Gen. Ray Odierno took command of the multinational forces in Iraq on Sept. 26, 2008. The promotion followed his role as the No. 2 commander in Iraq under Gen. David Petraeus. In that position as the day-to-day leader of the coalition forces, Odierno was considered the architect of the "surge," a counterinsurgency strategy that increased U.S. troop strength by about 21,500 and is credited with decreasing violence in Iraq in 2007 and 2008.

The highly decorated veteran graduated from West Point in 1976 and his military career spans more than 30 years. He has two master's degrees, in nuclear effects engineering from North Carolina State University and in national security and strategy from the Naval War College. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.

Odierno's military biography notes that Rockaway, N.J., native has served at every leadership level, from commanding a platoon to an entire theater. His duties have taken him to Germany, Albania during the Kosovo campaign, Kuwait, Iraq and around the United States.

During his first tour in Iraq in 2003, Odierno led the 4th Infantry Division, responsible for the Sunni Triangle area north of Baghdad. Soldiers under his command found former President Saddam Hussein in his underground bunker in December 2003.

Among Odierno's other notable assignments was Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C., where he served as a top adviser to secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice from October 2004 to May 2006.