On Monday, the Senate officially confirmed Lt. Gen. Michael Langley as the nation’s first black four-star marine general.

Langley, who will now lead US troops in Africa as commander of US Africa Command, was widely expected to get confirmation following a hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee in late July.

In the Marine Corps’ 246-year history, more than 70 white men have achieved four-star rank, according to The Washington Post.

The Senate unanimously confirmed Langley and a slew of other military leaders to new roles Monday night, according a tweet from the Senate locker room.

His confirmation was celebrated by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, on social media.

Before receiving his nomination to the new position by President Joe Biden in June, Langley, a native of Shreveport, La., held several leadership positions during his 37 years in the Pentagon and the Marine Corps, according to his biography of the Marine Corps.

Langley will replace the outgoing commander of US AFRICOM, Army General Stephen J. Townsend. In late July, Townsend shared that the threat of violent extremism and strategic competition from China and Russia remain the biggest challenges for Combatant Command, according to a Department of Defense press release.

“Some of the deadliest terrorists on the planet are now in Africa,” Townsend said, according to the statement.

Langley’s promotion comes as US troops are once again operating in Somalia.

US AFRICOM reported no new civilian casualties in its last quarter to June 30 this year, according to a casualty assessment report released in July.