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Jay Garner | |
|---|---|
 Garner in 1996 | |
| Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance of Iraq | |
| In office April 21, 2003 – May 12, 2003 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Saddam Hussein (asPresident of Iraq) |
| Succeeded by | Paul Bremer (as Administrator of theCoalition Provisional Authority) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1938-04-15)April 15, 1938 (age 86) Arcadia, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Florida State University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1962–1997 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
Jay Montgomery Garner (born April 15, 1938) is a retiredUnited States Armylieutenant general who in 2003 was appointed as Director of theOffice for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance forIraq following the2003 invasion of Iraq, making him the immediate replacement ofSaddam Hussein as thede facto head of state of Iraq.[1] Garner was soon replaced by AmbassadorPaul Bremer and the ambassador's successor organization toORHA, theCoalition Provisional Authority (CPA).[2]
Born inArcadia, Florida, Garner served an enlistment in theUnited States Marine Corps before attending theFlorida State University, where he received aBachelor of Arts degree inHistory in 1962. He also holds a master's inpublic administration fromShippensburg State University.
Commissioned as an armysecond lieutenant in 1962, Garner served two tours inVietnam, and later led two air defense units inGermany. He also served as deputy commanding general atFort Bliss, Texas. Garner helped to develop thePatriot missile system and commandedmissile batteries during theGulf War. After thewar he was put in charge of securingKurdish areas inIraq. He was later named commander of the United States Army Space and Strategic Defense Command (working primarily on PresidentReagan'sStrategic Defense Initiative missile shield program), and concluded his army career as Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, retiring in 1997 at the rank oflieutenant general.
After leaving thearmy, Garner became president ofSYColeman, a defense contractor which designs missile communications and targeting systems used in the Patriot andArrow missile systems. (He has been on unpaid leave from the company since January 2003). Garner served on a presidential panel, chaired byDonald Rumsfeld, which specializes inspace and missile threats. He has also worked closely with theIsrael Defense Forces.[needs update]
In 2003 Garner was selected tolead thepost-war reconstruction efforts in Iraq, along with three deputies, including BritishMajor-GeneralTim Cross. Garner was regarded as a natural choice by theBush administration given his earlier similar role in the north. General Garner was to develop and implement plans to assist the Iraqis in developing governance and reconstructing the country onceSaddam Hussein was deposed.[3]
Following the defeat of the Saddam Hussein regime inBaghdad, there was widespread looting, rampaging, and general chaos throughoutIraq. Some of the most importantmonuments, such as thenational museum, were under attack.[3] Furthermore, theinfrastructure of the country was in ruins, ministries were broken into, and government records were destroyed. The situation in Iraq became chaotic andanarchic.[4] The only ministry which was protected by the occupying forces was theoil ministry. In addition, many exiled leaders fromIran and some from theWest returned toIraq.[5] TheBush administration selectedLieutenant General Jay Garner to lead theCoalition Provisional Authority (an intermediary government) in an attempt to ridIraq of the chaos and anarchy that consumed the area. Garner's plan was to choose government officials from the former Iraqi regime to help lead the country.[6]
Garner began reconstruction efforts in March 2003 with plans aiming for Iraqis to holdelections within 90 days and for theU.S. to quickly pull troops out of the cities to a desert base.Jalal Talabani, a member of Jay Garner's staff inKuwait before the war, was consulted on several occasions to help the U.S. select a liberal Iraqi government; this would be the first liberal government to exist inIraq. In an interview withTime magazine, Garner stated that "as in anytotalitarian regime, there were many people who needed to join theBaath Party in order to get ahead in their careers. We don't have a problem with most of them. But we do have a problem with those who were part of the thug mechanism under Saddam. Once the U.S. identifies those in the second group, we will get rid of them."[6] On April 15, 2003, General Garner called a conference in the city ofNasiriyah, where Garner, along with 100 Iraqis, discussed the future of Iraq. Garner called a follow-up meeting on April 28, 2003.[3] 250 Iraqis attended this meeting, and five of these Iraqis were selected by Garner's administration as the core leaders of the new Iraqi government:Masood Barzani was appointed as head of theKurdistan Democratic Party, Talabani as head of the rivalPatriotic Union of Kurdistan,Abdul Aziz Al Hakim was appointed as the leader of the Supreme Assembly for Islamic Revolution in Iraq,Ahmad Chalabi was chosen to represent theIraqi National Congress andIyad Allawi was appointed as the leader of theIraqi National Accord. Garner's selection caused quite a stir amongst many Iraqis. Although many Iraqis were open to the change that Garner and the U.S. were bringing to Iraq, others were resentful. Iraqis with aShi'a background felt underrepresented in Garner's selection for government.[7] Three of the five officials appointed as key members in Iraq's new government were ofSunni background, one official was from a mixed Sunni–Shi'a background, and only one of the officials was of pure Shi'a background. The Shi'a felt left out and underrepresented, considering they comprise over 60% of the Iraqi population.[7] Furthermore, many Iraqis felt this new government was not selected in ademocratic manner, as theU.S. had promised.
Once the leaders were selected, a plan to hold elections in Iraq, where members would be selected, began on May 6, 2003, and ended on November 14, 2003, when the plan was abandoned.[4] General Garner would be replaced by a newAmerican Ambassador to Iraq,Paul Bremer, who took his role as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Following Garner's dismissal, it was planned that an Iraq government would take power in June 2004.Iyad Allawi was designated to lead the Iraqi interim authority. Allawi was a formerBaathist ofShi'a origin. Allawi had many credentials, including previous work experience with theCIA.[3]
When Garner was replaced in his role byPaul Bremer on May 11, 2003, there was quite a bit of speculation as to why he was replaced so abruptly. It has been suggested that Garner was moved aside because he did not agree with theWhite House about who should decide how to reconstruct Iraq. He wanted early elections—90 days after the fall ofBaghdad—and the new government to decide how to run the country and what to do with its assets. Garner said "I don't think [Iraqis] need to go by theU.S. plan, I think that what we need to do is set an Iraqi government that represents the freely elected will of the people. It's their country ... their oil."[8] Some experts faulted Garner for prioritizing elections over improving andprivatizing the Iraqi economy.[9]
Garner was interviewed inNo End in Sight, a 2007documentary movie very critical of the handling of theIraq occupation.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byasPresident of Iraq | Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance of Iraq 2003 | Succeeded byas Administrator of theCoalition Provisional Authority of Iraq |
| First Republic of Iraq (1958–1968) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ba'athist Iraq (1968–2003) |
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| Coalition Provisional Authority (2003–2004) |
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| Republic of Iraq (since 2004) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
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