Lt. Gen. Robert Neller, former commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, took on the role of commandant of the service branch during a ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington Thursday, DoD News reported.
Lisa Ferdinando writes Neller was selected to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford, who will himself succeed the retiring Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday.
Dunford served as commander of the International Security Assistance Force and United States Forces – Afghanistan and 5th Marine Regiment commander during the Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Neller became commander of the Marines Forces Central Command in 2012 and spent a year as a chief operations officer in support of the defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He worked as a commissioner of the Military Leadership and Diversity Commission for two years.
He has more than three decades of experience as a career infantry officer and has been deployed for international assignments to perform training, operations and command functions.
“I’m absolutely certain that [Neller] will rise to the challenges, see them as opportunities, and seize his time to ensure that the Marine Corps remains the most effective expeditionary fighting force the world has ever known,” said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.
