Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. has been one of the Pentagon’s most visible senior military officials over the past year. (Alex Brandon/AP)President Trump on Wednesday nominated a veteran Marine officer to head U.S. Central Command and oversee the ongoing insurgent wars across the Middle East. McKenzie has been one of the Pentagon’s most visible senior military officials over the past year, regularly briefing reporters on operational issues along with the department’s civilian spokeswoman. He later oversaw military planning at Centcom and served as the commander of all Marine forces in the Middle East from 2014 to 2015. Derek Chollet, who was a senior Pentagon official during the Obama administration, said McKenzie’s qualifications included deep experience in both operations and military policy.

Source: Washington Post August 22, 2018 22:13 UTC