Gen. Joe Dunford became the 36th commandant of the Marine Corps on Friday during a formal ceremony held at Marine Barracks Washington. Dunford, 58, succeeded Gen. Jim Amos, who retired after 44 years of service—42 of those in the Marine Corps—following the passage of command. Amos, 67, made history in 2010 when he became the first Marine Corps aviator to assume the commandancy. Dunford previously led all U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan as the commander of International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. He also served as assistant commandant for two years under Amos. He earned the nickname “Fighting Joe” while commanding Regimental Combat Team-5 during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. This year, Dunford also made the list of Fortune Magazine’s 50 greatest world leaders.
