39th Commandant of the Marine Corps
Eric M. Smith (born 1964 or 1965)
[1] is a
United States Marine Corps
general who has served as the 39th
commandant of the Marine Corps since 22 September 2023.
[2]
[3] He served as acting commandant of the Marine Corps between 10 July 2023 and 22 September 2023
while awaiting Senate confirmation. Before nomination to the position he served as the 36th
assistant commandant of the Marine Corps and before that as the deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration, being succeeded by
Karsten Heckl .
[4]
[5]
Early life and education
Eric Smith is from
Plano, Texas . Smith was commissioned as a
second lieutenant in the
Marine Corps in 1987 through the
Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program at
Texas A&M University . During his time at A&M, he was a member of the
Ross Volunteers and Commander of the
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band in the
Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets .
Career
After completing
The Basic School and Infantry Officer's Course, he received assignment to
2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines as rifle platoon commander participating in
Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm . Following a tour as an Officer Selection Officer, he attended the Amphibious Warfare School and then reported to
2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines for duty as Commanding Officer of Weapons and E Companies. During this tour he participated in
Operation Assured Response in Monrovia, Liberia.
[6] After a tour as a Marine Officer Instructor at Texas A&M University, he attended the
United States Army Command and General Staff College . The following assignment was as the Naval Section Chief at the U.S. Military Group in Caracas, Venezuela from 2001 to 2003. He was a
foreign area officer and can speak
Spanish .
[7]
From 2003 until 2006, Smith served in the
1st Marine Division as the Division Operations Officer; Executive Officer of Regimental Combat Team 1; Commanding Officer of
1st Battalion, 5th Marines . During this time, had several deployments to Iraq in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom , including
Fallujah in 2004 and Ramadi in 2005. He has also served in the
2nd Marine Division as the Assistant Chief of Staff and the Commanding Officer of
8th Marine Regiment , which was deployed to Afghanistan and was involved in
Operation Enduring Freedom . From July to November 2015, he commanded the
Marine Corps Forces Southern Command in
Miami, Florida . He was the first dedicated commander of Marine Forces South at its Miami headquarters.
[7] Then he was transferred to
the Pentagon to serve as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense.
[8]
[9]
As a major general, Smith assumed command of the
First Marine Division at Camp Pendleton.
[10] The division is part of the larger
I Marine Expeditionary Force .
[11] As commander, he led a hazing crackdown but was rebuked by a military judge.
[12]
In May 2018, Smith was nominated for promotion to
lieutenant general ,
[13] and assignment as commanding general of
III Marine Expeditionary Force .
[14] He received his promotion and assumed command of III MEF in August 2018.
[15]
On 13 June 2019, Smith assumed responsibility as the Commanding General,
Marine Corps Combat Development Command and the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration. In July 2021, he was nominated and confirmed for promotion to
four-star general and assignment as
Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps , succeeding
Gary L. Thomas .
[16] He assumed the position from the retiring
Gary L. Thomas on 8 October 2021.
In May 2023, Smith was nominated to succeed General
David H. Berger as commandant of the Marine Corps;
[17]
[18]
[19] his confirmation hearing before the
Senate Armed Services Committee was held on 13 June 2023.
[20] Smith became acting commandant upon Berger's retirement on 10 July 2023, as his confirmation was delayed by Senator
Tommy Tuberville 's
hold on military nominees.
[21]
[22] He was confirmed by a unanimous 96-0 vote on 21 September 2023, and sworn in on 22 September.
[23]
[24]
Smith is sworn in as the 39th commandant of the Marine Corps by
Carlos Del Toro , secretary of the Navy, on 22 September 2023. On October 29, 2023, Smith was hospitalized after a medical emergency.
[25] Smith was diagnosed with
cardiac arrest . On November 9, he issued a statement saying, "My recovery is going well, and I look forward to getting back in the fight as soon as I can".
[26] As of the time of his swearing in as
Assistant Commandant , General
Christopher J. Mahoney has been performing General Smiths duties as Commandant of the Marine Corps. Before Mahoney was sworn in on the 3rd of November,
[27]
Lieutenant General
Karsten Heckl was performing the duties of Commandant.
Awards and decorations
References
^ Lamothe, Dan (31 May 2023).
"Biden nominates No. 2 Marine Corps officer to lead service" . The Washington Post . Retrieved 10 July 2023 .
^ Loewenson, Irene (23 September 2023).
"Top Marine leader sworn in 1 day after Senate confirmation" .
Marine Corps Times . Retrieved 23 September 2023 .
^
"The Marine Corps finally gets an official top leader" . 21 September 2023.
^
"General Officer Announcements" . U.S. Department of Defense . 9 April 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019 .
^
"PN596 — Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith — Marine Corps" . U.S. Congress . 23 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019 .
^
"Lieutenant General Eric M. Smith Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Force; and Commander, Marine Forces Japan" . Marines. Retrieved 15 September 2018 .
^
a
b Hodge Seck, Hope (30 June 2015).
1-star becomes first dedicated commander of Marine Forces South .
Military Times . Retrieved 22 September 2023.
^
"Previous Assignments" . 24 June 2017.
^
"Smith, M Eric" . Archived from
the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018 .
^
"Storied 1st Marine Division Gets New Commander" . 24 June 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2018 .
^
"First Marine Division" . Retrieved 3 March 2018 .
^
"16 marines separated for hazing" . Retrieved 18 March 2018 .
^
"PN1913 — Maj. Gen. Eric M. Smith — Marine Corps" . U.S. Congress . 7 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018 .
^
"General Officer Announcements" . U.S. Department of Defense . 8 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018 .
^
"III MEF bids farewell to Nicholson, welcomes Smith as new commanding general" . Defense Visual Information Distribution Service . 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018 .
^
"PN818 — Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith — Marine Corps" . U.S. Congress . Retrieved 14 July 2021 .
^ Lamothe, Dan (30 May 2023).
"Biden expected to nominate No. 2 Marine Corps officer to lead service" .
The Washington Post . Retrieved 31 May 2023 .
^
"PN691 — Gen. Eric M. Smith — Marine Corps, 118th Congress (2023-2024)" . U.S. Congress . 30 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023 .
^
"General Officer Announcements" . U.S. Department of Defense . 31 May 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023 .
^
"Confirmation Hearing of Gen Eric M. Smith, USMC, to be Commandant of the Marine Corps" . Senate Armed Services Committee . 13 June 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023 .
^ Seligman, Lara; O'Brien, Connor; Gould, Joe (13 June 2023).
"Tuberville hold scrambles Marines' plans for top officer's retirement" .
Politico . Retrieved 10 July 2023 .
^
"Webcast: Commandant of the Marine Corps Relinquishment of Office Ceremony" . DVIDS . 10 July 2023.
^ Gould, Joe (21 September 2023).
"Senate confirms Army and Marine chiefs, bucking Tuberville logjam" .
Politico . Retrieved 22 September 2023 .
^ Loewenson, Irene (23 September 2023).
"Top Marine leader sworn in 1 day after Senate confirmation" .
Marine Corps Times . Retrieved 23 September 2023 .
^
"UPDATED: CMC Eric Smith Hospitalized After Heart Attack" . Archived from
the original on 31 October 2023.
^ Loewenson, Irene (9 November 2023).
"Top Marine, recovering from cardiac arrest, plans to return to work" .
Marine Times . Retrieved 9 November 2023 .
^
"General Christopher J. Mahoney" . United States Marine Corps Flagship . Retrieved 26 November 2023 .
Secretary of Defense
Lloyd Austin
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Kathleen Hicks
Secretaries of the Military Departments
Secretary of the Army :
Christine Wormuth
Secretary of the Navy :
Carlos Del Toro
Secretary of the Air Force :
Frank Kendall III
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Gen
Charles Q. Brown Jr. ,
USAF
Under Secretaries of the Military Departments
Under Secretary of the Army :
Gabe Camarillo
Under Secretary of the Navy :
Erik Raven
Under Secretary of the Air Force :
Kristyn E. Jones (acting)
Under Secretaries of Defense for
Acquisition and Sustainment :
William A. LaPlante
Research and Engineering :
Heidi Shyu
Policy :
Sasha Baker (acting)
Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer :
Michael J. McCord
Personnel and Readiness :
Ashish Vazirani (acting)
Intelligence :
Milancy Harris (acting)
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
ADM
Christopher W. Grady ,
USN
Chiefs of the Military Services
Chief of Staff of the Army : GEN
Randy A. George
Commandant of the Marine Corps : Gen
Eric M. Smith
Chief of Naval Operations : ADM
Lisa M. Franchetti
Chief of Staff of the Air Force : Gen
David W. Allvin
Chief of Space Operations : Gen
B. Chance Saltzman
Chief of the National Guard Bureau
GEN
Daniel R. Hokanson ,
USA
Unified Combatant Command Commanders
Africa : Gen
Michael E. Langley ,
USMC
Central : GEN
Michael E. Kurilla ,
USA
Cyber : Gen
Timothy D. Haugh ,
USAF
European : GEN
Christopher G. Cavoli ,
USA
Indo-Pacific : ADM
John C. Aquilino ,
USN
Northern : Gen
Gregory M. Guillot ,
USAF
Southern : GEN
Laura J. Richardson ,
USA
Space : Gen
Stephen N. Whiting ,
USSF
Special Operations : GEN
Bryan P. Fenton ,
USA
Strategic : Gen
Anthony J. Cotton ,
USAF
Transportation : Gen
Jacqueline Van Ovost ,
USAF
a - Acting