Dunford tapped for Joint Chiefs chairman, Selva for vice: President Obama on Tuesday nominated Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"I know Joe. I trust him," Obama said in the Rose Garden as Dunford stood at his side. "Joe is a proven leader of our joint force, including our troops in Afghanistan whom he served Christmas dinner to. He is one our military's most highly regarded strategic thinkers."
Obama also tapped Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, the chief of U.S. Transportation Command, to serve as the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
Obama highlighted Selva's role earlier in his administration when the Air Force general served as the top military adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"He grasps the strategic environment in which our forces operate," Obama said of Selva. "He understands our military, as powerful as it is, is one tool that must be used in concert with all of the elements of our national power."
Dunford and Selva made no comments during the brief announcement, during which Obama offered a short summary of the challenges that will face the two new top leaders.
