Durbin Statement on General Selva's Senate Confirmation
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement congratulating General Paul Selva on his confirmation as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Selva currently serves as Commander of U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base. A photo of Durbin’s meeting with General Selva in Washington on July 9, 2015 can be accessed here.
“During his tenure at Scott Air Base, General Selva has distinguished himself as a strong, capable leader. Although we will miss having him in Illinois, I look forward to working with General Selva in his new role here in Washington, DC,” Durbin said. “I congratulate him on his swift and unanimous confirmation in the Senate.”
The Senate confirmed General Selva to take over as Commander of U.S. Transportation Command in April 2014. He had previously been serving as the Commander of the Air Mobility. Command General Selva graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1980 and has held numerous staff positions and has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and headquarters levels. Before his current and previous assignments at Scott Air Force Base, General Selva was the Vice Commander of the Pacific Air Forces. General Selva is also a command pilot with more than 3,100 hours in the C-5, C-17A, C-141B, KC-10, KC-135A and T-37.
Durbin serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for the military and intelligence community, the nation’s national security requirements and the daily needs of over two million active duty and reserve service members. The Subcommittee also oversees funding for Overseas Contingency Operations, including military operations worldwide. All told, the Subcommittee controls more than half of the nation’s annual discretionary budget.