President Barack Obama will nominate Marine General Joseph Dunford as the next chairman of the joint chiefs, choosing an officer with battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan for the US military´s top job.
If confirmed by the Senate for the post, Dunford will be drawing on his years fighting insurgents over the past decade when he advises Obama on the US-led war against the Islamic State group.
The next chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff will also have to contend with a resurgent Russia, China´s growing military might and looming automatic budget cuts that could create headaches for the military.
Dunford, 59, currently the commandant of the US Marine Corps, would replace General Martin Dempsey, an army officer who will retire after he finishes his second term as chairman in October.
Obama was expected to announce the nomination on Tuesday at the White House, officials said Monday.
The chairman of the joint chiefs does not have troops or weapons at his command but he acts as the top military adviser to the president and the defense secretary.
The job often carries hefty influence on matters of war and peace, and the chairman also is seen as the public face of the armed forces.
Officials said Obama also planned to nominate Air Force General Paul Selva to be next the vice chairman of the joint chiefs. The current vice chairman, Admiral James Winnefeld, is due to retire.
Selva is head of the military´s transportation command and had served as the lead Air Force strategist.
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