OAN’s James Meyers
2:56 PM – Friday, September 22, 2023
In a 96-0 vote, the Senate confirmed General Eric M. Smith as the new Commandant of the Marine Corps.
The vote took place on Thursday, and Smith will now take over for the prior Commandant General David Berger, who relinquished his post in July, which left the military branch without a top leader for the first time in 164 years.
Smith becoming the new Commandant comes after President Joe Biden nominated him two months prior to lead the Marine Corps.
Additionally, the Senate also announced Air Force General Charles Q. Brown to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Randy A. George as the Chief of Staff to the Army.
Smith graduated from Texas A&M University and was commissioned as an officer into the Marines in 1987.
The new Commandant has led at every level so far in his military career.
According to his biography on Marines, Mil, he has led at Weapons Company; 2nd Battalion; 2nd Marine Regiment during Operation Assured Response in Liberia; 5th Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom; and 8th Marine Regiment during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Furthermore, Smith’s more recent assignments included, Senior Military Assistant to both the Deputy Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Defense, as well as Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration.
“I want to congratulate General Randy A. George and General Eric M. Smith on their confirmation as our nation’s next Chief of Staff of the Army and Commandant of the Marine Corps, respectively,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a Department of Defense release. “They will each be incredible leaders of their Service and will work to strengthen and modernize our military for the challenges ahead.”
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