After Lt. Gen. Carl A. Strock's Aug. 10 announcement that he had asked to resign as commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, the Army soon will start the search for his replacement. Strock, the Corps chief since July 2004, has led the Corps during a time of severe pressures, including the continued rebuilding of Iraq and the cleanup of the Gulf Coast and reconstruction of flood control structures around New Orleans after last year's hurricanes.
An advisory panel of senior Army officers will begin to evaluate candidates to be the next Chief of Engineers and Corps commander. . The panel will recommend a short list of possible successors, which will be forwarded through channels to Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey. He will made a recommendation to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and Rumsfeld will send a name to the White House. President Bush then will make his choice and transmit it to the Senate for confirmation.