Retired. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton has been nominated to become the next U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, the White House said May 1.
Dayton, 71, served four decades in the Army before retiring in 2010, and currently serves as the director of the George C. Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany. He also serves concurrently as Senior United States Defense Adviser to Ukraine, a position appointed by former Defense Secretary James Mattis. If confirmed, he would replace former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, who was recalled from her post in May 2019.
Dayton has previously served as the U.S. security coordinator Israel/Palestinian authority, the director of strategy, plans and policy for the Army Staff at the Pentagon, the director of operations for the Defense Intelligence Agency and the U.S. defense attache to Russia.
He earned a B.A. from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, a B.A./M.A. from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, and an M.A. from the University of Southern California in conjunction with the United States Army Russian Institute in Garmish, Germany. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his military service, including from the State Department and from the Canadian, German and Austrian Governments. He speaks Russian and German.