Senate OKs Joint Chiefs, other top defense appointees

The U.S. Senate has approved the nominations of six military commanders to some of the nation’s top defense positions, including those of chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reports Defense News.

The new appointments include Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as JCS chairman; Adm. James Winnefeld as JCS vice chair; Gen. Raymond Odierno as U.S. Army chief of staff; Adm. Jonathan Greenert as chief of naval operations; U.S. Air Force Gen. William Fraser as commander of U.S. Transportation Command; and Army Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby as commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta congratulated the six officials on their new positions, according to a Defense Department press release, saying, “I look forward to working closely with all of these outstanding leaders to ensure that America's military remains the finest in the world and that our men and women in uniform, and the families who support them, get what they need as they work tirelessly to safeguard our great nation.”