Obama Taps General Dempsey As Next Joint Chiefs Chairman

President Obama announced Monday that he has selected General Martin Dempsey to replace Admiral Michael Mullen as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“With nearly 40 years in uniform, Martin Dempsey is one of our nation’s most respected — and combat-tested –generals,” Obama said in remarks from the Rose Garden. “Having served as acting commander of Central Command, he understands that in Iraq and Afghanistan security gains and political progress must go hand in hand.”

Dempsey is serving as the Army’s Chief of Staff, and the promotion represents a quick turn-around for the General. He was appointed to his current position just last month.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman is the top military advisor to the President. It is also the highest-ranking position any officer can receive.

Obama also announced that he has tapped Admiral James Winnefeld as the Vice Chairman, a position currently held by General James Cartwright and General Ray Odierno, best known for commanding U.S. troops in Iraq from 2008 to 2010, to replace Dempsey as Chief of Staff.

The new appointments come shortly after CIA Director Leon Panetta was nominated as the next Defense Secretary, a position he will fill when Defense Secretary Robert Gates retires late next month.

Cartwright will leave the position this summer and Mullen will serve until this fall.