Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced Wednesday that the president has tapped Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, and Navy Adm. John M. Richardson, to lead their respective branches in the years to come, pending confirmation by the Senate. Carter hailed Milley as a “warrior and a statesman,” and Richardson as a “go-to officer.”
Of Richardson, he is seen as someone who “has the ability to disagree without being disagreeable,” said retired Adm. James Stavridis. Milley will replace Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who described his successor as “an experienced, combat-tested and caring leader.”