UPDATE, Mattis Approved as CENTOM Chief

Aug. 6, 2010

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

The Senate late Thursday voted Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis in as head of US Central Command. Mattis will now oversee the US military’s efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, filling the void left by the departure of Army Gen. David Petraeus at the end of June. Petraeus left CENTCOM to take charge of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan after Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal was removed from that position. Mattis has led US Joint Forces Command since November 2007. According to press reports, Mattis’ approval came via voice vote in the Senate chamber Thursday evening. (For more, see AFP report and AFPS report by Donna Miles.)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Air Force B-1s Fly Near Venezuela Again in Latest Bomber Show of Force

How New Religious Accommodation Rules for Beards Could Impact Airmen’s Careers

Here’s How the Pentagon Could Keep Paying Troops During the Shutdown

Airman Charged in M18 Shooting Death Found Dead

Related

Some Guard Troops Won’t Get Paid Until Shutdown Ends

Oct. 29, 2025
The National Guard Bureau says most units are postponing drills during the shutdown, but some states are sticking to their training schedule, resulting in a patchwork of different policies and some confusion in the ranks.

F-35s, F-16s Rapidly Deploy to Greenland for Exercise

Oct. 29, 2025
NORAD surged two F-35s, two F-16s, and a trio of KC-135s to Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland earlier this month for a “dynamic operational exercise,” testing its ability to rapidly deploy forces in the Arctic.

US Airstrikes Destroy 4 Alleged Drug Boats, Kill 14

Oct. 28, 2025
The U.S. military conducted airstrikes against four boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Oct. 27, killing 14 people that the Trump administration alleges were engaged in drug smuggling, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on social media. It is the first time the U.S. has conducted multiple strikes in…

Pentagon Nominee on Consolidating Space Force and NRO: ‘Open to All Options’

Oct. 28, 2025
Marc Berkowitz, the Trump administration’s nominee to serve as assistant secretary of defense for space policy, told lawmakers he would consider “all options” for improving the efficiency of the national security space enterprise, including combining some functions of the Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office.