President Obama has formally unveiled the reshuffling of his national security team with appointments of four key posts. CIA Director Leon Panetta will move to the Pentagon to replace the retiring Robert Gates. Gen. David Petraeus will become the new head of the CIA. U.S. Marine General John Allen will be nominated to become the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, a position currently held by Petraeus. And Ryan Crocker will be nominated to be U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. Obama appeared with the quartet at the White House.

President Obama: “Leon Panetta at the Defense Department, David Petraeus at the CIA, Ambassador Crocker and General John Allen in Afghanistan. These are the leaders that I’ve chosen to help guide us through the difficult days ahead. I will look to them and my entire national security team for their counsel, continuity and unity of effort that this moment in history demands.”

Speaking after Obama, Panetta said his top priority will be to ensure the United States remains the world’s leading military power.

Leon Panetta: “This is a time of historic change, both at home and abroad. As the son of immigrants, I was raised to believe that we cannot be free unless we are secure. Today we are a nation at war, and job one will be to ensure that we remain the strongest military power in the world, to protect that security that is so important to this country.”