James Stavridis working on humanitarian issues as well as military ones as new head of SouthCom
For the first time, the US Southern Command, the Pentagon's combatant command with responsibility for military operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean, is headed by a Navy officer.
He is Adm. James Stavridis, 52, whose career has included service as a surface-warfare officer as commander of the carrier Strike Group, which conducted combat operations in the Arabian Gulf during the Gulf War and the current US operation in Iraq.
The admiral's onshore service has included strategic and long-range planning on the staffs of the chief of naval operations and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Before moving into his role at Southern Command late last year, the South Florida native was senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, at the Pentagon.
Adm. Stavridis was interviewed at the Southern Command headquarters in Doral by Miami Today international editor Michael Hayes.
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