Pakistan's prime minister has chosen the brother of a dead war hero to be the next army chief in a crucial decision that fills arguably the most powerful position in the country.
General Raheel Sharif faces a vicious Pakistani Taliban insurgency at home, which has killed thousands of security forces and civilians in recent years.
The United States also will look to the 57-year-old infantry officer for support to battle militants and negotiate an end to the war in neighbouring Afghanistan.
It was a sensitive decision for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif since he was toppled in a military coup in 1999 by the last army chief he selected, General Pervez Musharraf.
But retired army officers said the new chief, who is not related to the prime minister, largely will continue the policies of his predecessor, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani - including avoiding overt interference in politics.
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Kayani, who is stepping down after completing his second three-year term, launched scores of operations against the Pakistani Taliban in their sanctuaries in the northwestern tribal region.
But he refused repeated US demands to make a push into the North Waziristan tribal area, which is a launching pad for militants to stage cross-border attacks against US troops in Afghanistan.
Analysts believe Kayani was reluctant to cross Afghan militants with whom Pakistan has historical ties and could be valuable allies in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.
General Sharif most recently served as the head of the army's training and evaluation wing, an important position in a country where the force has attempted to retool its skills toward counterinsurgency.
Several of his family members have served in the army.
His brother Major Shabbir Sharif, who was killed in the 1971 war with India, was one of the force's most decorated soldiers.
