President Barack Obama has nominated Air Force Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan to become the next head of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said yesterday.

The nomination also includes promoting Bogdan to the rank of lieutenant general, Panetta said. Bogdan has been serving as the deputy director of the program under Navy Vice Adm. David Venlet, currently the program executive officer who has been on the job since June 2010.

The PEO for the JSF program rotates between the Air Force and Navy.