Myers' reassignment and confirmation by the senate was widely expected.

Myers, who had previously served as vice chairman, was named chairman on October 1, 2001, just weeks after the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and severely damaged the Pentagon.

A week later, US forces were fighting in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban regime and destroy the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

This year, he was at the helm of the US military establishment when US and British forces invaded Iraq, seizing Baghdad three weeks later.

Myers is best known to the public as US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's unflappable sidekick at Pentagon press conferences.

WAR.WIRE