Paul Selva Confirmed as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

The U.S. Senate last week confirmed Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva as the 10th vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The nation’s second-highest-ranking military officer is a pilot and most recently was commander of U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Also last week, the Senate confirmed Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Defense Secretary Ash Carter congratulated both leaders in a statement.

Carter said both men had proved “their mettle throughout their careers, from Gen. Dunford’s first years as an infantryman to his leadership both in Afghanistan and of the Marine Corps, and from Gen. Selva’s early days as a pilot to his leadership of our military’s Transportation Command.”

Selva is a command pilot with more than 3,100 hours in the C-5, KC-135A and other aircraft. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1980 from the U.S. Air Force Academy and later earned Master of Science degrees in management and human relations and in political science.

From October 2008 to October 2011, he served as assistant to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen.

Selva expressed his gratitude and that of his wife, Ricki. The two met while attending the Air Force Academy, and Ricky also served in the Air Force.

Photo courtesy: U.S. Department of Defense