Washington ? The Army has summoned the top U.S. commander in Iraq back to Washington to preside over a board that will pick the next generation of Army leaders, an unusual decision that officials say represents a vote of confidence in Gen. David Petraeus’ conduct of the war as well as the Army counterinsurgency doctrine he helped rewrite.

The Army has long been criticized for rewarding conventional military thinking and experience in traditional combat operations, and current and former defense officials have depicted Petraeus’ involvement in the promotion board process this month as a sign of its commitment to encouraging innovation and rewarding skills beyond the battlefield.

Some junior and midlevel officers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been particularly outspoken in their criticisms, saying the Army’s current leadership lacks a hands-on understanding of today’s conflicts and has not listened to feedback from younger personnel.

“It’s unprecedented for the commander of an active theater to be brought back to head something like a brigadier generals board,” said retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, former head of the Army War College. A senior defense official said Petraeus is “far too high profile for this to be a subtle thing.”

The board, made up of 15 Army generals, will examine a pool of more than 1,000 colonels to select 30 to 40 brigadier generals, expected to lead the service over the next decade or longer. Although each board member has an equal vote on the candidates, Petraeus will be able to guide the discussion.

Petraeus, a four-star general with a Ph.D. in political science, has spent three of the past four years in Iraq and has observed firsthand many of the colonels under consideration for promotion. He is also well regarded by military officials for his political skills in Iraq and at home, including winning support from a skeptical Congress for a U.S. troop increase in Iraq.

Petraeus was the commanding general at Fort Leavenworth and the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center there from late 2005 to February 2007. During his time in Leavenworth he helped write the Army’s new official counterinsurgency doctrine.

Petraeus’ involvement coincides with the Army’s consideration of several initiatives to change its promotion system to reward a new generation of officers skilled in today’s warfare.

The Army is struggling to retain experienced younger officers – recently offering $35,000 bonuses to captains – who are leaving partly because of their extended deployments in war zones but also because they are alienated from leaders who lack their combat experience, Army officers say.