President Biden nominated assistant commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith to become the next Commandant of the Marine Corps, the administration said Thursday.
Smith’s nomination to become the 39th Commandant was first disclosed in a May 30 Congressional website listing executive nominations before being grouped with other general officers in an official Department of Defense announcement on Thursday.
If confirmed, Smith will succeed current commandant Gen. David Berger, who is due to retire this summer after serving in the Marine Corps for over 42 years.
Smith has served in the assistant commandant role since 2021. Previously, he led Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC) and was the deputy commandant for combat development and integration. In that last role he oversaw the service’s moves to overhaul the forces and divest of heavier capabilities like tanks as part of Force Design 2030.
Force Design 2030 aims to transform the service to make it a more mobile force more fitting for potential conflict with China in the Western Pacific region, a prime concern for Berger.
Promoting Smith indicates the Biden administration continues to double down on the Force Design 2030 vision.
“Since his commissioning in 1987, Gen. Smith has served in multiple prestigious assignments including senior military assistant to both the Deputy Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Defense and Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration,” Marine Corps spokesperson Maj. Jim Stenger said in a statement.
Stenger emphasized a point in Smith’s official service biography that he has “commanded at every level” including Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment during Operation Assured Response in Monrovia, Liberia; 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom; 8th Marine Regiment/ Regimental Combat Team 8 during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan; and as part of the U.S. Military Group in Caracas, Venezuela.
As a general officer, Smith led U.S. Marine Corps Forces Southern Command; III Marine Expeditionary Force based in Okinawa, Japan; and 1st Marine Division.
Smith follows Berger, who assumed his role as commandant in July 2019, in both having led MCCDC. Berger moved directly from MCCDC to succeed former commandant Gen. (ret.) Robert Neller.