Marine commandant-select Lt. Gen. Robert Neller will appear Thursday morning before the Senate Armed Services Committee for a confirmation hearing, the committee announced.
Neller, 62, was nominated earlier this month to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford as commandant of the Marine Corps. Dunford, who became commandant last October, has been nominated to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff; a confirmation vote is pending. Neller has also been nominated for promotion to a fourth star, which he would receive upon becoming commandant.
Currently the commander of Marine Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia, Neller works closely with the Navy to plan Marine Corps deployments and execute force generation across the globe. He also recently spearheaded a campaign aimed at discouraging alcohol abuse in the ranks.
Over his During Neller's 40-year infantry career, he has also previously served as commander of Marine Corps Central Command, overseeing Marine operations in the Middle East; as president of Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia; as the director for Headquarters Marine Corps Plans, Policies and Operations out of the Pentagon; and as the deputy commanding general for operations for I Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq from 2005 to 2007.
Neller likely will field questions from the committee about the Marines' major acquisition projects, including the F-35B joint strike fighter and the Amphibious Combat Vehicle concept. He also may be asked to discuss future Marine deployments to the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, and his thoughts on integrating female Marines into the combat arms fields. All the services will be required to fully integrate male-only units by the first of next year, unless service leaders ask for and receive specific exceptions.
