Allen retired from the military after a 37-year career. Following
a 19-month stint as the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, he declined a nomination to become as NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, due to his wife’s
health concerns.
{mosads}His nomination was briefly held up while he was investigated
over emails to a Tampa socialite in the scandal that led to former CIA Director
David Petraeus’s resignation, but he was cleared of wrongdoing.
Last month, Allen was named a U.S. special envoy to the
Israeli-Palestinian process, where he will work with both the State and Defense
Department’s on Israel’s security as Secretary of State John Kerry looks to
restart the peace process.
He also recently co-authored a paper on Afghanistan along
with Brookings senior fellow Michael O’Hanlon and former Under Secretary for
Policy Michèle Flournoy, arguing for a bridging force in post-2014
Afghanistan.