thedrifter
05-11-07, 08:34 AM
SEAL tapped to head SOCom, add fourth star
By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 11, 2007 5:28:18 EDT
Defense Secretary Robert Gates nominated Vice Adm. Eric Olson on Thursday to replace retiring Army Gen. Bryan “Doug” Brown as head of U.S. Special Operations Command.
Olson currently serves as SOCom’s deputy commander.
If approved by the Senate, Olson would become the first Navy admiral to head the elite command since its inception in 1987. The admiral would be only the second non-Army general officer to lead SOCom. Air Force Gen. Charles Holland was SOCom commander from 2000 to 2003.
Olson is a 1973 Naval Academy graduate and served as a Navy SEAL in several overseas tours. He led Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, Calif., from 1999 until he became SOCom deputy in 2003. He would be the first Navy SEAL officer to achieve the rank of full admiral.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, special operations forces have taken a prominent role in the war on terrorism. The command consists of 46,000 Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy forces. The majority of the force, about 26,000 troops, belongs to the Army component, according to Army Lt. Col. Hans Bush, a SOCom spokesman. The 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review called for the expansion of SOCom by 17,000 by 2012 — growth the command is currently undergoing, Bush said.
If Olson is approved by the Senate, the Navy would head a majority of the Pentagon’s seven combatant commands. The SEAL officer would join the ranks of Adm. William Fallon, head of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Timothy Keating, head of U.S. Pacific Command and Adm. James Stavridis, head of U.S. Southern Command.
A Senate Armed Services Committee spokeswoman said a date has yet to be set for Olson’s confirmation hearing.
Ellie
By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 11, 2007 5:28:18 EDT
Defense Secretary Robert Gates nominated Vice Adm. Eric Olson on Thursday to replace retiring Army Gen. Bryan “Doug” Brown as head of U.S. Special Operations Command.
Olson currently serves as SOCom’s deputy commander.
If approved by the Senate, Olson would become the first Navy admiral to head the elite command since its inception in 1987. The admiral would be only the second non-Army general officer to lead SOCom. Air Force Gen. Charles Holland was SOCom commander from 2000 to 2003.
Olson is a 1973 Naval Academy graduate and served as a Navy SEAL in several overseas tours. He led Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, Calif., from 1999 until he became SOCom deputy in 2003. He would be the first Navy SEAL officer to achieve the rank of full admiral.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, special operations forces have taken a prominent role in the war on terrorism. The command consists of 46,000 Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy forces. The majority of the force, about 26,000 troops, belongs to the Army component, according to Army Lt. Col. Hans Bush, a SOCom spokesman. The 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review called for the expansion of SOCom by 17,000 by 2012 — growth the command is currently undergoing, Bush said.
If Olson is approved by the Senate, the Navy would head a majority of the Pentagon’s seven combatant commands. The SEAL officer would join the ranks of Adm. William Fallon, head of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Timothy Keating, head of U.S. Pacific Command and Adm. James Stavridis, head of U.S. Southern Command.
A Senate Armed Services Committee spokeswoman said a date has yet to be set for Olson’s confirmation hearing.
Ellie