Gen. Petraeus Retires, Comes to McLean Tuesday

McLean greets one of its most distinguished new neighbors Tuesday when Gen. David Petraeus takes over as CIA director, according to the New York Times.

The New York Times reported yesterday that Petraeus retired with full military honors including a 17-gun salute Wednesday and would arrive at CIA Tuesday.

"General Petraeus, 58, will arrive on Tuesday in a civilian business suit as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency. His last day in uniform, after 37 years in the Army, was not only a turning point in his own life but also in the military, signaling the end, or so President Obama hopes, of the wars that defined the first decade of the 21st century. General Petraeus has told friends that going to the CIA will still keep him “in the fight’’ –perhaps as much as if he had stayed in the military, given the Obama administration’s move toward covert operations, the New York Times reported.

The Washington Post reported, "The vast majority of the hour-long ceremony at Fort Myer in Arlington celebrated Petraeus’s 37 years of military service and his six years of leading troops in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. Military bands played, medals were awarded, and Petraeus issued a long list of thanks to his mentors, his peers and the troops who fought under his command.

Petraeus warned that coming budget cuts should not lead to the “hollow Army” that occurred after the Vietnam War, The New York Times reported.