Navy Admiral To Head CENTCOM

Admiral William J. Fallon, currently in charge of Pacific Command, will soon be nominated to take over U.S. Central Command. He will be the first Admiral to command CENTCOM, the geographic command charged with running the Iraqi and Afghan theaters of the War on Terror, and will try to fill the large shoes of his predecessors -- including Generals Schwartzkopf, Franks, and Abizaid. Interestingly, ADM Fallon never commanded a ship; his major "at-sea" command was of a Carrier Air Wing, which is considered equivalent to commanding a carrier for the Navy aviation types as far as "checking the box" goes, career-wise.