President George W. Bush today nominated John Negroponte to be deputy secretary of state and retired Navy Admiral John McConnell as director of national intelligence.
Admiral McConnell, a former director of the National Security Agency, will take over from Mr Negroponte, who is stepping down as national intelligence director at the request of Mr Bush to be number two to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Both nominations require US Senate confirmation. Mr Bush said he was asking Mr Negroponte to serve at the State Department during what he called a crucial moment.
"John Negroponte's broad experience, sound judgment and expertise on Iraq and the war on terror make him a superb choice as deputy secretary of state," Mr Bush said in a White House Roosevelt Room ceremony.
He said Admiral McConnell has the "experience, the intellect and the character to succeed" as head of national intelligence, a position established to oversee all US spy agencies after the September 11 attacks.
Mr Negroponte and Admiral McConnell were the first names announced in a deep shuffle of Mr Bush's diplomatic and military team as he prepares to detail a long-awaited change in course in Iraq sometime next week, possibly Wednesday.
Other changes were to be announced today.
The Pentagon was set to announce that Mr Bush will nominate Admiral William Fallon to replace General John Abizaid as the head of US Central Command, which is in charge of US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, a US official said.
And Lt Gen. David Petraeus will become the top ground commander in Iraq, replacing General George Casey, the official said.
Another possible announcement was that Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Iraq, will be nominated to be the next US ambassador to the United Nations, US officials said.
The ambassador in Pakistan, Ryan Crocker, will be nominated to take over in Iraq from Mr Khalilzad.