The announcement comes as a surprise that Pace will retire after his term is up when President Bush was ready to nominate him another two-year term as the chairman of Joint Chiefs Staff. The new nominee for senior military adviser would be Adm. Michael Mullin, the current chief of naval operations. Mullen was in Annapolis at the Naval Academy on Friday when the new nomination was announced. His spokesman, Cmdr. John Kirby, said Mullen was honored.
The announcement is out of the expectation for some senior Pentagon officials who were convinced lately that Pace would continue a second term. Gates said in terms of Pace’s departure, “the focus of his confirmation process would have been on the past rather than the future,” and he was disappointed that circumstances make this kind of a decision necessary Other members of Congress discussed about the new announcement, preferring to offer praise for both Pace and Mullen.
Mullen has served as chief of Naval Operations since July 2005. His previous assignments included being commander of the NATO Joint Force Command Naples and commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe.
Pace was first appointed vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs in the previous four years and had been at the post of chairman for two years. He has been involved in all of the key decisions leading to the 2002 invasion of Iraq and the planning for the post-Saddam Hussein era.
Pace’s job as highly praised by Bush saying that his job “has been to help ensure that America's military forces are prepared to meet the threats of this new century.” He has “relied on his unvarnished military judgment, and I value his candor, his integrity, and his friendship,” said Bush. Gates also commended that Pace had devoted all his life to serve the country and he deserves the deepest thanks of the American people for his leadership.
The information from New York Times and NPR has been used in this article.
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