Australian Rear Adm. Stuart Mayer visits the USS Independence during the Rim of the Pacific exercise in 2014.

SEOUL, South Korea — Australian Rear Adm. Stuart Mayer has been named the new deputy commander of the U.S.-led United Nations Command in South Korea, according to a press release on Tuesday.

The U.N. Command, which is headquartered at Camp Humphreys, oversees implementation of the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War instead of a peace treaty.

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, has confirmed Mayer’s appointment, making him the first Australian to serve in the post, the Australian Defence Force said. Mayer will be promoted to the rank of vice admiral before taking up the appointment, it added.

He will replace Canadian Lt. Gen. Wayne Eyre, marking the second time in the command’s 69-year history that the post was offered to a non-American officer, it added. No date for the change of command was given.

“This opportunity enables Australia to pursue our shared values and mutual security interests, and further contribute to regional peace and stability,” said chief of the Australian Defence Force, Gen. Angus Campbell.

Mayer’s most recent appointment was as head of force design. He also has been fleet commander, chief of staff for the Navy Strategic Command and commander of the International Stabilization Force in East Timor.

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