The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Gen. George Casey, the outgoing top U.S. military commander in Iraq, as the next Army chief of staff to replace Gen. Peter Schoomaker who is retiring.

Casey's nomination was approved by a vote of 83-14, and he is to be succeeded by Gen. David Petraeus, who went to Iraq earlier this week.

Casey was nominated by President George W. Bush last week to be the new Army chief of staff, days before Bush announced his new Iraq policy which included sending over 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq amid escalating sectarian violence in the country.

On Wednesday, the Senate approved Navy Adm. William Fallon to replace Army Gen. John Abizaid as head of U.S. Central Command, and retired Vice Adm. Mike McConnell as the nation's second national intelligence director.

Source: Xinhua