The White House has tapped Air Force Gen. John Hyten to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing fellow Air Force Gen. Paul Selva as the No. 2 military officer at the Pentagon.
Gen. Hyten is currently the head of U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the American nuclear arsenal as well as the U.S. military’s fleet of long-range bombers and attack aircraft.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee approved the four-star general’s nomination Tuesday, ahead of a full committee hearing in the Navy’s budget request for the next fiscal year. Outgoing Air Force Secretary announced Gen. Hyten’s nomination during a speech at a symposium on U.S. military efforts in space in Colorado Springs the same day.
The full Senate will take up the nomination within the coming weeks.
Gen. Hyten will serve as vice chief to Gen. Mark Milley, the current Army chief of staff picked by President Trump to replace Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs when his term ends later this year.
Texas Republican Rep. Mac Thornberry told reporters Tuesday that Gen. Hyten’s nomination will bring an experienced voice to the Trump administration’s national security team.
“I think he’ll do a terrific job,” he said, adding Gen. Hyten “has the background experience, but also he has the guts to say we’ve got to change, and that’s what we need.”
• Lauren Meier contributed to this story.
• Carlo Muñoz can be reached at cmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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