U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to name Marine General Joseph Dunford as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday, replacing Army General Martin Dempsey as the nation's top uniformed military advisor.
Dunford currently serves as the Marine's commanding officer, a post he assumed just late last year. The 59-year Dunford previously served as commander of all U.S. and international coalition forces in Afghanistan from 2013 to 2014, overseeing the ongoing withdrawal of U.S. forces and hand over security operations to Afghan forces. He also led Marines' combat team during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, earning him the nickname "Fighting Joe."
Dunford, a native of Boston, was first commissioned as a Marine officer in 1977. He would be only the second Marine to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following now-retired General Peter Pace, who held the post from 2005 to 2007.