President Obama this week will nominate Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Paul Selva, head of US Transportation Command, to serve as the Joint Chiefs’ vice chairman, according to press reports on Monday. USA Today reported that Obama’s announcement is expected as early as Tuesday. Dunford would succeed Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, who has been Obama’s top military adviser since September 2011. Selva would replace Adm. James Winnefeld, who has been vice chairman since August 2011. The Senate must approve Dunford and Selva to serve in these positions. In a Twitter post on Monday evening, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member, said he “strongly” supported Dunford to be the JCS Chairman. “He has the experience and vision necessary to lead in a challenging time,” said Reed. Dunford has led the Marine Corps since October. Before that, he commanded US forces in Afghanistan, overseeing the drawdown of US personnel from there. Selva has led TRANSCOM for the past year. If the Senate confirms him, he would be the first Air Force general to occupy one of the Pentagon’s two top uniformed posts since Gen. Richard Myers was JCS Chairman from October 2001 to September 2005. Selva was the assistant to the JCS Chairman from October 2008 to October 2011. (See also Politico report.)
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
