Wednesday, July 2, 2014

New U.S. Special Operations Chief's Main Focus Will Be On WMDs And Terrorists

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel meets with Lt. Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of Joint Special Operations Command, at Fort Bragg, N.C., on April 23. Hagel announced on Tuesday that President Obama has selected Votel to serve as the next four-star commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. (DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo)

WMDs And Terrorists Among Top Concerns For New Special Ops Pick -- Washington Times

Obama nominated general to replace Adm. McRaven

TAMPA, Fla. — Keeping weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorists has become a key technological area of focus for special operations, according to the Army general recently nominated to head U.S. Special Operations Command.

Noting concerns over the safeguarding of old stockpiles of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons around the world, Lt. Gen. Joseph Votel said the “nightmare is them falling into the hands of Sunni extremists or other extremist ideologists who have no problem using them.”

“We do see violent extremist organizations and others continue to exert a desire to acquire these types of weapons. So our ability to detect and neutralize them effectively will be a key piece for our country,” said Gen. Votel, an Army Ranger who heads Joint Special Operations Command, which includes elite units such as Delta Force and SEAL Team 6.

On June 24, President Obama nominated Gen. Votel, 56, to succeed Navy Adm. William McRaven as commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. His nomination awaits Senate approval.

Read more ....

My Comment: Some interesting background information on General Votel is here.

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