III Marine Expeditionary Force is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) to amphibious assault and high-intensity combat.
The United States Marine Corps is organized within the Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior Marine commissioned officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible for organizing, recruiting, training, and equipping the Marine Corps so that it is ready for operation under the command of the unified combatant commanders. The Marine Corps is organized into four principal subdivisions: Headquarters Marine Corps, the Operating Forces, the Supporting Establishment, and the Marine Forces Reserve.
Charles Elliott Wilhelm is a decorated retired United States Marine Corps General who served two combat tours of duty in Vietnam. He later served as Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division; as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; and as the Commander, U.S. Southern Command (1997–2000). General Wilhelm retired from the Marine Corps in 2000, after 37 years of service.
Cornell A. Wilson Jr. is a retired United States Marine Corps major general, who served as Director, Reserve Affairs Division, Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, in Quantico, Virginia.
Joseph V. Medina is a retired U.S. Marine Brigadier General whose career has taken him from an initial posting leading a rifle platoon to head of the contingency plans branch overseeing NATO's Kosovo operation. In November 2003, Medina took command of Expeditionary Strike Group Three. This event marked the first time in history that a United States Marine Corps officer took command of a Naval flotilla. In April 2007, BGen Medina took command of the 3rd Marine Division.
Carlton W. Fulford Jr. is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as Deputy Commander in Chief, United States European Command (DCINCEUR) from 2000 to 2002.
Major General James L. Williams (Ret.) was the commanding general of the 4th Marine Division, a position he was appointed to in April 2007.
Major General William Francis Mullen III was an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He last served as the commanding general for Training and Education Command. He was deployed in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He co-wrote a book with Daniel Green called Fallujah Redux: The Anbar Awakening and the Struggle with Al-Qaeda.
David Hilberry Berger is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps from 2019 to 2023.
Steven A. Hummer is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who served as Deputy to the Commander for Military Operations for United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).
Robert Blake Neller is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2015 to 2019.
Vincent Raymond Stewart was a Jamaican-born American lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps who served as Deputy Commander at United States Cyber Command. He previously served as the 20th Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). LtGen Stewart, who held that post from January 23, 2015 through October 3, 2017, was the first African American, first Jamaican American and first Marine to hold the position of Director of the DIA. LtGen Stewart was the 2023 William Oliver Baker Award Recipient presented by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.
Thomas David "Tom" Waldhauser is a retired United States Marine Corps general who was the Commander of United States Africa Command. He previously served as Director for Joint Force Development, J7 on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force, and Commanding General, United States Marine Forces Central Command. Waldhauser is an alumnus of Bemidji State University.
Major General Kurt J. Ryan is a retired General Officer from the United States Army and was the 20th Commanding General of the United States Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. Previously, he served as the 39th Chief of Ordnance for the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps and Commandant of the United States Army Ordnance School at Fort Lee, Virginia. Major General Ryan served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4 (Logistics) for U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina from March 2018 to June 2021.
Eric M. Smith is a United States Marine Corps general who has served as the 39th commandant of the Marine Corps since 22 September 2023. 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.
Daniel Daejin Yoo is a retired United States Marine Corps major general and former commander of United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. He was the first Korean-American general in the history of the United States Marine Corps.
Robert F. Castellvi is a retired United States Marine Corps major general who most recently served as Inspector General of the Marine Corps from 9 October 2020 to 1 May 2021. As Inspector General, Castellvi oversaw matters of institutional integrity, discipline and combat readiness in the Corps, maintaining credibility through impartial and independent inspections, assessments, inquiries, investigations, teaching, and training. He is also an ex-officio Member at the North Carolina Military Affairs Full Commission in Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Brian D. Beaudreault is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who most recently served as commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force. He previously served as the Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations and Commanding General, 2nd Marine Division.
George William Smith Jr. is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps who last served as commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force from September 2021 to August 2023. He most recently served as the Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations until August 2021. He previously served as Senior Military Assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense, a position for which he was nominated by James Mattis in September 2018. He was commissioned in 1985 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, through a Naval ROTC program. He is the son of George W. Smith, who was a major general in the Marine Corps.
Carl Epting Mundy III is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps, who last served as commander of the United States Marine Forces Central Command. He previously served as commander of the United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command. He is the son of Carl Epting Mundy Jr., who was a Marine Corps general and Commandant of the Marine Corps.
