Nominee to Head Joint Chiefs Sees Current Strain on Military

Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the Bush administration's choice to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is deeply concerned that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are straining the U.S. military and he probably would seek political solutions to those conflicts, according to longtime military associates.

"He's concerned the Army has been carrying the heavy load for some time," said retired Army Gen. William "Buck" Kernan, the former supreme allied commander, Atlantic, under whom Mullen served in 2000. "He recognizes you can only stretch the rubber band so far."

If confirmed by the Senate, Mullen, 60, would become the first Navy admiral to serve as the nation's top military officer since the late 1980s. His selection comes as the Navy takes charge in several key U.S. commands covering the Middle East, Asia and South America, as well as U.S. Special Operations Forces.

Mullen, who heads the Navy as chief of naval operations, is a 1968 Naval Academy graduate identified early on as a rising star within the service. A Vietnam veteran, he is regarded as highly competitive but is also known for his rapport with ordinary sailors, the associates said.

"He doesn't mind stopping and talking with the lowliest seaman; on the other hand he's equally comfortable at the highest levels of management," said retired Navy Reserve Rear Adm. Henry F. White Jr., executive director of the American Bar Association in Chicago.

Mullen's Navy background would lead him to make decisions on Iraq and Afghanistan from "a different perspective," focused less on ground tactics and more on political dynamics, said retired Adm. Robert J. Natter, who attended the Naval Academy with Mullen.

Mullen is a realist, Natter said. "A realist would say this is as much a political issue solvable only by the Iraqis as it is a military force issue partially solvable by the U.S. military."

Heading the Navy for the past two years, Mullen was involved in decisions on the Iraq war with the other service chiefs. They discussed Iraq "at least three times a week" in a Pentagon conference room known as "the tank," said retired Gen. Michael Hagee, former Marine Corps commandant, who took part in the discussions.

Iraq "was the most important subject we talked about," said Hagee, who praised Mullen as having "high integrity" as well as a "common touch."

In such forums, Mullen voiced mounting concern over the strain that the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are placing on the Army and Marine Corps.

He has worked to identify thousands of Navy personnel with the necessary skills -- including engineers, truck drivers, explosive-ordnance-disposal experts and staff officers -- to replace soldiers and Marines on the ground. "He has taken them off the ships and put them ashore to alleviate some of the burden of the Army," Kernan said.

In leadership style, Mullen is considered studious but decisive. He would take care to ensure that he understands the position of Gen. David H. Petraeus and other senior commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan but would not shrink from "tough decisions," Kernan said.

"He has the ability to go to the essence of the problem and cut through the spin," said Hagee, who has known Mullen since 1964.

Mullen, a Los Angeles native, displayed his competitiveness at the academy in the classroom and on the football field. He "became emotional about winning," said Natter, a flag-football teammate. "We would huddle or go on the sideline . . . and he'd say, 'You're letting people through.' "

After graduation, Mullen became one of the few Navy lieutenants selected to command a ship. Later, as commander of a guided missile destroyer, he won an annual award given to the Navy's best captain, said retired Rear Adm. William W. Cobb Jr., who served with Mullen from 1979 to 1981.

Mullen also served as commander of the U.S. 2nd Fleet from 2000 to 2001, and became vice chief of naval operations from 2003 to 2004. He was an early advocate of training Navy pilots to execute long-range bombing missions from aircraft carriers to support ground forces, a task that became critical during the war in Afghanistan, Natter said.

As Navy chief, Mullen has promoted the idea of a "1,000-ship Navy," a concept based on the recognition that the Navy's fleet of 276 ships, heavily occupied in the Middle East, cannot secure the seas alone but must forge greater cooperation with the navies of other countries. Mullen has a degree in advanced management from Harvard Business School and a master of science degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

He is married and has two sons, both of whom are active-duty Navy officers. He is a fan of audio-books and enjoys golfing and fly-fishing, as well as swimming and weight-lifting.