The Pentagon announced a major series of leadership nominations across the U.S. military, signaling a broad reshuffle in command of key strategic and operational positions. The nominations include leaders for U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Naval Forces Europe-Africa, the Marine Corps, Fleet Cyber Command, and U.S. Africa Command, reflecting the Defense Department’s effort to place experienced officers and senior enlisted personnel in positions that oversee global operations, strategic planning, and critical joint missions.
Strategic and Naval Command Nominations
Vice Admiral Richard Correll, a career submariner with decades of naval experience, was nominated for promotion to a fourth star and to assume command of U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Correll currently serves as STRATCOM’s deputy commander, a position he has held since December 2022. His career spans both operational and staff assignments, including roles as director of plans and policy (J5), director of joint maritime operations (N3), and positions at Strategic Systems Programs Headquarters and Naval Personnel Command. He has also served as a military assistant to senior Defense Department officials, including the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
Correll, a 1986 graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, holds a master’s in international strategic studies from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. If confirmed, he will succeed Air Force General Anthony Cotton, who currently leads STRATCOM.
Vice Admiral George Wikoff has been nominated to assume command of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Forces Command Naples, based in Italy.
Wikoff currently leads U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and 5th Fleet, overseeing security in the Middle East since February 2024. A career fighter pilot, Wikoff has extensive operational experience flying the F-14 Tomcat and the F/A-18 Hornet. His shore assignments include serving as an instructor at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, also known as TOPGUN, battle director for the Combined Air and Space Operations Center in Qatar, chief of staff for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, and executive assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations.
Wikoff is a 1990 graduate of The Catholic University of America and will take over from Admiral Stuart Munsch.
Marine Corps Leadership Changes
In the Marine Corps, Lt. Gen Bradford Gering was nominated as the next Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, which would elevate him to a four-star rank upon confirmation.
Gering currently serves as the deputy commandant for aviation at Marine Corps Headquarters. His operational experience includes service as an AV-8B Harrier instructor with Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, commanding Marine Attack Squadron 211, and leading the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1. He has participated in numerous military operations, including Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom I, Unified Assistance, and Iraqi Freedom 05-07.
Gering graduated from Binghamton University via the Platoon Leaders Class program in May 1989, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and history and a master’s in national security strategy from the National Defense University.
Cyber, Space, and Senior Enlisted Leadership
Other leadership nominations include Rear Admiral Heidi Berg, nominated to receive a third star and take command of U.S. 10th Fleet, Fleet Cyber Command, and Navy Space Command at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Berg previously served as deputy commander of the post and has operational experience in both aviation and intelligence missions. She flew over 1,000 hours in EP-3E aircraft and deployed to support Operations Provide Promise and Sharp Guard. Her shore assignments included commanding the Navy Information Operations Command in Bahrain, serving as Director of Intelligence at U.S. Africa Command, and holding strategy and policy roles at U.S. Cyber Command. Berg is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Marine Corps Major General William Swan was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and to succeed Gering as deputy commandant of aviation at Marine Corps Headquarters.
Swan currently serves as the Inspector General at Marine Corps Headquarters. His career includes multiple leadership assignments in the Joint Staff, including director of manpower policy and assistant deputy commandant for aviation.
Swan is an F/A-18 Hornet pilot with more than 4,200 flight hours, over 600 carrier-arrested landings, and 200 aerial combat missions. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1991.
Marine Corps Major General Joseph Clearfield was nominated to serve as commander of Marine Corps Forces Central Command, headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Clearfield currently serves as deputy commander of the post. His previous assignments include operations officer and executive officer at Recruiting Station Baltimore, current operations group section head at Marine Corps Headquarters, and military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian Pacific Security Affairs. He has led combat units during Operation Enduring Freedom and multiple deployments in Iraq.
Clearfield graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, and was commissioned in 1993.
Navy Rear Admiral (lower half) Brad Collins was nominated to Rear Admiral.
Collins currently commands Navy Region Hawaii in Pearl Harbor. His career includes service at the Navy Personnel Command, work as an admiral’s aide, planning nuclear bomber and cruise missile operations at the U.S. Strategic Command, and leadership roles at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece, and multiple Navy regional commands.
Collins is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
The Pentagon also announced a key senior enlisted leadership change. U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Garric M. Banfield will replace U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major Michael Woods as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader of U.S. Africa Command.
Banfield previously served as the senior enlisted leader for the Joint Special Operations University and Special Operations Command Africa. His appointment brings extensive joint and special operations experience to the role.
Woods was recognized for his long service and commitment to the military and his family.
These nominations represent a major renewal of senior military leadership, ensuring that seasoned leaders with broad operational and joint experience guide the United States’ strategic and regional missions. They position the U.S. military to address global challenges, oversee complex operations across multiple theaters, and maintain readiness for emerging threats.
The nominations now move to the Senate for confirmation, after which the selected officers and senior enlisted leaders will assume their new responsibilities and lead some of the military’s most critical commands. The moves reflect the Defense Department’s focus on continuity, operational expertise, and strong leadership across the armed forces.