal joined Yale University as a Jackson Institute for Global Affairs senior fellow . He teaches a course entitled " Leadership , " a graduate - level seminar with some spots reserved for undergraduates . The course received 250 applications for 20 spots in 2011 and is being taught for a third time in 2013 . In November 2010 , JetBlue Airways announced that McChrystal would join its board of directors . On February 16 , 2011 , Navistar International announced that McChrystal would join its board of directors . He is also Chairman of the Board of Siemens Government Systems , and is on the strategic advisory board of Knowledge International , a licensed arms dealer whose parent company is EAI , a business " very close " to the United Arab Emirates government . McChrystal co - founded and is a partner at the McChrystal Group LLC , an Alexandria , Virginia - based consulting firm . In 2011 , McChrystal advocated instituting a national service program in the United States . McChrystal stated , " ' Service member ' should not apply only to those in uniform , but to us all . . . America is falling short in endeavors that occur far away from any battlefield : education , science , politics , the environment , and cultivating leadership , among others . Without a sustained focus on these foundations of our society , America ’ s long - term security and prosperity are at risk . " McChrystal ' s memoir , " My Share of the Task " , published by Portfolio of the Penguin Group , was released on January 7 , 2013 . The autobiography had been scheduled to be released in November 2012 , but was delayed due to security clearance approvals required from the Department of Defense . Portfolio publishers stated , " We have decided to delay the publication date of General McChrystal ' s book , " My Share of the Task " , as the book continues to undergo a security review by the Department of Defense . . . General McChrystal has spent 22 months working closely with military officials to make sure he follows all the rules for writing about the armed forces , including special operations . " On January 8 , 2013 , McChrystal appeared on MSNBC ' s " Morning Joe " program , where he endorsed stronger U . S . gun control laws , saying that assault weapons were for the battlefield , not schools or streets . Personal life . McChrystal is the son of Mary Gardner Bright and Major General Herbert J . McChrystal , Jr . , and was the fourth child in a family of five boys and a girl , all of whom would serve in the military or marry military spouses . His older brother , Colonel Scott McChrystal , is a retired Army chaplain , and is the endorsing agent for the Assemblies of God . McChrystal married his wife Annie in April 1977 , and the couple has one adult son , Sam . McChrystal is reported to run daily , eat one meal per day , and sleep four hours a night .