New Chairman of JCS
 

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/arti...0/110956.shtml

BMT

GEN Pace, not unexpected. No comments from the peanut gallery? :munchin

He's not approved yet :munchin

My most likely candidate.

Do you consider me part of the peanut gallery?

TR

Perhaps the end of the SOUTHCOM CINC posting being the end of your career tradition?

GENs Joulwan, McCaffrey and Clark didn't seem to be hurt too badly by it before him.

TR

LOL -- yes. I will concede that we have a pretty distinguished gallery here, however.

Gen Pace's acceptance speech from President Bush:

McCaffery and Wes Clark turned out to be nuthin' but Clinton butt-boys. Ask some of the guys who worked directly for them about how they feel about 'em. "NOT TOO GOOD!..."

Didn't say I liked them, or that they were good.

I just said that their tours as CINCSO didn't hurt them any.

TR

Gorman - retired
Galvin - SACEUR
Woerner - retired
Thurman - retired (health reasons)
Joulwan - SACEUR
McCaffrey - retired (then Director of ONDCP)
Clark - SACEUR
Wilhelm - retired
Pace - Vice CJCS and now CJCS

Not counting GEN Thurman, who had already held a four-star command (TRADOC) and delayed his retirement to take the job in the run-up to the war in Panama, it seems like the pattern is every other CINC retires, with the one in between becoming SACEUR, until GEN Pace. Of course, this is probably just a coincidence.
Look at it this way: not counting Generals Galvin and Joulwan, being CINCSOUTH was generally a pre-retirement command (every CINCSOUTH before Gorman also retired from the post except for Andrew O'Meara, who became CINCUSAREUR). And with the end of the Cold War, as a military theater Southern Command wasn't considered as important as other theaters. So Pres. Clinton could reward Clark and McCaffrey with the job without stepping on too many toes (though as I recall Clark's promotion and posting ahead of a number of more senior officers did rub quite a few generals the wrong way). And then Clinton gives the job to a Marine. Twice.

So does any of this say anything about GEN Craddock's future? I honestly never heard of him when I was in the Army. He mainly held staff jobs during the time I was on active duty. He seems to have moved up rather rapidly, though. In mid-2002, he was a two star commanding the Big Red One. In August 2002, he gets a third star and a job as Rumsfeld's military assistant. Two years later, he gets a fourth star and SOUTHCOM. Where does he go next?

[QUOTE=
Look at it this way: not counting Generals Galvin and Joulwan, being CINCSOUTH was generally a pre-retirement command.... Where does he go next?[/QUOTE]

How many 4 star billets are there? How do you laterally promote a General when most of the billets are for 3-4 years and you still have to promote the younger year groups? Would you like to go from a 4-star Command to a staff job (I can only think of ACJCS and the Asst Chief of staffs)? Granted there some CINC jobs that are politically better than others like SACUER. :munchin

I think almost any CINC job is the last step (highest step on the ladder) w/ no where to go but retirement and a career in TV or politics.

35

There are, as noted, about 35 four star jobs at any one time, but only about six of them are typically second assignments: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; SACEUR; Army Chief of Staff; Air Force Chief of Staff; and Chief of Naval Operations.

Most unified combatant commands - the major multi-service commands like CENTCOM, TRANSCOM and SOCOM - are typically the first command for a 4-star, and often the last command as well. There are also a number of major commands within services that are 4-star billets, like the Army's TRADOC and FORSCOM, the Air Force's Air Combat Command, U.S. Air Force Europe (USAFE) and Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), and the Navy's Pacific Fleet. These too are typically the first and last command for a general or admiral, the pinnacle of his career.

CJCS is often a third assignment for a 4-star. The current CJCS, GEN Myers, was Vice Chairman and CINC USSPACECOM. The current Vice Chairman, GEN Pace, will have had three when he becomes CJCS. Before Myers, Generals Shelton, Shalikashvili and Powell were on their second assignment; before Powell, Admiral Crowe, Generals Vessey, Jones and Brown and Admiral Moorer were on their third.

Army chiefs typically are on their second command, and typically come out from an Army command rather than a joint one, although the current Army Chief of Staff, GEN Schoomaker, was previously CINCUSSOCOM. Shinseki was Vice Chief of Staff of the Army under Reimer. Reimer was CG, FORSCOM. Sullivan was Vice Chief before becoming Chief. Vuono was CG, TRADOC. Wickham was Vice Chief and before that CINC, UNC/Cdr, USFK/CG 8th US Army.

Air Force Chief of Staff is also a second job. John Jumper, the current chief, was previously Commander, Air Combat Command. Before him, Michael Ryan was Commander, USAFE/AFCENT; Ronald Fogleman was CINCUSTRANSCOM; Merrill McPeak was CINC, PACAF; Michael Dugan was Commander, USAFE/AFCENT. Three earlier chiefs - Twining, Brown and Jones - not only had prior 4-star commands but subsequent ones, becoming CJCS.

CNO is typically a second command for an Admiral, but not always (I'm not sure about current CNO Admiral Clark, but Admirals Kelso, Boorda and Johnson all had prior 4-star commands before becoming CNO).

Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally a first command for a 4-star.

SACEUR is routinely a second command. The current SACEUR, Gen. Jones, was previously Commandant of the Marine Corps. His predecessor, Gen. Ralston, had two prior billets - Commander, Air Combat Command and Vice Chairman, JCS. Ralston's two immediate predecessors, Clark and Joulwan, were previously CINCSOUTH. Joulwan's predecessor, GEN Shalikashvili, got SACEUR as his first 4-star command, but then became CJCS. Shali's predecessor was Galvin, another CINCSOUTH.

Before Galvin was Bernard Rogers, who had been CG, FORSCOM and Army Chief of Staff. He served two tours as SACEUR and was a 4-star for 13 years. Rogers took over from Al Haig, who had come out of retirement to be SACEUR and was previously Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (and White House Chief of Staff on retiring).

There are occasional exceptions, by the way. Bin Peay was Vice Chief of Staff of the Army before becoming CINCCENT. As Vice Chief, he was responsible for the "off-site agreement" that led to the elimination of Army Reserve combat units, including 11th and 12th Groups, in favor of the Guard.