Jones steps down as Obama's NSA

General James Jones (retired), President Barack Obama's national security adviser, announced his decision to step down from his position, which would be taken over by his deputy Tom Donilon.

"The American people owe Jim an unbelievable debt of gratitude for a lifetime of service," Obama said as he announced Jones' retirement from the Rose Garden of the White House.

Jones has been a close friend of India. This month he had met several top Indian officials including Defence Minister A K Antony, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. "Through these challenges, Jim has always been a steady voice in Situation Room sessions, daily briefings, and with meetings with foreign leaders, also representing our country abroad with allies and partners in every region of the world," Obama said with Jones and Donilon standing by his side.

"We've reset relations with Russia and signed

a historic new START treaty. And after years of drift, we have built a broad international coalition to hold Iran accountable and applied unprecedented pressure through tough new sanctions," he said. "We have renewed the push for peace in the Middle East, charted a course to secure vulnerable nuclear materials within four years, and reestablished our leadership in the Pacific Rim, while taking the lead in forging a response at the global level to the economic crisis," Obama said.

Donilon, he said, has a wealth of experience that will serve him well in this new assignment. "He has served three presidents and been immersed in our national security for decades," he said. "We have some huge challenges ahead. We remain a nation at war, and we will not rest in our efforts to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda. And above all, we are committed to forging the kind of American leadership that can shape the world in the 21st century," Obama said.