US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he was nominating Army chief of staff General Mark Milley as his next top military advisor -- a new slap in the face for Pentagon chief Jim Mattis.
Milley, a four-star general who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, would replace General Joseph Dunford as the military's next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Dunford is scheduled to retire in October 2019 at the end of his second two-year term.
"I am thankful to both of these incredible men for their service to our Country!" Trump said on Twitter in making the announcement.
"Mark is a great gentleman, great soldier. I look forward to that," Trump then told reporters before heading to the annual Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia.
But in choosing the 60-year-old Milley, a graduate of Princeton University known for his combat command experience, Trump went against the wishes of Mattis, who reportedly favoured Air Force General David Goldfein.
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That choice would have been in keeping with a tradition of rotating the post among the services. Dunford is a Marine Corps general.
There has not been an Air Force officer in the chairman's post since 2005. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is made up of the heads of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and National Guard.
Dunford quickly offered his congratulations to Milley. "He has served with General Milley in peacetime and in combat and has the highest regard for his leadership," said Dunford's spokesman, Colonel Patrick Ryder.
Milley must be confirmed by the US Senate. He would take the position for a four-year term, after a new law was passed last year doubling the term length to better ensure continuity. Trump said the transition date was "to be determined," in a sign that Dunford might go sooner rather than later, but Ryder noted: "All indications are that General Dunford will serve his full term."
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