Scott Gration was originally on the shortlist to head NASA, according to earlier media reports. In 2006, Gration accompanied Obama on a five-nation, 15-day tour of Africa.
AFP: US President Barack Obama will on Wednesday name retired Air Force general Scott Gration as his special envoy to Sudan to confront what Washington sees as a "horrendous" situation in Darfur.Gration's bio:
The President "will be naming Scott Gration as special envoy to Sudan," an Obama administration official said on condition of anonymity.
The announcement will come as the United States ratchets up pressure on the government of Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir following his expulsion of international aid groups from Darfur that worsened the humanitarian crisis.
Former fighter pilot, Gration, a personal friend of Obama, was the pick of both the president and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the official said.
Gration, who sometimes traveled with Obama on the campaign trail last year, had expertise on African issues and was also versed in the operational requirements of training peacekeepers and of airlift capabilities.
Gen. Jonathan S. Gration is the Director, Strategy, Policy, and Assessments, United States European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany. As Director of Strategy, Plans, and Policy, he is responsible for formulation and staff direction of the execution of basic military/political policy and planning for command activities involving relations with other US Unified Commands, allied military and international military organizations and subordinate commands. As Director of Capabilities and Assessments, he is responsible for the development of force structure requirements; conducting studies, analyses, and assessments; and for evaluating military forces, plans, programs, and strategies.
The general was raised in Africa and entered the Air Force in 1974 through the Air Force ROTC program at Rutgers University. He has previously served as a White House Fellow, operations group commander and two-time wing commander. Prior to assuming his current position, the general served as Director of Regional Affairs in the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.
General Gration is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours, including more than 2,000 hours as an instructor pilot. He has extensive combat experience in the Middle East and served as the Commander of Task Force West during Operation Iraqi Freedom. General Gration’s aerial combat experience includes 274 combat missions over Iraq (983 hours of combat time).
