U.S. Army Chief of Staff Martin Dempsey Sings Sinatra

U.S. President Barack Obama has officially appointed Gen. Martin Dempsey as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. With that, the new “military team” is complete.

On Monday, America observed Memorial Day: the commemoration of the fallen throughout countless wars. The holiday traditionally makes for a long weekend when families and memorials take priority and politics take a back seat. It stands out when the president chooses Memorial Day to announce personnel decisions. Yet this promotion matched the tone of the day: Martin Dempsey will become the new chief of staff of the Army.

This completes the new “defense team.” At the end of April, Obama made other appointments public: Leon Panetta, current director of the CIA, will become defense minister when incumbent Robert Gates retires this summer.

Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general in Afghanistan, will take lead of the CIA. Diplomat Ryan Crocker will become the next U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, currently the most important war zone for the U.S. He specializes in the Islamic world and, as ambassador in Bagdad, has already helped to turn around the deadlock in Iraq.

The decision over the chief of staff was missing as Obama introduced the three. At the time, the U.S. media purported to know that it would go to James Cartwright, current vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Now it has come out otherwise. Obama had the choice between two temperaments and two schools of thought. Cartwright is considered an introvert and an expert on preparing for the high-tech military of the future, keyword “cyberwar.” Dempsey has more experience as a commander in the field, including in Iraq, where combatants fight with simple weapons, such as homemade bombs. He seeks direct contact with everyday soldiers and is, according to friends, proud of his propensity to grab the microphone at military celebrations and belt out a Frank Sinatra standard.

This decision offers up two further lessons: Obama sees experience in Iraq as the key to success in Afghanistan. And he appreciates it when generals give him advice that differs from the official line of the Pentagon. But in the end, he doesn’t always reward independent thinking. In 2009, facing a 40,000 troop surge in Afghanistan, Cartwright proposed an alternative plan that recommended 20,000 troops. This made powerful enemies for him in the Pentagon, who, in recent weeks, dissuaded Obama from appointing him.