Chief of U.S. Prisons in Iraq Is Reassigned

The two-star Army general who ran the U.S. military prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and later took over the U.S. military prison system in Iraq has been reassigned to a senior staff job in the Pentagon.

Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller will be the Army’s assistant chief of staff for installation management, with responsibility for housing, environmental and other support operations at Army bases. Miller ran the prison at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay from the fall of 2002 to last spring.

In August 2003, Miller was sent to Iraq to advise on the screening of detainees, their interrogations and the collection of intelligence. Among his recommendations was that military police be actively involved in “setting the conditions” for successful interrogations.

The inmate abuse at Abu Ghraib prison took place mainly in October and November 2003, shortly after Miller’s visit. He has not been blamed for the abuse. In March, he was sent back to Iraq as a deputy commander in charge of prison operations.

Replacing Miller in Iraq will be Maj. Gen. William H. Brandenburg.