Gen. Martin Dempsey, the new U.S. Army chief of staff, appears to be President Obama's top choice to become chairman of the joint chiefs, defense sources say.
The Hill reported Friday that insiders say Dempsey has survived discussions that have made other potential candidates lose favor.
Adm. Michael Mullen's second term as chairman ends this fall.
Gen. James "Hoss" Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, was described as the president's favorite general in Bob Woodward's book, "Obama's Wars." But defense sources told the Hill an investigation into allegations of sexual impropriety with a female
aide raised questions about his judgment while he was cleared of misconduct.
Gen. James Stavridis, now U.S. European Command chief and NATO Supreme Allied commander, also appears to have dropped out of the running to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Instead, he is on the short list to become chief of naval operations and a possible contender for chairman of the Joint Chiefs in the future.
Dempsey graduated from West Point in 1974. He was a commander in Iraq and served as head of the Army Training and Doctrine Command before becoming Army chief of staff in April.