U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry as new American ambassador to Afghanistan.

The nomination of Eikenberry, which came at the time when the Obama administration has decided to beef up U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to curb insurgency, needs to be confirmed by the Senate.

Eikenberry, graduated from West Point, is an expert in East Asia. He once served as Defense Attaché at the American embassy in Beijing, China. He was also commander of the combined forces command in Afghanistan.

Also on Wednesday, Obama nominated foreign policy expert Ivo Daalder to serve as ambassador to NATO and long-time foreign service officer Alexander Vershbow as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2009)