President Obama’s National Security Staffing Shuffles

ABC News' Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller reports:

President Obama will tomorrow announce some major staff shuffling in his national security team.

As ABC News has reported:

• CIA director Leon Panetta will be nominated to be Secretary of Defense;
• International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Commander Gen. David Petreaus will be nominated to be CIA director;
• Marine General John Allen will be nominated to replace Petraeus at ISAF in Kabul, Afghanistan; and
• former US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker will be nominated to be US Ambassador to Afghanistan.

These moves were several months in the making, the “culmination by a multi-month process of careful consideration by the president,” administration officials said, prompted by the decisions of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and US Ambassador to Afghanistan Gen. Karl Eikenberry (ret.) to exit the jobs they’ve held since 2007 and 2009, respectively.

Panetta was offered the job on Monday; he called President Obama back Monday evening and accepted the offer. Administration officials acknowledge that Panetta did so reluctantly, given his fondness for his current job at the CIA.

Administration officials referenced Panetta’s tenure at the CIA as evidence of the experience needed for his new role.

“Strong leadership, reinvigoration of institutional morale tremendously effective, very solid manager, obviously deep experience in budget and management of the government, has become over the last two plus years a close advisor to the president,” an administration official said, “Seen by the president as a very effective member of the team.”

President Obama met with Petreaus to discuss this role on March 14 and 18. White House officials hope Petraeus, who will retire from the military to become CIA director, can take over at Langley in September, though he will stay in his current role until Allen has been confirmed and is prepared to assume command.  

Deputy CIA director Michael Morrell will serve as interim director.

Allen will serve as a special assistant to Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen in order to prepare for his new assignment, which they hope he will be able to assume in September as well.

President Obama met with Crocker on March 30 and offered him the position. Administration officials say they are seeking an early confirmation.

“We have laid this out in a way that we believe will provide for a seamless transition in each of these positions,” administration officials said, “That is no gap, no disruption in continuity in execution of policy.”

-Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller