WASHINGTON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate voted late Wednesday to confirm Lieutenant General David Berger as the new commandant of the Marine Corps.
Berger, currently serving as the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and deputy commandant of the Marine Corps, was confirmed in a voice vote. He is set to assume his new role on July 11.
He will be promoted to the rank of general with the new appointment.
Berger was nominated by the White House in March, and appeared in a confirmation hearing in late April. His confirmation vote was delayed by Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, who was believed to have reservations over the Marines' posture in Alaska and the Arctic region.
Sullivan told U.S. media Wednesday that the issue has since been resolved and he had dropped his opposition, clearing the way for the vote.
Berger, 59, was commissioned in 1981. He has fought in the Gulf War, Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.
The commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer of the U.S. Marine Corps, and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
