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| Home Front: Politix |
| Obama nominates Army head to serve as new JCS Chair |
| 2011-05-31 |
| If confirmed by the Senate, Dempsey would be in the key position of being Obama's senior military adviser overseeing the drawdown of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He would also work with incoming Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, in establishing priorities for cutting defense spending. Dempsey has extensive combat experience. He served as the commander of the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad in 2003, and then helped train Iraqi security forces in a subsequent tour of duty in Iraq. He also has served as acting commander of the U.S. Central Command overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East, Persian Gulf and Central Asia. The selection of Dempsey is unusual partly because he took over as head of the Army only on April 11. In that brief period of time, Dempsey has earned strong praise for what is considered to be his outgoing personality. Among other things, the general receives a list of soldiers both in the United States and overseas every week and calls them to get their direct opinions on life in the Army. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |