They stressed that such a review had been in the works for some time and was not triggered by the departure of Gen Petraeus or the subsequent question marks raised over "possibly inappropriate communications" involving the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) commander, John Allen, and Tampa socialite Jill Kelley.
One of the odd little details of the past week is the fact that both David Petraeus and John Allen allowed themselves to be used in a messy custody battle involving the son of Jill Kelley's identical sister.
The top US general in Afghanistan, General John Allen, has been cleared of misconduct by the Pentagon for emails sent to Florida socialite Jill Kelley.