U.S. Senate Confirms Myers as New Military ChiefThe U.S. Senate Friday unanimously confirmed Air Force General Richard Myers to lead the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff.As chairman of the Joint Chiefs, which groups the heads of the military services, Myers becomes a key player in U.S. national security planning and will be charged with carrying out the military's expected war on terrorism. Myers, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, is a fighter pilot by training. He entered the Air Force in 1965 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Kansas State University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. He also holds a master's degree in business administration from Auburn University. He has been Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs since February 2000. Before that, he spent two years simultaneously heading the Space Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, at Colorado Springs, Colorado. He also has served as commander of Pacific Air Forces, based at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and as commander of U.S. forces in Japan. Myers,59, has had extensive experience on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During Army General John Shalikashvili's tenure as Joint Chiefs chairman, Myers was his principal assistant. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest- ranking American military officer and top military adviser to both the president and the secretary of defense. He serves a two-year term and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. |
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