Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford took over as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during a Friday ceremony, where the ?outgoing Chairman, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, retired after 41 years of service. Dunford is “the kind of officer marines want to follow” and the right selection to take over leadership in a trying time, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said at the ceremony at JB Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. Dunford told a crowd of largely service members that “my focus in the coming days will be to provide them with the leadership and support they deserve.” President Obama, who also spoke at the ceremony, said he selected Dempsey in 2011 to be Chairman because “he had the steady hand we needed.” During his leadership the military was able to reassure allies in Europe, draw down in Afghanistan and Iraq, create new partnerships across the globe, build a coalition to fight ISIS, bolster cyber defenses, and halt the spread of Ebola—all during a time of “reckless” budget cuts. The next generation of troops under new leadership “will do its duty and will ensure that our nation remains strong,” Dempsey said.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.