Pace is being replaced

Peter Pace is retiring according to Reuters:

The top U.S. military officer, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, will retire at the end of his term later this year and be replaced as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.

Think Progress has more on Pace's departure -- and his replacement:

Pace is the first Joint Chiefs Chairman not to be renominated for a second term since the military was centralized under the joint chiefs position 21 years ago. The selection of Mullen also marks the first time in 21 years when both the head of the Joint Chiefs and the CentCom Commander, Adm. William Fallon, have been Navy officers.

Some insight on Mullen can be gained from a speech he gave to sailors in Pearl Harbor in Feb. 2007:

In his opening remarks, Mullen, a Vietnam War veteran, told Pearl Harbor sailors: “I honestly believe this is the most dangerous time in my life.

“The enemy now is basically evil and fundamentally hates everything we are — the democratic principles for which we stand … This war is going to go on for a long time. It’s a generational war.”