The Marines' nominee for commandant has been officially nominated for promotion to a fourth star.
Lt. Gen. Robert Neller, commander of Marine Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia, was nominated July 1 to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford as commandant. He was nominated Thursday to the rank of general, according to an announcement from the Defense Department.
Neller, who has served in the Marine Corps for 40 years Marine, is expected to take command of the service Marine Corps this fall when Dunford replaces Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Neller's confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee has yet to be set, but is expected to take place later this month or the first week of August.
Also nominated for promotion in the announcement was Maj. Gen. Larry Nicholson, currently serving as commanding general of 1st Marine Division out of Camp Pendleton, California. Nicholson was tapped for a third star and nominated for assignment to serve as the commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Forces Japan, out of Okinawa.
Nicholson, a 35-year infantry officer, previously commanded 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistan from 2009-2010. He also served on the ground in Iraq, commanding 5th Marine Regiment in Fallujah from 2006 to 2007.
arine Expeditionary Force
