FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — The Army is getting a new commander for the Asia and Pacific region.
Gen. Vincent Brooks is scheduled to take command of U.S. Army Pacific during a ceremony at Fort Shafter just outside Honolulu on Tuesday.
He will lead 80,000 soldiers stretching from Washington state to Alaska, Hawaii and Japan.
Brooks is a four-star general, the highest rank in the Army.
The change of command will mark the first time since 1974 that a four-star general has served at Fort Shafter. Generals with three stars have led the Army in the Pacific for the nearly four decades since.
The Obama administration is elevating the command’s status as it refocuses its attention on the Pacific.
The Navy and Air Force are already led by four-star commanders in the Pacific.
