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Pentagon picks Welsh to replace retiring Schwartz
Air Force Gen. Mark Welsh III is being tapped to replace Gen. Norton Schwartz as Air Force chief of staff, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Thursday.
Panetta said at a Pentagon press briefing Thursday that President Obama had selected Welsh to replace the retiring Schwartz.
Welsh, who must be confirmed by the Senate, is currently the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, a job he’s held since December 2010. Schwartz is planning to retire this summer.
Welsh will take over as service chief of the Air Force as it’s locked in a fierce budget battle with Congress, particularly over cuts to the Air National Guard. The House Armed Services Committee passed an amendment to the defense authorization bill Wednesday that would require the Air Force to maintain 2012 funding levels of the Guard, despite the Pentagon’s plans to cut aircraft and personnel this year.
Panetta said Thursday that he worked with Welsh when he was CIA director, saying that he “developed a deep appreciation for his wisdom and his counsel.”
Welsh was associate director for military affairs at the CIA from August 2008 to 2010.
