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Immediate Release

Statement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser

 I want to congratulate Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser on his nomination to serve as commander, U.S. Forces AFRICOM, and his promotion, if approved by Congress, to general.
 
Over the course of his three decades as a Marine, including service in Operation Desert Storm, leading some of our first troops into Afghanistan after Sept. 11th, and his most recent service in the Pentagon as director for joint force development, Lt. Gen. Waldhauser has demonstrated through strong military leadership, excellent political-military experience, and superb management skills, why he is the perfect pick for this dynamic command.
 
Every day, the men and women of AFRICOM perform a wide range of critical and important missions, including building partner capacity, enabling regional forces and combating the metastasis of ISIL and other violent extremists. I am confident that Lt. Gen. Waldhauser will bring the same caliber of strong and steady leadership to AFRICOM that Gen. David Rodriguez has brought to the command for the past three years, and I hope Congress will act quickly on Lt. Gen. Waldhauser's nomination.