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President Barack Obama (L) speaks as Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey (R) listens as Obama picks him as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on May 30 at the Rose Garden of the White House. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama nominated Army General Martin Dempsey to be the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Obama stated in a press release that Dempsey is the most “respected and combat-tested general.” The term for the current chairman, Adm. Michael Mullen will end in September. Dempsey will need confirmation by the Senate.
“I expect him to push all our forces to keep adapting and innovating,” Obama stated. “We will provide what it takes to achieve our objectives in the current fight.”
Defense Secretary Robert Gates released a statement praising Dempsey, Adm. James Winnefeld and Gen. Ray Odierno for their ability to “excel in key command and staff roles” and their gift in having “the right mix of intellectual heft, moral courage and strategic vision.”
Odierno is to replace Dempsey as the Army’s chief of staff and Winnefeld is to be vice chairman. President Obama urged the Senate to confirm the three men “as swiftly as possible” to ensure a “seamless” transition at the Pentagon.
Dempsey will become Obama’s senior military adviser overseeing the operations for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan working with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, also pending the confirmation by the Senate, to establish priorities for cutting defense expenditures.
Dempsey has extensive combat experience. He served as commander in the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad in 2003, helped train Iraqi security forces and served as acting commander of the US Central command overseeing US military operations in the Middle East, Persian Gulf and Central Asia.“His rise to this great height is yet another one of those classic American immigrant success stories,” said Army Secretary John McHugh during recent official remarks.
