White House Nominates Next Marine Assistant Commandant

 via USNI News

The Marine Corps’ deputy commandant for combat development and integration has been tapped to serve as the second-highest-ranking officer in the service, the Pentagon announced on Thursday. Meanwhile, the current head of the Navy’s Atlantic submarine force and the current head of the service’s requirements office have been nominated to lead U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

Lt. Gen. Eric Smith was nominated for a fourth star to serve as the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps and succeed Gen. Gary Thomas. Smith has been the deputy commandant for combat development and integration since 2019. It is dual-hatted position, with Smith also leading the Marine Corps Combat Development Combat (MCCDC) as its commanding general.

Prior to leading the Quantico, Va., command, he led Okinawa, Japan-based III Marine Expeditionary Force. He previously was the commanding general of 1st Marine Division and has led Marine Corps Forces Southern Command, according to his service biography. Before leading 1st Marine Division, he was the assistant deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations. He also served as the director of the Capability Development Directorate under CD&I and has commanded 1st Battalion, 5th Marines; and 8th Marine Regiment, according to his bio.

Smith has been a key figure in reshaping the Marine Corps to operate as a more nimble and expeditionary service as part of the service’s Force Design 2030 initiative. As the head of CD&I, he has worked to implement Commandant Gen. David Berger’s Commandant’s Planning Guidance, the strategic vision driving the Marines’ force design work.

I see Berger is working overtime to get his sycophants into place before he departs. 

Still don't think it'll work and I still believe the folly of designing an ENTIRE SERVICE to conduct operations SHORT OF WAR (Grey Zone) is idiotic in the extreme.  

But having handpicked subordinates in positions of power helps.

One more year to solidify or disrupt this foolishness. He has one more year to see his jacked up vision take hold. We have one more year to either kill this in its crib or see the Marine Corps of the future morph into a butched up coast guard, only good for "grey zone" operations.