Top Marine outlines priorities for next four years
In his first interview since shedding the “acting” label, commandant cites people, modernization, and organic mobility as top areas of focus.
CAITLIN M. KENNEY | OCTOBER 12, 2023
MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL
As Gen. Eric Smith nears 100 days of leading the Marine Corps, he says his thoughts are focused on one thing: his people.
“The first thing I think about when I get up in the morning, or the last thing I think about before I hit the rack at night, is Marines. How do I make them more capable, more lethal? How do I make it easier for them to have some control over their careers?” Smith told Defense One in his first interview since being confirmed as Marine Corps commandant.
His efforts are complicated by the fact that he is still working two jobs, thanks to a GOP senator’s blanket hold on senior military promotions.
“[W]hen you have senior people doing two jobs, that by definition means you're not focused on either job solely, which is what the Marines deserve,” said Smith, the former assistant commandant who became acting commandant when Gen. David Berger retired on July 10. “I mean, one person cannot do both jobs as well as two people can do those two jobs.”
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2023/10/top-marine-outlines-priorities-next-four-years/391154/
