DUSHANBE, July 29, 2008, Asia-Plus — Acting US Central Command chief, Lieutenant-General Martin Dempsey, is expected to arrive in Tajikistan on July 31 for a short visit.
According to the MFA information department, the aim of his visit to Tajikistan is to hold talks with President Emomali Rahmon and Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloyev to discuss issues related to US-Tajik cooperation and providing support to Afghanistan.
We will recall that Lieutenant-General Martin Dempsey assumed temporary command of U.S. Central Command in March this year, replacing Navy Admiral William J. Fallon, who relinquished his post after just one year in the assignment.
Dempsey, whose field experience in the early stages of his 34-year Army career was largely in Europe, has been deputy commander at Central Command since August 2007. Dempsey graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and attended the National War College in 1995-1996.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the US Armed Forces, established in 19983 under the operational control of the US Secretary of Defense. It was originally conceived of as the Rapid Deployment Forces. Its area of responsibility is in the Middle East, East Africa and Central Asia.
