Biden Picks Next General To Lead Marine Corps

Micaela Burrow on May 31, 2023

The White House has tapped Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith to become the service’s next top officer, according to a Senate notice.

Smith presently serves as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps and if confirmed would replace Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger, who is set to retire, according to Politico, which first reported the news. Neither the White House nor the Marine Corps have officially confirmed the nomination, but the Senate received the package and referred it to the Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, the chamber website shows.

Berger was known for overhauling the Marine Corps’ force structure to better address challenges specific to the Indo-Pacific theater, ruffling feathers across the joint force but earning him accolades from experts who admired his determination to implement radical change. He was passed up to replace Gen. Mark Milley as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.


Smith worked with Berger to re-envision the Marine Corps, according to Defense News.


Smith’s nomination is the latest in a slew of nominations for high-ranking military officials whose terms are slated to expire in the near future, according to Politico.

Biden formally announced his pick of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C. Q. Brown to become chairman on Thursday, also opening up a slot for the Air Force’s next top officer. And the White House tapped Gen. Randy George, the Army’s vice chief of staff, to replace Gen. James McConville as the Army’s highest ranking officer, according to Politico.

All nominees are set for a rough confirmation process, as Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville has unilaterally blocked promotions for general and flag officers over the Pentagon’s abortion policy, which the senator claims is illegal.

In the coming four months, 64 top level positions in the U.S. military will open up for nominations, including the chief of staff of the Army, the commandant of the Marine Corps and the chief of naval operations, according to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. In addition, within the next nine months, up to 90 three and four-star positions are up for rotation, including the Joint Chiefs chairman.

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The White House and Marine Corps did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

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