Gen. Joseph Dunford, most recently the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, took over as commandant of the Marine Corps on Friday in a ceremony at the Marine Barracks in Washington.
Dunford replaces Gen. James Amos, whom he served as assistant commandant from October 2010 to December 2012. As commandant, Dunford will replace Amos on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The 58-year-old Boston native earned his nickname, “Fightin’ Joe” Dunford as a regimental commander in Iraq during the 2003 invasion. He takes over the Marines just as the Corps is shrinking due to budget cuts and shifting focus away from 13 years of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq back to its amphibious mission.
In a letter to Marines distributed after the change of command, Dunford said one of his priorities as commandant was “developing and fielding … capabilities that will ensure that the Marine Corps remains an innovative, relevant, naval, expeditionary force-in-readiness.”
