washington <u+2014> president obama plans to name marine corps commandant gen. joseph dunford the next chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, a senior defense department official said late monday.









air force gen. paul selva, currently the leader of u.s. transportation command, will be named vice chairman, said the official who was not authorized to speak publicly.









dunford, a widely respected and well-liked officer at the pentagon, has extensive battlefield experience, including as commander of all allied forces in afghanistan. he will replace army gen. martin dempsey who is expected to retire later this summer after his second term expires. selva would replace adm. james winnefeld.









a formal announcement from the white house is expected tuesday, the official said.









dunford quickly received support from one key member of the senate armed services committee <u+2014> sen. jack reed of rhode island, the panel's top democrat.









"i have come to greatly value general dunford's counsel and insight, and i particularly appreciate the concern he has for our men and women in uniform under his command," reed said.









michael o'hanlon, a military analyst at the brookings institution, hailed dunford as well suited to the job. "he is a brilliant choice," o'hanlon said. "smart, wise, creative, pragmatic, calm, affable, experienced."









dunford has been commandant since last october. prior to that, he had led u.s. and nato forces from february 2013 to august 2014 in afghanistan and oversaw the withdrawal of tens of thousands of american troops from the country.









an infantry officer, dunford followed gen. james amos, a pilot, as commandant of the marine corps. he holds a master's degree in government from georgetown university and a master's degree in international relations from the fletcher school of law and diplomacy at tufts university.









as chairman, dunford will be the military's most senior officer and adviser to the president. the senate must approve the nomination of dunford for the two-year term. most often, chairmen serve two terms.









among the primary challenges he'll inherit: the ongoing war against islamic state militants in iraq and syria; russia's increasing belligerence in eastern europe and the threat of automatic budget cuts known as sequestration.









he'll also have to deal with china's increasing ambitions in the pacific and the military's long-standing desire to shift its resources toward that region, o'hanlon said.









selva's choice marks the return of airman to one of the top two slots for the first time since gen. richard myers retired as chairman in 2005. transportation command lacks the visibility of some of the military's other top spots, including central command, which oversees the turbulent middle east. but transportation command's function of moving troops, weapons and supplies around the globe is critically important.









a cargo plane pilot, selva also has extensive experience inside the pentagon. he served as assistant to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff from 2008 to 2011.
obama to name marine gen. dunford chairman of joint chiefs of staff
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