US President Barack Obama has picked up General Martin Dempsey as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Martin Dempsey is described by the media as a battle-hardened commander, a muddy-boots combat soldier – seemingly more comfortable in battle fatigues than in the dress blues of Washington’s corridors of power.
“With nearly 40 years in uniform, Martin Dempsey is one of our nation’s most respected and combat-tested generals,” Obama said at the White House, where he formally unveiled his pick for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The announcement was made on Memorial Day, a solemn US holiday when America remembers the sacrifices of its fallen war heroes. On the occasion, Obama urged Americans to honor the sacrifices of their war dead by ‘heeding the example they set.’
Turning to Dempsey, Obama said: “As commander-in-chief I’ll be looking to you and the rest of the joint chiefs for what I value most in my advisers, your honest, unvarnished advice and the full range of options, especially when it comes to our most solemn obligation, protecting the lives of our brave men and women in uniform.”
Fifty-nine-year old Dempsey, who will succeed Admiral Mike Mullen, served in the Iraq war, commanding the 1st Armored Division in Iraq in 2003-04, and later led training efforts for Iraqi forces.
