Updated on
Summary President Obama on Monday nominated Gen. Dempsey as next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Obama announced Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as his choice to succeed Adm. Mike Mullen as chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff Monday, rounding out an overhaul of his national security team in his third year in office.Marine Gen. James Cartwright had long been rumored to be Obamas favorite, and the president singled him out for praise at Mondays Rose Garden announcement. But he turned instead to Dempsey, an accomplished veteran of the Iraq war, to succeed Mullen.Obama called Dempsey one of our nations most respected and combat-tested generals.The president also announced he has chosen Navy Adm. James Winnefeld to succeed Cartwright as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Army Gen. Ray Odierno as his candidate to replace Dempsey as Army chief of staff.The nominees have to be approved by the Senate, and Obama voiced hope that could happen in a timely fashion.Dempsey began a four-year term as Army chief of staff on April 11.Appearing in a nationally broadcast interview Monday morning, Mullen said hes encouraged that the Pakistani government is launching a major offensive on militants in the North Waziristan area near the border with Pakistan. Its a very important fight and a very important operation, he said.
