The Pentagon said Monday Maj. Gen. David Fridovich, the Hawai'i-based commander of U.S. Special Operations Command-Pacific, has been nominated for the rank of lieutenant general. The move comes just one year after Fridovich was elevated to major general from brigadier general.

Fridovich is tapped to be the next director of the center for special operations at U.S. Special Operations Command headquarters in Florida. The appointment must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

The U.S. and Philippine militaries have used a combination of humanitarian work and military tactics to win support of local residents and marginalize terrorists in predominantly Muslim areas of the southern Philippines.

The efforts, launched in 2002, have led to the capture or killing of several high-profile Filipino terrorist leaders. They have also restored enough stability to Basilan, one of the islands in the region, to enable the Philippine army to reduce its presence on the isle to two battalions from 15.

In an article published in Joint Forces Quarterly this year, Fridovich said his command was using an "indirect approach" to defeating terrorists.

"The nation cannot simply enter sovereign countries unilaterally and conduct kill-or-caputre missions," Fridovich wrote. "It must blend host nation capacity-building and other long-term efforts to address root causes, dissuade future terrorists and reduce recruiting."

In the Philippines, special operations troops, including Navy SEALs and Army Rangers, have trained Philippine forces to be more effective. U.S.-operated predator drone airplanes have also offered valuable intelligence on the whereabouts of terrorists.

But Fridovich also told reporters at a special operations conference last year that such military operations were only 15 percent of what needs to be done.

The rest of the work has been humanitarian, like Army engineers helping rebuild schools and military doctors giving residents shots. U.S. aid workers have helped build bridges and roads.