Change of Command

Assuming the Senate confirms CIA chief Leon Panetta as Defense Secretary Robert Gates' replacement, the White House's plan is for Gates to step down June 30 and Panetta to take over at the Pentagon July 1, a senior administration official told reporters today.

And if the Senate confirms Gen. David Petraeus as the next head of the CIA, the administration would like to have him take the post by the start of September, the official said, noting the general plans to retire from the military and would lead the CIA as a civilian.