U.S. Senate confirms Dunford as next top military officer

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Barack Obama's nominee, Marine General Joseph Dunford, as the next chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dunford, current commandant of the Marine Corps since October 2014, is to succeed Army General Martin Dempsey on Oct. 1 as the top U.S. military officer. Dempsey will retire in September after serving the U.S. military for 41 years.

Obama, while announcing Dunford's nomination in May, praised Dunford as one of American military's "most highly regarded strategic thinkers", as demonstrated in his role in ending the U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan.

Dunford, who began his career as an infantry officer and has commanded at all levels, headed the Afghanistan war coalition in 2013 and 2014.

"Under his steady hand, we've achieved key milestones, including the transition to Afghan responsibility for security, historic Afghan elections, and the drawdown of U.S. forces," said Obama.

At his confirmation hearing held by the Senate early this month, Dunford described Russia as a nation that "could pose an existential threat to the United States." "And if you look at their behavior, it's nothing short of alarming," he said.

But the White House and the State Department immediately distanced themselves from Dunford's remarks by saying that the U.S. government did not view Russia as an existential threat despite its disagreements with Moscow on many issues.

Dunford, 59, is a native of Boston, capital of Massachusetts state, and holds master's degrees in government from Georgetown University and international relations from Tufts University. Endi