Kim Dozier reports that Mike Sheehan, a key component of Richard Clarke's old (anti) terror squad, is going to replace Mike Vickers as the Pentagon's chief for (deep breath) Special Operations, Low-Intensity Conflict and Interdependent Capabilities. Possible deputies include Mark Lippert, the president's Senate/White House foreign-policy adviser and a member of that very community; or John Nagl (!) of CNAS, which would either mean Nagl can thread the needle between counterinsurgency and counterterrorism or bring a counterinsurgent's perspective to a classic counterterrorist's job. The connections and reputations of either would signify an increase in the job's already-high prestige.
As does Sheehan's arrival. As counterterrorism coordinator for the NYPD after 9/11, he built one of the first well-regarded non-federal counterterrorist law-enforcement efforts without alienating a very large and diverse Muslim community. Check out this New Yorker piece from 2005. If there's anyone to put policy flesh on John Brennan's desired "scalpel" counterterrorism strategy, it's Sheehan. Now what will it all really mean? (Aside from lots of drone strikes, that is.)
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