If confirmed by the Senate, Admiral Michael Mullen will replace Admiral Vern Clark as chief of naval operations.

A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Mullen is a surface warship commander who served as vice chief of naval operations from 2003 to 2004.

He has only been serving in his current position as commander of US naval forces in Europe, headquartered in Naples, Italy, since October.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.