SOCCent gets new leader

By WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE
Published June 23, 2007

TAMPA - A special operations veteran who has a son serving in Iraq took over the reins of Special Operations Command Central (SOCCent) during a ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base on Friday.

Brig. Gen. John F. Mulholland Jr., who until recently served as deputy commander of the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., replaces Maj. Gen. Francis Kearney III, who also has a son serving in the Middle East.

SOCCent, which has about 250 people assigned to its MacDill headquarters, directs special operations forces in the Middle East. Its troops are provided by U.S. Special Operations Command, also based at MacDill, which is the overall lead command in the fight against terrorism.

Kearney, who served 27 months at SOCCent, has been appointed SOCom deputy commander.

Asked after the ceremony what it would take for American forces to succeed in Iraq, Mulholland said: "War is a battle of wills. And what we need to demonstrate to our adversaries is that we have the will to see this thing through."

[Last modified June 23, 2007, 00:48:38]