WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday morning announced on Twitter that he nominates General Mark Milley, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"I am pleased to announce my nomination of four-star General Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the United States Army - as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," the president tweeted.
If confirmed by the Senate, Milley, 60, will replace the current chairman, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., who is due to step down next fall.
"Date of transition to be determined," Trump added in the tweet.
Trump had been expected to make the announcement at the Army-Navy game on Saturday, but made the announcement on Twitter instead.
Local media said that typically, the successor to the chairman would not be selected until next year, given that Dunford is due to serve until Oct. 1, 2019.
Dunford was nominated to the post in 2015 by former President Barack Obama. Trump nominated him for a second two-year term last year.
A graduate of Princeton University, Milley served as a Green Beret and later commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He assumed duty as the chief of staff of the Army in 2015 after serving as the commander of Army Forces at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff oversees U.S. global military operations and serves as the president's chief adviser on military-related matters.
