BSU Graduate Appointed to Lead U.S. Africa Command

Lt. Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser

The U.S. Senate has approved the nomination for Marine Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser to lead the U.S. Marines Africa Command last week.

Waldhauser, nominated by President Barack Obama, currently serves as director of joint force development with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He will receive a fourth star in connection with his confirmation to head U.S. Africa Command in the ongoing effort to halt the spread of ISIS on the continent, the Pentagon said.

Waldhauser will replace retiring Gen. David Rodriguez, who has led AFRICOM for the past three years.

In his new position, a key area of focus for Waldhauser will be instability in Libya and concerns about the Islamic State group attempting to establish a foothold there, Stars and Stripes reported.

Waldhauser, 62, is a 1976 BSU psychology graduate and former hockey player for the Beavers. He was also the 2013 recipient of BSU’s Distinguished Minnesotan award.

Waldhauser, born in St. Paul, and was commissioned in 1976 as an infantry officer. Waldhauser, one of the military’s longest-serving three-star leaders, has been as a lieutenant general since 2009.