Military

22 April 2005

Bush Names Marine General Pace to Become Joint Chiefs Chairman

Navy Admiral Giambastiani selected for vice chairman

By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington –- President Bush announced April 22 his nomination of Marine General Peter Pace to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when Air Force General Richard Myers retires from that position at the end of September.

Pace, who will be the first Marine to be chairman, is currently serving as vice chairman of the military service chiefs.  Myers also rose to his current position after having served first as the vice chairman; Myers and Pace (if confirmed by the Senate) are the only two officers to follow this specific promotion path to become the principal military adviser to the president and secretary of defense.  Typically, a Joint Chiefs chairman serves one or two two-year terms.

President Bush thanked Myers for his service during a White House ceremony, saying, “As my most senior military adviser, General Myers has helped prepare our military forces so they can meet the threats of this new century.”

In nominating Pace, Bush described his life as an example of the American dream: he was born in Brooklyn, the son of an Italian immigrant, who grew up in New Jersey and went on to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy.  He served in Vietnam as a platoon leader in South Korea and commanded U.S. Marines in Somalia.  Pace also served for one year as the commander of the U.S. Southern Command, responsible for all U.S. military forces serving in Latin America.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the 59 year-old general will become the senior U.S. military officer upon assuming the position, a status held by Myers since October 2001.  Pace holds a master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University, and has received many military honors, including the Defense Department’s Distinguished Service Medal.

As the current vice chairman, Pace is not expected to undergo a transition period.  Bush said he already “knows the job well,” having been involved intimately in planning the War on Terror and military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For more information about Myers, Pace and the organization see the Joint Chiefs Web site.

The president also named Navy Admiral Edmund Giambastiani to be the next vice chairman when Pace takes on his new duties in the fall.  Giambastiani has served concurrent terms as the commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia, and as the NATO’s supreme allied commander for transformation.  In the latter role, he has been instrumental in the effort to streamline the alliance’s organizational structure and other measures designed to improve its military effectiveness.  He, too, must be confirmed by the Senate for his new assignment.

The 56-year old Giambastiani, a submariner, also graduated from the Naval Academy.  He is well known in Washington because, prior to his Norfolk assignment, he served as senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

After leaving the post with Rumsfeld, he continued efforts to transform the military into a leaner, more agile and better-equipped instrument to meet uncertain 21st century threats. The president said that as a transformation expert, Giambastiani “has been leading the effort to bring reform to the NATO military so our alliance is prepared for the threats of tomorrow.”

For more information about Giambastiani, see his current command’s Web site.

The full transcript of the president’s remarks and those of the other principals as well as video of the event is available at White House Web site.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)