Army Under Secretary Joseph W. Westphal, the second-highest ranking Army civilian, is the front-runner to be the next U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, according to a report.
Al Kamen, who last week reported that outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James. B. Smith is slated to join the Cohen Group, confirms in the Washington Post that Westphal is the front-runner.
“If nominated to the Riyadh post to replace retired Air Force brigadier general Jim Smith, Westphal would be involved in a key country that’s deeply embroiled in the Syrian civil war – and whose loyalties on that front have been questioned — as well as managing the complicated Saudi role during a potential thaw in U.S. relations with Iran,” Kamen reports in the Washington Post.
From his official biography:
“Dr. Westphal served as Chancellor of the University of Maine System and Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine. He also served as the Provost, Senior Vice President for Research and Professor of Environmental Studies at The New School in New York City. Prior to his current appointment, Under Secretary Westphal served as a member of President Obama’s Transition Team for Defense matters…
“Dr. Westphal was born in Santiago, Chile, moved to the United States at an early age with his family, and speaks Spanish fluently. He is married and has four adult children and six grandchildren.”
[Photos via Army.mil]
