Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, will replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the leader of American forces in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Obama accepted McChrystal’s resignation following controversial comments made by the general in a recent Rolling Stone article that disparaged top officials in the president’s administration.

“It is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military and for our country,” Obama said during the announcement. He said that Petraeus’s appointment “will allow us to maintain the momentum and leadership that we need to succeed” and asserted that his decision was not made as a result of any policy disagreements with McChrystal.

McChrystal had apologized for his comments, calling his decision to make them “a mistake reflecting poor judgment [that] should never have happened,” but tendered his resignation nonetheless.

“I strongly support the President’s strategy in Afghanistan and am deeply committed to our coalition forces, our partner nations and the Afghan people,” McChrystal said in a statement on Wednesday. “It was out of respect for this commitment — and a desire to see the mission succeed — that I tendered my resignation.”

Petraeus, who led the 2007 surge in Iraq, was appointed in October 2008 as the head of the U.S. Central Command. In that position, he oversees American forces in 20 countries throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and East Africa.

Petraeus earned a master’s in public affairs from Princeton U. in 1985 and a Ph.D. from the Wilson School in 1987. He was awarded the James Madison Medal, the highest honor awarded annually to a graduate alumnus, in February. He delivered the annual Baccalaureate address in 2009.