Obama to name Marine general to become top U.S. military officer | 04 May 2015 | President Barack Obama on Tuesday will nominate Marine General Joseph Dunford as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. officials said on Monday, in a widely expected pick likely to win swift Senate confirmation. Dunford, commandant of the Marine Corps, would replace Army General Martin Dempsey, who is expected to step down in September as the top military officer after a tumultuous four-year period that saw most U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan but thousands return to Iraq. In addition, Obama will nominate Air Force General Paul Selva, currently the commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
In 1999, Dunford was the executive assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (under both Generals Joseph Ralston and Richard Myers) and as Chief, Global and Multilateral Affairs Division (J-5) until 2001
On October 10, 2012, General Dunford was nominated by President Barack Obama to lead U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. After an investigation into inappropriate communications from the then-current commander in Afghanistan, General John R. Allen, was opened, Secretary Panetta requested that General Dunford’s nomination be acted on promptly. Dunford assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) from General Allen, who had since been cleared in the Pentagon’s investigation involving his e-mails in the Petraeus scandal, on February 10, 2013, .
Joseph Dunford, New Afghan War Chief, Not Included In Troop Withdrawal Discussions
Dunford also said U.S. military forces will be needed in Afghanistan after 2014. He specifically included fighter jets and attack helicopters, intelligence drones and special forces counterterrorism squads as well as advisers and trainers. But he did not name a specific number of troops he believes would be required.
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