DUSHANBE, June 10, 2016, Asia-Plus – Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander of U.S> Central Command (CENTCOM), will arrive in Dushanbe on June 14 for a two-day visit, according to the Tajik MFA information department.

Joseph Leonard Votel is a four-star general in the United States Army who currently serves as commander of United States Central Command.  Before that, he served as commander of United States Special Operations Command.

The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command of the U.S. Department of Defense, established in 1983, taking over the 1980 Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) responsibilities.

The CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR) includes countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, most notably Afghanistan and Iraq.