The next Assistant Commandant?

Hell Yeah!

Lieutenant General John M. "Jay" Paxton Jr. USMCCommanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force; and Commander, United States Marine Forces Africa
Life Member

Lieutenant General Paxton is the Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force; and Commander, United States Marine Forces Africa. Prior to his current assignment he served as Director for Operations, J-3, The Joint Staff and before that as the Chief of Staff for Multi-National Force Iraq in Baghdad. Additional General officer assignments include Commanding General, 1st Marine Division, Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruit Depot/Western Recruiting Region, and Assistant Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps, Programs and Resources (Director Programs).

Lieutenant General Paxton graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with Bachelor of Science and Master of Civil Engineering degrees. He was commissioned into the Marine Corps in 1974 through Officer Candidate School. A career Marine infantryman, the general has commanded Marines at every level from platoon through division and has served and commanded in all three active Marine Divisions (1st Bn, 3d Mar; 2nd Bn, 4th Mar; 3rd Bn, 5th; 1st Bn, 8th Mar; 1st Mar; 1st Mar Div). Lieutenant General Paxton has also served as an operations, plans and training (G3-S3) officer within Fleet Marine Force units at the battalion, regiment, division and Marine Expeditionary Force levels.

In addition to service in Iraq, Lieutenant General Paxton has operational tours supporting stability efforts in the Bosnian conflict with Landing Force Sixth Fleet (LF6F) and in Mogadishu, Somalia as United Nations Quick Reaction Force (QRF), both while commanding Battalion Landing Team (1/8). Other staff and joint assignments include the Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Navy, Amphibious Operations Officer and Executive Officer Crisis Action Team (CAT) at UNC/CFC/USFK in Korea; and in Strategic Plans Branch, Deputy Commandant Plans, Policies and Operations, Headquarters US Marine Corps. Supporting establishment commands include Company B, Marine Barracks 8th & I as a Captain and Marine Corps Recruiting Station New York, New York as a Major.

In addition to The Basic School, Lieutenant General Paxton’s professional education includes United States Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School (non resident), United States Army Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He was a Federal Executive Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution as a Lieutenant Colonel, as well as a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations as a Colonel. He has also been a Marine Corps Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Seminar XXI.

(Updated as of March 2011)

Quite obviously my approval isn't needed but this is good news.  This guy rocks, is hard as woodpecker lips and will get the job done without the associated bullshit.

An added plus...he know the battlefield AND the Washington DC jungle.  We should be well served in the coming budget wars AND see a movement back to Marine Corps fundamentals.....something that we've seen deteriorate over the past few years.
 
Somebody hit a home run.  Do I see the retired General's clubs fingerprints on this selection?