(Reuters) - Senators will question General David Petraeus, President Barack Obama's pick to command U.S. forces in Afghanistan, at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
He replaces General Stanley McChrystal, whom Obama fired last week for mocking comments by him and aides about the president and some of his top advisers.
Here are five facts about Petraeus.
* Petraeus, 57, is credited with pulling Iraq back from the brink of all-out sectarian warfare and is widely hailed as a war hero. As head of U.S. Central Command since 2008, Petraeus had been McChrystal's boss overseeing a huge region that includes Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen.
* A Republican favourite, Petraeus has often been mentioned as a possible future presidential candidate but he says he has no interest in the job. Although once a registered Republican, Petraeus stresses his independence and has not voted for years. But suspicions linger in the Obama White House that he might harbour secret political ambitions and could pose a fierce challenge to Democrats some day.
* Petraeus earned a doctoral degree from Princeton University and did his dissertation on the war in Vietnam. He oversaw development of the counter-insurgency field manual guiding the U.S. armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, which serves as the backbone of Afghan war strategy.
* The general has survived his share of physical challenges. He was successfully treated for prostate cancer last year. His pelvis was broken in a parachuting accident and he was shot in the chest in a training exercise.
* Fiercely competitive and extremely fit, Petraeus was once known to challenge younger soldiers to push-up contests. Still, his stamina showed limitations this month when he briefly fainted during congressional testimony. He blamed dehydration.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Adam Entous in Washington; editing by David Alexander and Mohammad Zargham)
