WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Navy Admiral Craig Faller took charge of the Florida-based U.S. Southern Command on Monday.

Faller assumed command from outgoing Admiral Curt Tidd during a ceremony at the Southern Command headquarters near Florida's Miami, presided by Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Marine General Joseph Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also attending the event.

Faller, a native of Fryburg, Pennsylvania, most recently served as senior military aide to Mattis, according to his Navy biography.

He has previously led forces in support of U.S. operations in the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Southern Command oversees U.S. military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is also responsible for security of the Panama Canal and the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.