It is the first time since 1947 an officer other than a Navy admiral has received a permanent appointment to lead the Pacific Command. In 1994, an Army general served as interim Pacific commander for eight days.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Link, former special assistant for roles and missions under the Air Force chief of staff. "For the first time an Air Force general is given command of a regional command and it recognizes that conflict and promoting regional stability is no longer the province of just the surface (forces)."

Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, who previously emphasized that the Pacific Command has been a "water command" and should be led by an admiral, said he was surprised by the naming of an Air Force general.

"I just assumed that it would be an admiral, and I think most people had the same assumption," Inouye said yesterday in Hawai'i. "I think most people are rather surprised — shocked maybe."

In May, Inouye said that naming anyone other than an admiral to the post "might send the message that the Navy is being downgraded" in the Pacific.

Inouye said he will not contest Martin's appointment and will do everything possible to work with him. But in the Asia and Pacific region, "we have to do some PR (public relations) on this," the senator said.

"I was asked by a couple of people on one of my trips out there as to whether this signaled any change in policy and I had to tell them, 'No, it doesn't,' " Inouye said.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said: "While he has not previously served in the Islands, (Martin's) experience in Europe working with our allies should serve him well as commander of the U.S. Pacific Command where he will need to work closely with our allies in Asia and the Pacific Rim."

Martin replaced Adm. Thomas Fargo, 56, who held the command since May 2002. Fargo yesterday said he talked with Martin and congratulated him.

"I know him personally from previous service together in the Pentagon," Fargo said. "He has a tremendous record and a wonderful reputation."

Fargo and his wife, Sarah, are expected to remain in Hawai'i.

Martin formerly was in charge of Air Force Materiel Command based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The command conducts research, development, test and evaluation of Air Force weapon systems.

Harlan Ullman, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that Martin's appointment is "business as usual" and that he "is a great guy and very capable, very experienced."

It has been Rumsfeld's stated goal to push the military services to explore and develop greater levels of combined war-fighting operations. According to Rumsfeld's philosophy, moves such as Martin's appointment allow a new perspective for what once was a Navy post.

Charles Pena, director of defense policy studies at the Cato Institute in Washington, said Martin's appointment also could reflect the growing primacy of airpower in warfare and the Air Force's record for leading the way toward transformation within the uniformed services.

"Even though the Pacific theater is considered a naval theater, modern war seems to be relying more on land-based airpower," he said.

Pena said Rumsfeld also "seems to have a better relationship with the Air Force than the other services, and that may be because the Air Force embraced transformation more wholeheartedly."

Martin's appointment wasn't the first to reflect the shake-up. Marine Corps Gen. James Jones was appointed supreme allied commander in Europe, which is not traditionally a Marine Corps command. Before that, Army Gen. William Kernan was appointed supreme allied commander of the Atlantic, traditionally a Navy post, from 2000 to 2002.

Experts said, however, that above all else, Martin is a highly qualified commander.

Link, who knows Martin, said the general has been well prepared for Pacific Command. He said Martin is a consensus builder and "a great people-person. He inspires his subordinates," Link said.

"If you look at Speedy's background, he's had a hell of a lot of preparation. The Pacific has long cried out for an airman because you can't buy enough boats to cover it. He is capable and confident."