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SEAL tapped to head SOCom, add fourth star

Defense Secretary Robert Gates nominated Vice Adm. Eric Olson on Thursday to replace retiring Army Gen. Bryan “Doug” Brown as head of U.S. Special Operations Command.

Olson currently serves as SOCom’s deputy commander.

If approved by the Senate, Olson would become the first Navy admiral to head the elite command since its inception in 1987. The admiral would be only the second non-Army general officer to lead SOCom. Air Force Gen. Charles Holland was SOCom commander from 2000 to 2003.

Olson is a 1973 Naval Academy graduate and served as a Navy SEAL in several overseas tours. He led Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, Calif., from 1999 until he became SOCom deputy in 2003. He would be the first Navy SEAL officer to achieve the rank of full admiral.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, special operations forces have taken a prominent role in the war on terrorism. The command consists of approximately 46,000 Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy forces. The majority of the force, about 26,000 troops, belongs to the Army component, according to Army Col. Hans Bush, a SOCom spokesman. The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review called for the expansion of SOCom by 17,000 by 2012 — growth the command is currently undergoing, Bush said.

If Olson is approved by the Senate, the Navy would head a majority of the Pentagon’s seven combatant commands. The SEAL officer would join the ranks of Adm. William Fallon, head of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Timothy Keating, head of U.S. Pacific Command and Adm. James Stavridis, head of U.S. Southern Command.

Holland, now retired, called Olson a “superb nominee.”

The nomination of a Navy SEAL to command special operators shows the “maturity” of the joint command, he said.. “It’s always been the goal to build the right leadership in all the services.”

Holland brought Olson in to be his deputy in 2003. He said the admiral was the command’s point man for the most recent Quadrennial Defense Review, where he “carried the weight of SOCom in Washington.”

“I’ve known Eric Olson for 14 years. We’ve worked together, fought together and there is no one better prepared to lead SOCom,” Holland said.

Robert Work, a retired Marine Corps colonel and defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said Olson was a “good choice” for the position. Olson’s selection shows that Gates is continuing to follow a precedent set by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of picking the best qualified person to lead each command irrespective of service affiliation.

The challenge of a resurgent al Qaeda movement will be one of Olson’s main operational challenges, Work noted.

Jim Carafano, a retired Army officer who’s now a scholar at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said Olson understands the strategic issues facing SOCom because he served as deputy first.

“You don’t want a big learning curve,” Carafano said. “With the high operational tempo you want someone who’s been there and sees the big picture.”

A Senate Armed Services Committee spokeswoman said a date has yet to be set for Olson’s confirmation hearing.