GEN Dempsey - Next JCS Chairman?

[Richard]

Preview the fall line-up for the Pentagon?

Dempsey CSA to CJCS; Schwartz CSAF to Vice-CJCS; Odierno JFC to CSA; Stavridis SACEUR to CNO?

And so it goes...

Richard

GEN Dempsey Emerges As Favorite To Be Next Chairman of Joint Chiefs
The Hill, 20 May 2011

Gen. Martin Dempsey, the recently installed Army chief of staff, is now the front-runner to replace Adm. Michael Mullen as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defense sources say.

White House officials have been studying a handful of top generals and admirals to replace Mullen, whose second and final term as the U.S. military’s top officer ends this fall. As White House officials have chilled on former top candidates, multiple sources familiar with internal Obama administration deliberations say officials are leaning toward tapping Dempsey as the next chairman.

“Dempsey would do a ‘touch-and-go’ as [Army chief] and move up to be CJCS,” said one Pentagon adviser, who requested anonymity. The source was using Pentagon shorthand for both a pilot practicing landings and for the chairman’s post.

An announcement could come sometime this summer or early fall, sources say.

Dempsey has surged to the front of the pack as other candidates have slipped backward.

The current vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. James “Hoss” Cartwright, was long considered to be in line to take over for Mullen.

Journalist and author Bob Woodward dubbed Cartwright Obama’s favorite general in his book Obama’s Wars.

But the White House now views him as tainted, multiple defense sources said late Thursday and Friday.

Cartwright, a former fighter pilot, was cleared earlier this year by the Pentagon’s inspector general after allegations he had a sexual relationship with a female aide. Still, DoD investigators raised questions about Cartwright’s judgment and approach in dealing with the aide, who reportedly was allowed to sleep in his hotel room while intoxicated on an official trip while Cartwright worked.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has said he disagrees with that aspect of the IG’s report, but it is increasingly clear that Mabus's defense will not be enough to put the man known as “Hoss” in the chairman’s office.

Two sources also said White House officials are looking beyond Cartwright after deeming other “personal” issues “problematic.”

Adm. James Stavridis, the current U.S. European Command chief and NATO Supreme Allied commander, also was long considered a top candidate. But his stock has fallen in recent weeks, sources say.

“The possibility that Gen. Dempsey might get the nod for the top military job only began circulating two weeks ago, when rumors started to spread that Adm. Stavridis had not fared well in his White House interview for the chairman's position,” said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute.

The Pentagon adviser said another “minor issue” has hurt Stavridis’s chances for chairman.

But Stavridis — who has been called "brilliant" by the Pentagon officials and defense insiders who know him — might need to wait a bit longer to become chairman.

Two defense sources told The Hill the administration has put Stavridis on the short list to replace Adm. Gary Roughead as the next chief of naval operations (CNO). That would keep him in uniform, as well as make him a top contender to follow the next Joint Chiefs chairman.

“If Stavridis does not become CNO, the Navy will likely lose him — which would be a huge loss to that service,” a Pentagon adviser said.

Thompson wrote on Lexington’s blog Friday that Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert is also on the CNO short list.

“Greenert has long been viewed as the likely successor to current CNO Gary Roughead,” Thompson wrote.

Speculation has been whirling about for nearly a year in Washington’s defense circles about the post-Mullen era. The buzz intensified Thursday after the defense sector blog Information Dissemination posted an entry stating the Pentagon had sent its “final list” of candidates for top jobs to the White House.

The Information Dissemination blog, run by industry consultant Raymond Pritchett, reported that the final list recommended Dempsey for chairman, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz for vice chairman, Greenert for CNO and Gen. Raymond Odierno, the current U.S. Joint Forces Command chief, as the next Army chief.

Pritchett also has written for the U.S. Naval Institute and the Atlantic Council.

A Pentagon spokesman did not respond to an inquiry about whether that much-anticipated recommendations list had indeed been sent across the Potomac River.

Defense insiders noted the race for these coveted senior military jobs can resemble a boxing card: subject to change.

If the White House does nominate Dempsey and he is confirmed by the Senate, it would mark the first time in nearly a decade that an Army general has held the coveted chairman’s post. Mullen's term expires this summer.

Army Gen. Hugh Shelton was Joint Chiefs chairman from October 1997 through September 2001.

Senior Army officials and ground service proponents have long wanted to take back the post, according to defense sources. Since the position was created in 1942, eight of the 17 chairmen have been Army generals.

The ground service led the way in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, which did not play out as intended. Defense insiders have said there was a feeling among Bush and Obama administration officials that past Army generals were tainted by their experiences leading those fights.

But time has passed. Dempsey is considered among the group of Army generals who helped set a new course in Iraq, making him an attractive candidate for the chairman post.

Dempsey was deputy commander of U.S. Central Command from August 2007 to March 2008, and was Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq commander from August 2005 to August 2007. He became Army chief on April 11.

Dempsey worked closely in Iraq with Gen. David Petraeus, who has been tapped as the next Central Intelligence Agency director.

Moving Dempsey from a short stint as Army chief also clears up another conundrum for the White House: What to do with highly regarded Odierno, who made a name for himself as the top U.S. commander in Iraq from September 2008 until September 2010.

Odierno was sent to Norfolk, Va., last fall as the new U.S. Joint Forces Command chief. His main task there? To close down the organization and help move its essential parts to other military entities.

Shifting Dempsey into the top officer’s job would allow the administration to make Odierno the next Army chief of staff, multiple defense sources said.

An Army chairman would mean the vice chairman would have to come from one of the other services, and multiple defense sources echoed the blog’s report that Schwartz is the leading contender to take over that post.

http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/d...-chairman-post

[Pete]

"......Senior Army officials and ground service proponents have long wanted to take back the post, according to defense sources. Since the position was created in 1942, eight of the 17 chairmen have been Army generals.

The ground service led the way in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, which did not play out as intended. Defense insiders have said there was a feeling among Bush and Obama administration officials that past Army generals were tainted by their experiences leading those fights.

But time has passed. Dempsey is considered among the group of Army generals who helped set a new course in Iraq, making him an attractive candidate for the chairman post............."

Tainted????????? WTFO.

[The Reaper]

Stavridis does not have a good rep from his time as the SOUTHCOM Commander.

Anyone else notice that he had to pose with his cuff rank visible?

An Army Chairman would be a breath of fresh air in what had recently become a Naval Service leadership club.

TR

[longrange1947]

Just possibly we can get some Army blood back into the SO Command slots.

Dempsey is not qualified to carry the generator, nor would I trust him to lie still in an LP/OP - Security position 500 meters from the objective.

Bet a Buffalo Nickel he would fail most Level 1 common tasks.

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by wet dog

Dempsey is not qualified to carry the generator, nor would I trust him to lie still in an LP/OP - Security position 500 meters from the objective.

Bet a Buffalo Nickel he would fail most Level 1 common tasks.

Don't know Dempsey. Looks like he is a Cav guy.

Odierno is a good man, he would be great in any leadership position.

TR

[LarryW]

Stavridis does not have a good rep from his time as the SOUTHCOM Commander.

Anyone else notice that he had to pose with his cuff rank visible?

An Army Chairman would be a breath of fresh air in what had recently become a Naval Service leadership club.

TR

(Rolling over in my Navy grave and I'm not even dead yet...)

I agree.

[Richard]

UPDATE - I just saw the report on the evening news.

Richard

Army Chief Picked To Head Joint Chiefs
AP, 25 May 2011

A general installed just last month as the Army's top officer is President Barack Obama's surprise choice to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two people familiar with the selection process said Wednesday.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, an accomplished veteran of the Iraq war, would succeed Navy Adm. Mike Mullen as the president's top military adviser when Mullen's term as chairman ends Sept. 30. Dempsey would have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Two people familiar with the choice, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it has not been announced by the White House, said it is scheduled to be made public on Tuesday.

Dempsey is a surprise choice because he just began a four-year term as Army chief of staff on April 11.

Marine Gen. James Cartwright had long been rumored to be Obama's favorite as the next Joint Chiefs chairman. But Obama informed Cartwright over the weekend that he was no longer a candidate, a defense official said on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations.

It is not unusual for a service chief like Dempsey to be promoted to chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but rarely, if ever, has one been elevated so quickly. Mullen was selected after serving as the Navy's chief for a little over two years.

Cartwright, the current vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, has been a close adviser to the president, routinely shuttling back and forth to the White House, often as a stand-in when Mullen was traveling. Mullen's term began in 2007 under President George W. Bush, and Obama nominated him for a second two-year term in 2009.

Cartwright's chances were hurt by private criticism of his management style and the public release of a Pentagon investigation into claims of misconduct with a young female aide.

The Pentagon's inspector general cleared Cartwright of the most serious claims, which suggested he'd had an improper relationship with the woman. But the investigation found that he mishandled an incident in which the aide was drunk and either passed out or fell asleep in his hotel room, where he was working, as his security personnel stood nearby.

Army Gen. Ray Odierno is said to be a top candidate to replace Demspey as Army chief. Odierno is currently commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, which is being dismantled in a Pentagon reorganization.

Dempsey fits the bill as among the most battle-tested of today's four-star generals, with two tours of duty in Iraq and a stint as acting commander of Central Command, which covers most of Central Asia and the Middle East. Not well known publicly, he has a reputation inside the Army for forthrightness and innovative thinking.

Choosing a successor to Mullen is the latest in a string of changes at the top of Obama's national security team. He recently nominated CIA Director Leon Panetta to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary this summer, and he picked Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, to succeed Panetta at the CIA.

The Petraeus and Panetta moves also are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

By law, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs is the senior military adviser to the president and the defense secretary but does not command any troops. As its top officer, the chairman serves as the public face of the military and frequently interacts with foreign military leaders. Most chairmen serve two terms of two years each, although Gates in 2007 decided not to recommend a second term for Gen. Peter Pace, who was the first Marine to be chairman.

The last Army general to hold the chairman's post was Hugh Shelton, from 1997-2001.

Dempsey commanded the 1st Armored Division in Iraq in 2003-04 and later was in charge of U.S. training of Iraqi security forces. He later was tapped to take over U.S. Army Europe, but that changed abruptly in early 2008 when Navy Adm. William J. Fallon stepped down as commander of Central Command and Gates asked Dempsey to temporarily take on that job. At the time, Dempsey was deputy commander under Fallon.

In December 2008, he moved on to head U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and served there until early this year. In that job, he was responsible for steering the Army's thinking on how to fight wars, large and small.

Dan Goure, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute, applauded the Dempsey selection.

"He has both field experience and experience in defining strategy and doctrine for the military," Goure said. "He is an extraordinarily well respected Army leader, and in particular this puts the Army now in critical positions for continuing the war on terror, with David Petraeus at CIA and Marty Dempsey now as chairman."

On the day he become Army chief of staff, Dempsey wrote in a brief note to all soldiers that while the Army and other branches of the military are likely to face declining budgets, the Army must never skimp on three qualities: trust, discipline and fitness.

"These qualities have to exist in every unit and in every soldier of our Army all the time," he wrote. "When I come to visit your organization ... I'll want to know what you're doing to develop a climate of trust, to ensure the discipline of your soldiers, and to increase the fitness of the force."

With Cartwright's term as vice chairman ending in August, Obama also is preparing to select his successor. Among those mentioned most prominently is the current Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz.

Schwartz took over the Air Force three years ago when Gates sacked the service's top civilian and uniformed leaders in a dustup over a series of nuclear-related mishaps. Since then, Schwartz has been credited with quietly restoring proper oversight of the mission and rebuilding Gates' confidence in the Air Force.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110525/...y_joint_chiefs

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by Pete

Tainted????????? WTFO.

I wonder to what extent the current administration is seeking to undo Rumsfeld's work? According to Dale R. Herspring, Rumsfeld made political ideology a priority when tapping flag officers for promotion.

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Anyone else notice that [Stravridis] had to pose with his cuff rank visible?

TR--

FWIW, the pose is consistent with that of other flag officers <<LINK>>.

Then again, given his height, the admiral may merely have been trying to hold himself up high enough to be in the photo. (Hey, I can joke about this--some of my best friends are short.)

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

I wonder to what extent the current administration is seeking to undo Rumsfeld's work? According to Dale R. Herspring, Rumsfeld made political ideology a priority when tapping flag officers for promotion.
TR--

FWIW, the pose is consistent with that of other flag officers <<LINK>>.

Then again, given his height, the admiral may merely have been trying to hold himself up high enough to be in the photo. (Hey, I can joke about this--some of my best friends are short.)

I don't see any other flag officers but other Admirals doing it.

TR

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

FWIW, the pose is consistent with that of other flag officers.

Not just flag officers - the cuff braid is how USN and USCG Officers have (with few exceptions) nearly always shown their rank in their official command photos when wearing their coats - USA, USAF, and USMC have their rank on their epaulets and generally don't follow the same protocol.

Look at the official pics of the USN/USCG at the top levels of the DOD:

http://www.defense.gov/bios/

BTW - notice the missing UCC CDR?

Richard

Dempsey fits the bill as among the most battle-tested of today's four-star generals.

Question: How are 4 star generals being battle tested these days?

Must they pick their staff or do they work with what's given to them?

Could a mid level grocery store executive responsible for 100 stores and 25,000 employees and vendors do the same thing? Mission critical and time sensitive inititives are closely related to droopy celery and bad bananas, right?

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by wet dog

Dempsey fits the bill as among the most battle-tested of today's four-star generals.

Question: How are 4 star generals being battle tested these days?

Must they pick their staff or do they work with what's given to them?

Could a mid level grocery store executive responsible for 100 stores and 25,000 employees and vendors do the same thing? Mission critical and time sensitive inititives are closely related to droopy celery and bad bananas, right?

By having a deployment at some point in their careers in a combat zone.

They wanted to pick Cartright, he has NEVER been in a combat zone, as I understand it. We have been continuously at war on multiple fronts for almost ten years now.

How could you be a career marine over 30, and have never been to a combat zone? Better yet, how could a promotion board make you a BG, and then promote you three more times during the war without you ever going?

I noticed that ADM Mullen isn't showing anything but his face in his photo.

Now why are half the squids wearing headgear, and the others are not? Do Admirals design/pick their own uniforms? No 670-1 for them, eh?

TR

Originally Posted by The Reaper

By having a deployment at some point in their careers in a combat zone.

They wanted to pick Cartright, he has NEVER been in a combat zone, as I understand it. We have been continuously at war on multiple fronts for almost ten years now.

How could you be a career marine over 30, and have never been to a combat zone? Better yet, how could a promotion board make you a BG, and then promote you three more times during the war without you ever going?

I noticed that ADM Mullen isn't showing anything but his face in his photo.

Now why are half the squids wearing headgear, and the others are not? Do Admirals design/pick their own uniforms? No 670-1 for them, eh?

TR

I love ya brother, you always cut deep.

[MtnGoat]

Originally Posted by wet dog

I love ya brother, you always cut deep.

Yeah and TR wills a blade by Mr. Harsey.