Bush selects Myers to head Joint Chiefs;
Marine general picked as Vice Chairman
By Lisa Burgess,
Washington bureau
Gen. Richard B. Myers
Gen. Myers |
BORN — March 1, 1942, in Kansas City, Mo.
EDUCATION — B.S. in mechanical engineering, Kansas
State University, 1965; master’s degree in business administration from Auburn
University, 1977; attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base,
Ala., in 1977; the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., in 1981; and the Program for Senior
Executives in National and International Security at the John F. Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard, 1991.
EXPERIENCE — Entered the Air Force in 1965 through
the Reserve Officer Training Corps program; commander of U.S. forces in Japan and the 5th
Air Force in Yokota Air Base in Japan, 1993-1996; assistant to the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, 1996 to 1997; commander of U.S. Air Forces in the Pacific, 1997 to 1998;
commander of the Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado,
1998-2000; vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spring 2000-present. He has logged
more than 4,000 flying hours in the T-33, C-21, F-4, F-15 and F-16, including 600 combat
hours in the F-4.
From The Associated Press |
WASHINGTON — President Bush announced his choice of Air Force Gen. Richard B.
Myers as the 15th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, calling his choices "one of
the most important appointments a president can make."
Bush selected Marine Gen. Peter Pace as Vice Chairman — the first time a Marine
has been tapped for that post.
Myers and Pace joined Bush at the president’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, for the
announcement. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was also present.
In a news conference announcing the nominations, Bush called Myers "a man of
steady resolve and determined leadership," adding that Myers "understands that
the strengths of the armed forces are our people and our technological superiority."
A fighter pilot and Vietnam War veteran, Myers will succeed Army Gen. Henry Shelton,
who will retire Sept. 30. Myers currently holds the No. 2 position, Vice Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Myers "is a man of the prairies who has conquered the skies," Rumsfeld said.
"His career is the embodiment of transformation with which he’ll now be
charged."
If approved by the Senate, Myers will be the first Air Force general to hold the
chairmanship since Air Force Gen. David Jones, who served in the post from 1978 to 1982.
A booster of military space projects, and an exceptionally well-rounded officer with
extensive experience in both in command positions in Asia, Myers seems to be a natural fit
for the chairmanship under the Bush administration.
Myers, and not Shelton, has been the Joint Staff’s most visible participant in
devising the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), a Congressionally mandated, midrange
guidance tool that lays out the military’s view of threats, military capabilities,
and strategies. The QDR, due on Capitol Hill on Sept. 30, is a priority for Rumsfeld.
"I have had the great good fortune to work closely with Gen Myers … we have
met for hours and hours, days on end," Rumsfeld said.
Rumsfeld praised Myers for his "candor, sound judgment, keen insight, fiber and
good humor."
When Myers reached the podium, he glanced at his wife and pointed to exactly where she
should stand. She saluted and said "Yes, sir!" to laughs from the audience.
With a smile, Myers responded, "That’s not how it works most of the
time."
Gen. Peter Pace
Gen. Pace |
BORN — Nov. 5, 1945, in
Brooklyn, N.Y.
EDUCATION —
Received his commission in June 1967, following graduation from the United States Naval
Academy. He also holds a masters degree in Business Administration from George Washington
University (1972).
EXPERIENCE —
Upon completion of The Basic School, Quantico, Va., in 1968, he was assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Republic of Vietnam.
Served from June 1983, until June
1985, as Commanding Officer, 2d Battalion, 1st Marines.
Assigned to the Combined/Joint
Staff in Seoul, Korea. He served as Chief, Ground Forces Branch until April 1987, when he
became Executive Officer to the Assistant Chief of Staff, C/J/G3, United Nations
Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea/Eighth United States Army.
Served as Deputy Commander, Marine
Forces, Somalia from December 1992-February 1993, and as the Deputy Commander, Joint Task
Force-Somalia from October 1993-March 1994. Assigned as the Deputy Commander/Chief of
Staff, U.S. Forces, Japan. Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Atlantic/Europe/South with
Headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia; Stuttgart, Germany; and Miami, Florida. Advanced to his
current grade and assumed duties as Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command on Sept. 8,
2000.
Courtesy
of www.usmc.mil |
Pace, who currently heads U.S. Southern Command in Miami, Fla., is also a Vietnam
veteran. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Pace served on the Combined/Joint Staff in Seoul,
Korea, and later as the Deputy Commander/Chief of Staff, U.S. Forces, Japan. He was also a
key player in the Marines’ Somalia operations from December 1992 to March 1994.
"This is an incredibly humbling moment in my life," Pace said. "I do not
doubt the size of the workload, but I couldn’t ask to be on a better team."
Myers’ experience as commander of U.S. Forces Japan from 1993 to 1996, and
commander of Pacific Air Forces from 1996 to 1997, fits in well with the possibility that
the QDR may recommend shifting the military’s focus from Europe to Asia.
In addition to his assistance with the QDR, Myers is well known as an advocate of
military space operations — which gives Bush an important ally in the
president’s quest to deploy a national missile defense shield. Myers headed the U.S.
Space Command in Colorado from 1998 to 2000, and is familiar with the highly technical
issues that surround the project.
"One of the reasons I chose Myers … is because he’s had a lot of
experience in space and leading-edge of technology, which is becoming more and more
prevalent in the military," Bush said.
The selection process that led to Myers’ appointment to lead the Joint Chiefs was
unusually drawn out this time around, according to military and civilian officials who
observed the process.
Although a number of well-known senior officers had their names floated for the post,
Myers’ closest competitor for the chairmanship was Chief of Naval Operations Adm.
Vern Clark, Pentagon officials said.
Myers was the personal choice of Rumsfeld, who supposedly talked the former fighter
pilot out of plans to retire once his vice-chairmanship was over, according to a senior
joint chiefs officer.
But when President Bush interviewed Myers and Clark at the White House in July, Bush
preferred Clark to the more soft-spoken, laid-back Air Force general, the officer said.
At a news conference last Friday, Rumsfeld said Bush had chosen the new chief, but he
refused to give a name.
But in a move that fueled speculation among the staff that Rumsfeld managed to convince
Bush to accept Myers last week, Rumsfeld walked from his offices on the third floor of the
Pentagon to Myers’ office on the second floor to talk with the Air Force general.
"People go to Rumsfeld, he doesn’t come to them," the officer said.
"It was unusual, to say the least.
ON THE WEB:
Secretary
Rumsfeld's comments on the nominations
Current
JCS Chairman Gen. Henry H. Shelton's comments
Back to August stories
Page Two news roundup
Stories from July, 2001
Stories from June, 2001
Stories from May, 2001
Stories from April, 2001
Stories from March, 2001
Stories from February,2001
Stories from January, 2001
Stories from December, 2000
Stories from November, 2000
Stories from October, 2000
Stories from August and September, 2000
Stories from June and July, 2000
Home |
