Joint Base Lewis-McChord could have a new commanding general by the time the man with the current job returns from his post leading daily combat operations in Afghanistan.
Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti has been nominated by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta for a position inside the Pentagon as director of the Joint Staff. It’s an influential job that would have him working for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey.
Scaparrotti took command of the I Corps at Lewis-McChord in October 2010 shortly after he came home from a deployment to Afghanistan as the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed to Afghanistan with about 500 Lewis-McChord soldiers in July. He is the war’s No. 2 commander.
The I Corps deployment was expected to last one year. Maj. Gen. Lloyd Miles is Lewis-McChord’s acting commander while Scaparrotti is gone.
The Pentagon announcement of Scaparrotti’s nomination for the Pentagon job does not cite a timeline. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney currently holds the job.
Command posts at Lewis-McChord typically last about two years.
Adam Ashton, staff writer
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