FACTBOX: New U.S. commanders for Mideast, Iraq

(Reuters) - The U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee on Thursday considers the nominations of two U.S. generals to major posts -- overseeing military operations across the Middle East and running the war in Iraq.

Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has been nominated to head U.S. Central Command, the headquarters responsible for a swath of the world that includes the Middle East, Central Asia and East Africa.

Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, a former No. 2 to Petraeus, has been nominated to return to Baghdad as the top commander for Iraq.

Following are some facts about the two men.

U.S. ARMY GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS

* Petraeus, 55, is a fiercely competitive, media-friendly soldier who holds a doctorate in international relations from Princeton University.

* Having served two previous tours in Iraq, he took command of U.S. forces there in February last year with the country on the verge of all-out civil war.

* Petraeus implemented a new strategy that brought in a "surge" of some 30,000 extra U.S. troops and pushed forces off larger bases and into smaller outposts to protect Iraqis from insurgent attacks.

* Overall violence in Iraq dropped 60 percent from June of last year until late March, when fighting flared again in the southern city of Basra and in parts of Baghdad.