WASHINGTON – When he leaves the Afghan battlefield for the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, Va., Gen. David Petraeus will have an opportunity to put his imprint on the spy agency, possibly shaking up the way it does business.
Petraeus already has a deep understanding of what he perceives to be the agency’s weaknesses and strengths, as a commander who has drawn on CIA information to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a military man who values discipline and honesty, he has a reputation of holding people accountable who serve under his command.
“He doesn’t suffer fools,” said Peter Mansoor, former executive officer to Petraeus in Iraq.
Intelligence experts are watching closely to see how Petraeus will tackle his new job at the CIA, an organization that has not welcomed outsiders who think they know best.
Petraeus will need every ounce of his considerable political talent to bring about change without causing an agency revolt, like the one against former CIA Director Porter Goss. When Goss tried to make significant but controversial changes, his staff quietly ignored or slow-walked his orders. If Petraeus tries to change too much too fast, longtime CIA employees may wait him out.
But Petraeus, the most famous general of
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