Psyche, Science, and Society

Military spokesman in Iraq straight from White House

July 7th, 2007

It turns out that the current US military spokesman in Iraq came to that position straight from the White House.

Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner made his on-camera debut today as the new spokesman of the US-led coalition in Iraq, which is officially known as Multi-National Force-Iraq.

He succeeds Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, who after 13 months as coalition spokesman is moving on to command the Army’s Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Here is Bergner’s bio from his previous job in which he served at the White House as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq:

Brigadier General Kevin Bergner currently serves with the National Security Council staff as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq.Prior to this assignment, he served as the Deputy Commanding General for Multi-National Forces in Mosul, Iraq. He also served as the Director for Political-Military Affairs (Middle East) on the The Joint Staff in the Department of Defense.

He graduated from Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a commission in the Regular Army as a Field Artillery officer.

His assignments over the past 26 years include service with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in both Germany and Iraq; the United States Military Academy at West Point; the 24th Infantry Division Artillery in Operations Desert Shield / Storm; the 1st Infantry Division in Bosnia; the 3rd Infantry Division Artillery; The Joint Staff; U.S. Central Command in Operation Iraqi Freedom; and Multi-National Force Northwest in Mosul, Iraq.

He is a graduate of the Field Artillery Officer Basic and Advanced courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College. He earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from City University of New York.

No wonder he never utters an honest word:

The U.S. command in Baghdad this week ballyhooed the killing of a key al Qaeda leader but later admitted that the military had declared him dead a year ago.

A military spokesman acknowledged the mistake after it was called to his attention by The Examiner. He said public affairs officers will be more careful in announcing significant kills….

Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner began his Monday news conference with a list of top insurgents either killed or captured in recent operations. He said they had been eliminated “in the past few weeks” and were “recent results.”

“In the north, Iraqi army and coalition forces continue successful operations in Mosul,” he told reporters. “Kamal Jalil Uthman, also known as Said Hamza, was the al Qaeda in Iraq military emir of Mosul. He planned, coordinated and facilitated suicide bombings, and he facilitated the movement of more than a hundred foreign fighters through safe houses in the area.” All told, Bergner devoted 68 words to Uthman’s demise.

Uthman was indeed a big kill, and the military featured his death last year in a report titled “Tearing Down al Qaeda.”

[h/t Iraq Slogger.]

Entry Filed under: Iraq, Media, War and Peace