General David Rodriguez confirmed as new AFRICOM commander

General David Rodriguez will soon take up residence at his new headquarters in Stuttgart following his official confirmation this week as the new commander of U.S. Africa Command.

Rodriguez, who was confirmed Monday by the Senate, will replace General Carter F. Ham.

A date for the change of command in Stuttgart has not yet been announced, but with Ham slated to retire this year, Rodriguez should be in his new post this spring.

AFRICOM, the youngest of the military’s geographic combatant commands, has seen its profile rise during Ham’s tenure. AFRICOM’s first major military operation came in 2011, just weeks after Ham assumed command, when it led the initial effort to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. The ensuing seven-month bombing campaign led to the overthrow of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

Rodriguez, who currently heads U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, N.C, will face a host of security challenges in his new position. Chief among them will be the presence of al-Qaida-affiliated militants in Mali and other Islamic extremist groups in Nigeria and Somalia.