Seasoned veteran of Afghan war picked for top command

It is not known if Campbell is retiring.

Nicholson is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and is now commander of NATO's Allied Land Command in Turkey. He would receive a promotion to a four-star general.

Nicholson, whose selection must be confirmed by the Senate, would replace General John Campbell, who has commanded USA and global forces in Afghanistan for the past 18 months and is expected to retire. Votel now heads U.S. Special Operations Command. But when he took command in Afghanistan in August 2014, it was generally assumed that he would see the war to its conclusion and bring the last US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation troops home.

Nicholson is a veteran of multiple deployments in Afghanistan.