President Barack Obama on Tuesday nominated Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Fox News reported.

The pick marks an impressive rise through the ranks for Dunford, who led the Afghanistan war coalition during the 2013-2014 transition and has served as an infantry officer at all levels. The 59-year-old has headed the U.S. Marine Corps since last October after leaping from a one-star brigadier general to a four-star full general in about three years.

Obama made the official announcement, which unnamed U.S. officials had already leaked to various media outlets over the weekend, in the Rose Garden as Dunford stood at his side, the Military Times said.

"I know Joe. I trust him," the president noted. "Joe is a proven leader of our joint force, including our troops in Afghanistan whom he served Christmas dinner to. He is one our military's most highly regarded strategic thinkers."

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are made up of the senior uniformed leaders in the Pentagon who advise the president, the secretary of defense and the Homeland Security and National Security councils on all military matters. The body consists of the service chiefs from the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marine Corps; the chief of the National Guard Bureau; and the chairman and vice chairman.

For the latter post, Obama on Tuesday nominated Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, the chief of U.S. Transportation Command, who had formerly served as the the top military adviser to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Military Times noted.

"Joe, Paul, we continue to call on our armed forces to meet a range of challenges. We have to keep training Afghan forces and remain relentless against al-Qaida. We have to push back against ISIL and strengthen forces in Syria," the president said at the White House.

"We have to stand united with our allies in Europe and keep rebalancing as a Pacific power," he added. "We have to keep investing in new capabilities to meet growing threats including cyber attack."