"Admiral Fallon reached this difficult decision entirely on his own. I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are in fact significant differences between his views and administration policy," Gates said.

Gates said repeatedly that he believed talk of Fallon opposing President George W. Bush on military action against Iran was mistaken.

Adm. William Fallon resigned Tuesday after just a year in the post, citing what he called an inaccurate perception that he was at odds with the Bush administration over Iran.

Fallon was the subject of a recent Esquire magazine profile that portrayed him as resisting pressure for military action against Iran, which the Bush administration accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons.

In a written statement, Fallon said the article's "disrespect for the president" and "resulting embarrassment" had become a distraction.

"Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there," Fallon said.

Fallon, a 41-year veteran of the Navy, took over as chief of Central Command in early 2007. Gates said he will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, his deputy, who commanded an Army division in Iraq in the early days of the war and led efforts to train the Iraqi military.

On Tuesday, Gates said, "We have tried between us to put this misperception behind us over a period of months and, frankly, just have not been successful in doing so."

In a written statement, Bush praised Fallon for helping "ensure that America's military forces are ready to meet the threats of an often troubled region of the world."

"He deserves considerable credit for progress that has been made there, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan."

But Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Fallon's resignation showed that independent views "are not welcomed in this administration."

(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2008)