Stars and Stripes

Capt. William W. Wheeler III, set for promotion to rear admiral, has been tapped to serve as the next deputy commander for the U.S. military mission in Djibouti.

U.S. Navy

Capt. William W. Wheeler III, set for promotion to rear admiral, has been tapped to serve as the next deputy commander for the U.S. military mission in Djibouti, the Defense Department announced.

Wheeler, who now serves as the executive assistant to the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa in Naples, Italy, will replace Air Force Brig. Gen. William P. West as deputy commander at the U.S. military’s Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. The commander is Army Maj. Gen. Mark R. Stammer.

The task force’s main mission in Djibouti is to counter violent extremism around the volatile Horn of Africa with a special focus on threats emanating out of neighboring Somalia.

About 2,000 U.S. troops are stationed at Camp Lemonnier, the U.S. military’s major military hub in Africa.