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Senate panel approves Petraeus, Odierno

Two key military nominations were approved Thursday afternoon by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

By voice vote, the committee approved Army Gen. David Petraeus to become the U.S. Central Command commander and approved Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno to receive a fourth star and to succeed Petraeus as the Multi-National Force — Iraq commander.

The U.S. Central Command post, which would make Petraeus responsible for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, was filled until March by Navy Adm. William Fallon, who resigned after a magazine article quoted him as having differences with President Bush about how to deal with Iran.

The armed services committee vote on Petraeus and Odierno comes after a long delay. The committee held a hearing on the nominations in May, where Petraeus said that the situation facing the U.S. in Iraq was improving.

“Overall, Iraq is moving in the right direction and making progress,” he said. “However, it will take continued U.S. involvement and commitment to ensure that the gains are not reversed.”

The committee also approved 2,121 routine nominations for promotion for Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force officers.