Defense Media Network

Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva Confirmed as Vice Chairman of JCS

Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva was confirmed by the Senate last week as the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a DOD release. Selva’s confirmation as the 10th vice chairman followed the Senate’s confirmation of Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, Jr. as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing Army Gen. Martin Dempsey.

Selva now becomes the nation’s second-highest-ranking military officer, replacing Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld, Jr. He is a command pilot with more than 3100 hours in the C-5, C-17A, C-141B, C-37, KC-10, KC-135A and T-37.

“I want to congratulate Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford and Air Force Gen. Paul Selva on being confirmed as chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” said Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter in a statement. “Both have proven their mettle throughout their careers – from Gen. Dunford’s first years as an infantryman to his leadership both in Afghanistan and of the Marine Corps, and from Gen. Selva’s early days as a pilot to his leadership of our military’s Transportation Command. I look forward to working with them closely in their new roles, and I know that President Obama and I – and our nation’s security – will benefit greatly from their sage counsel and strategic perspective gained over years of operational experience.

Selva now becomes the nation’s second-highest-ranking military officer, replacing Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld, Jr. He is a command pilot with more than 3100 hours in the C-5, C-17A, C-141B, C-37, KC-10, KC-135A and T-37.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1980 and later Master of Science degrees in management and human relations as well as in political science. He previously served, from May 2014 to July 2015, commander U.S. Transportation Command; November 2012 to May 2014, as commander, Air Mobility Command; from October 2011 to November 2012, as vice commander, Pacific Air Forces; and from October 2008 to October 2011, as assistant to then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen.

“It is truly humbling to represent the men and women who wear the uniform of our nation and our civilian workforce,” Selva said in the release. “You exemplify the best our country has to offer, and I promise to be a passionate advocate to ensure we remain the best-trained, best-led, best-equipped and most capable military in the world.”