FACTBOX-David Petraeus, new head of U.S. Central Command
Oct 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus takes charge on Friday of U.S. Central Command, the U.S. military headquarters that covers a volatile swathe of the world including the Middle East and parts of central and South Asia.
Here are some key facts about Petraeus and Central Command.
* Petraeus, 55, is a fiercely competitive, media-friendly soldier and counterinsurgency expert who holds a doctorate in international relations from Princeton University.
* He has received widespread praise for his role in pulling Iraq back from the brink of all-out civil war as the top U.S. commander in the country from February 2007 to September 2008.
* In Iraq, he implemented a strategy that brought in a "surge" of some 30,000 extra U.S. troops and pushed forces off larger bases and into smaller outposts to protect Iraqis from insurgent attacks.
* He takes over Central Command from Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who has been in temporary charge since Navy Adm. William Fallon quit in March after a magazine article said he was pushing President George W. Bush to avoid war with Iran.
* As the head of Central Command, Petraeus will oversee U.S. military operations and strategy for 20 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.
* One of his main challenges will be to maintain his cautious approach to troop cuts in Iraq while at the same time meeting commanders' requests for more forces in Afghanistan, where insurgent violence has worsened this year.
* That task may be more difficult if Democrat Barack Obama defeats Republican John McCain in next week's U.S. presidential election. Although he has preserved room for maneuver, Obama has suggested removing combat troops from Iraq in 16 months.
* Petraeus will also have a key role in dealing with tensions with Iran, which have sometimes manifested themselves in small but potentially serious confrontations between U.S. Navy ships and Iranian boats in the Gulf.
(Reporting by Andrew Gray in Washington; editing by David Wiessler)
