This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(March 2018) |
I Marine Expeditionary Force | |
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Active | 8 November 1969 –present |
Country | United States of America |
Branch | United States Marine Corps |
Type | Marine Air-Ground Task Force |
Role | Expeditionary combat force |
Size | 53,000 apprx. |
Part of | U.S. Marine Forces Pacific |
Garrison/HQ | MCB Camp Pendleton, California, U.S. |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Current commander | LtGen Michael S. Cederholm |
Notable commanders | Gen Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., Gen Anthony Zinni, Gen Michael Hagee, Gen James T. Conway, Gen James Mattis, Gen John F. Sattler |
The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
I Marine Expeditionary Force is the largest of the three MEFs in the Fleet Marine Force and is often referred to as the "Warfighting MEF" for its consistent involvement and contributions in major armed conflicts. It is presently commanded by Lieutenant General Michael Cederholm. The deputy commander is Brigadier General Michael R. Nakonieczny.
Pronunciation of the Roman numeral designator: As a Roman numeral the capital letter "I", representing one, is properly pronounced as "One". However, there are some who erroneously pronounce the number as either "First", or either intentionally, or unknowingly, pronounce it as "Eye", as in the letter "I".
The convention of using Roman numerals to designate a MEF, which is itself the Marine Corps equivalent organization to an Army corps, stems from the U.S. Army practice that began in the American Civil War, and continues today, of numbering corps (two or more divisions with supporting troops, and sometimes including separate brigades, regiments, groups, or battalions, all under a unified corps headquarters, usually commanded by a lieutenant general) with Roman numerals. Corps, themselves being the first-level sub-unit of a "field army", or a numbered, or named, army (e.g., First U.S. Army, or the Army of the Potomac).
During the First World War, the 4th Marine Brigade, as part of the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division, came under the U.S. Army I Corps, American Expeditionary Forces. With the expansion of the Marine Corps to six divisions and five air wings during the Second World War, the Marine Corps created two "Amphibious Corps", I Marine Amphibious Corps (later re-designated as III Amphibious Corps) and V Amphibious Corps, continuing the custom begun by the Army. Modern Marine Expeditionary Forces, or MEFs (for a time known as Marine Amphibious [italics added] Forces, or MABs) continue the U.S. Marine Corps legacy as corps-equivalent organizations designated by Roman numerals.
When directed, I MEF deploys and is employed as a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) in support of Combatant Commander (COCOM) requirements for contingency response or Major Theater War; with appropriate augmentation, serves as the core element of a Joint Task Force (JTF); prepares and deploys combat-ready MAGTF's to support COCOM presence and crisis response; and supports service and COCOM initiatives as required.
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No. | Commander | Term | Ref | |||
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Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
- | Lieutenant General Walter E. Boomer (born 1938) | 15 August 1990 | 6 September 1991 | 1 year, 22 days | - | |
- | Lieutenant General Robert B. Johnston (born 1937) | 6 September 1991 | July 1993 | ~1 year, 298 days | - | |
- | Lieutenant General George R. Christmas (born 1940) | July 1993 | July 1994 | ~1 year, 0 days | - | |
- | Lieutenant General Anthony Zinni (born 1943) | July 1994 | October 1996 | ~2 years, 92 days | - | |
- | Lieutenant General Carlton W. Fulford Jr. (born 1944) | October 1996 | April 1998 | ~1 year, 182 days | - | |
- | Lieutenant General Bruce B. Knutson Jr. (born 1946) | April 1998 | 7 July 2000 | ~2 years, 97 days | - | |
- | Lieutenant General Michael W. Hagee (born 1944) | 7 July 2000 | 18 November 2002 | 2 years, 134 days | [3] | |
- | Lieutenant General James T. Conway (born 1947) | 18 November 2002 | 12 September 2004 | 1 year, 299 days | - | |
- | Lieutenant General John F. Sattler (born 1949) | 12 September 2004 | 14 August 2006 | 1 year, 336 days | [4] | |
- | Lieutenant General James Mattis (born 1950) | 14 August 2006 | 5 November 2007 | 1 year, 83 days | [5] | |
- | Lieutenant General Samuel T. Helland (born 1947/1948) | 5 November 2007 | 16 October 2009 | 2 years, 348 days | [6] | |
- | Lieutenant General Joseph Dunford (born 1953) | 16 October 2009 | 19 October 2010 | 1 year, 3 days | [6] | |
- | Lieutenant General Thomas D. Waldhauser (born 1955) | 19 October 2010 | 12 September 2012 | 1 year, 329 days | [7] | |
- | Lieutenant General John A. Toolan (born 1954) | 12 September 2012 | 11 July 2014 | 1 year, 302 days | [8] | |
- | Lieutenant General David H. Berger (born 1959) | 11 July 2014 | 27 July 2016 | 2 years, 16 days | [9] | |
- | Lieutenant General Lewis A. Craparotta (born 1959) | 27 July 2016 | 30 July 2018 | 2 years, 3 days | [10] | |
- | Lieutenant General Joseph Osterman (born 1959) | 30 July 2018 | 31 July 2020 | 2 years, 1 day | [11] | |
- | Lieutenant General Karsten Heckl (born 1964) | 31 July 2020 | 23 September 2021 | 1 year, 54 days | [12] | |
- | Lieutenant General George W. Smith Jr. | 23 September 2021 | 18 August 2023 | 1 year, 329 days | [13] | |
- | Major General Bradford J. Gering Acting | 18 August 2023 | 16 February 2024 | 182 days | [14] | |
- | Lieutenant General Michael S. Cederholm | 16 February 2024 | Incumbent | 333 days | [15] |
Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) are United States Marine Corps reconnaissance units that provide amphibious reconnaissance, deep ground reconnaissance, surveillance, battle-space shaping and limited scale raids in support of a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), other Marine air-ground task forces or a joint force. Although FORECON companies are conventional forces they share many of the same tactics, techniques, procedures and equipment of special operations forces. During large-scale operations, Force Reconnaissance companies report to the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and provide direct action and deep reconnaissance. Though commonly misunderstood to refer to reconnaissance-in-force, the name "Force" Recon refers to the unit's relationship with the Marine Expeditionary Force or Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Force reconnaissance platoons formed the core composition of the initial creation of the Marine Special Operations Teams (MSOTs) found in Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Raider battalions, though Marine Raiders now have their own separate and direct training pipeline.
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 1st Marine Division is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force.
Combat service support is a topic that is, broadly speaking, a subset of military logistics. However, combat service support is often more limited in depth, as the related groups primarily address factors supporting readiness for combat operations. The United States Department of Defense organizes various agencies providing services such as medical assistance, for example, akin to other nations' militaries.
The II Marine Expeditionary Force is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force consisting of ground, air and logistics forces capable of projecting offensive combat power ashore while sustaining itself in combat without external assistance for a period of 60 days. The II Marine Expeditionary Force is commanded by a lieutenant general, who serves under U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, providing Marine fighting formations and units to European Command, Central Command and Southern Command.
The 1st Marine Logistics Group is a logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, with several subordinate elements located at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms. It is the logistics combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force.
In the United States Marine Corps, a Marine air–ground task force is the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air–ground, combined arms task organization of Marine Corps forces under a single commander that is structured to accomplish a specific mission. The MAGTF was formalized by the publishing of Marine Corps Order 3120.3 in December 1963, "The Marine Corps in the National Defense, MCDP 1-0". It stated:
A Marine air–ground task force with separate air ground headquarters is normally formed for combat operations and training exercises in which substantial combat forces of both Marine aviation and Marine ground units are included in the task organization of participating Marine forces.
Combat Logistics Battalion 7(CLB 7) is a logistics battalion of the United States Marine Corps. The unit is based out of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California and falls under the command of the 1st Marine Logistics Group and I Marine Expeditionary Force.
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. The MEU consists of a command element, a reinforced infantry battalion, a composite helicopter squadron and a logistics combat element. The 11th MEU is currently based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California with headquarters in Camp Del Mar.
The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. The MEU consists of a command element, a reinforced infantry battalion, a composite helicopter squadron and a combat logistics battalion. The 15th MEU is currently based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.
A Marine expeditionary force (MEF), formerly known as a Marine amphibious force, is the largest type of a Marine air-ground task force. A MEF is the largest building block of United States Marine Corps combat power.
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.
The United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The Marine Corps Force Central Command is responsible for all Marine Corps Forces in the United States Central Command, except for those assigned to the U.S. Special Operations Command, and Special Operations Command, Central Command.
In the United States Marine Corps, the ground combat element (GCE) is the land force of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). It provides power projection and force for the MAGTF.
The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade is a brigade of the United States Marine Corps. It is part of II Marine Expeditionary Force. It advertises itself as a "middleweight" crises response force of choice in the European and Southern Command Areas of Operation. It is able to "operate independently, as a service component, or to lead a Joint Task Force". Self-sufficient and interoperable, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade possesses a mix of command and control, combat power and specialized logistics. Operating as part of the greater Marine Corps team and with support from the United States Navy and other services, it can provide operational reach.
The reconnaissance mission within the United States Marine Corps is divided into two distinct but complementary aspects; Marine Division Recon and Force Reconnaissance.
The 1st Maintenance Battalion is a battalion of the United States Marine Corps that provides intermediate-level maintenance for the I Marine Expeditionary Force's tactical ordnance, engineer, motor transport, communications electronics and general support ground equipment. The Marines and Sailors of 1st Maintenance Battalion are regularly assigned and deployed around the world with command elements that deliver tactical logistics support to I MEF units. The command is based out of Camp Las Pulgas, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and is organized under the command of the 1st Marine Logistics Group.
Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Intelligence Groups (SRIG) were Marine Corps Intelligence, reconnaissance, and communications units of the United States Marine Corps from 1988 to 1997. The SRIG command structure combined units of Radio Battalion, ANGLICO, Force Reconnaissance, remotely piloted aircraft, counterintelligence, and other intelligence elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force.
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.