General officers

A Birthday Ball season note

By Gidget Fuentes on October 29, 2010 Camp Lejeune, General officers, History and heritage

With the Marine Corps’ 235th birthday around the corner, there’s one former Marine with a message he hopes will resonate during the traditional celebrations this season. Battle Rattle met Patrick T. Brent, a businessman, freelance writer and former officer, in early October aboard the amphibious assault ship Makin Island, where he joined sailors, Marines and officers for San Francisco Fleet Week events. For Brent, it was an opportune time to reiterate a pitch he has been making for the past year or so: reminding folks of the correct pronunciation of that famous division commander and 13th commandant, Lt. Gen. John…

Behind the Cover: State of the Marine Corps 2010

By Dan Lamothe on September 27, 2010 Behind the Cover, General officers, The CMC

It goes without saying at this point that the Marine Corps is facing a changing environment, both tactically and politically. It’s obvious in many ways, from the way the Corps recently launched its first assault on pirates in years to the hard realities Marine officials are considering right now as part of a force structure review. With that in mind, Marine Corps Times presents this week “Guide to a Changing Corps,” a special report that assesses that state of the Marine Corps and what it faces next. It features exclusive interviews with the following, as Marine leadership seeks to set…

Colonel takes shots at PowerPoint, ISAF in new rant

By Dan Lamothe on August 26, 2010 Afghanistan, General officers, Leadership

In April, a New York Times piece on the U.S. military’s PowerPoint culture generated a fair amount of buzz, especially considering it included a simple, cutting indictment from Gen. James Mattis, then-commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command: “PowerPoint makes us stupid.” The military still relies heavily on PowerPoint presentations, however. And while that may never change, one Army colonel assigned to an International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, has had enough. His brutal critique of military culture is burning up the Web today after being published by the UPI news service. An excerpt: For headquarters staff, war consists…

A lifetime of leading Marines

By Gina Cavallaro on August 19, 2010 General officers, Leadership, The CMC

The American Red Cross will recognize Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James Conway on Oct. 16 with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Forty years ago he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, which was probably before most Marines in the Corps today were even born, and he’s been leading Marines ever since. The award will be presented at the Fire and Ice Ball in Washington, D.C., the American Red Cross National Capital Region’s 2010 annual gala, which this year will pay tribute to the armed forces and their families. There’s a chance that by Oct.…

Mattis takes another step toward Tampa

By Gina Cavallaro on August 4, 2010 Afghanistan, General officers, Iraq

Gen James N. Mattis was confirmed today by voice vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee to become commanding general of U.S. Central Command. The next step is confirmation by the full Senate, which could happen tonight but is more likely to happen tomorrow because the Senate is busy, busy, busy trying to get out of town for the August recess. Mattis is expected to sail through his confirmation, process no matter what. So my bet is that he’s got his bags and his books packed, his cover in place and a foot out the door with coordinates for sunny…

Inside the Marine Corps Sergeants Major Symposium

By Dan Lamothe on July 29, 2010 General officers, The CMC, The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps

When it comes to the movers and shakers in the Marine Corps, they virtually all will visit the same event this week: the Marine Corps Sergeants Major Symposium in National Harbor, Md. An annual gathering of the service’s most senior enlisted advisers, the symposium frequently leads to recommendations that affect change in the service. Led by Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent, it traditionally pushes up a handful of suggestion to the commandant each year. Many of those have made their way into Marine Corps policy in recent years, including a crackdown on body-fat standards, the approval of campaign…

Arlington burial of late general and Iwo Jima veteran to be star-studded affair

By Dan Lamothe on July 21, 2010 General officers, The CMC, World War II

Thursday morning, the Marine Corps will bury one of its own. Retired Maj. Gen. Fred Haynes wasn’t just any Marine, though. As a captain, he served as an operations officer for Combat Team 28, participating in the bloody Battle of Iwo Jima that resulted in nearly 7,000 U.S. combat deaths. In 1967, he served as the top operations officer of Marine forces in Vietnam. Haynes died in March, and will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery following a service at Arlington’s Fort Myer Old Post Chapel. The delay in his burial is likely the result of the time and resources…

Gen. James Mattis, hanging out in an Afghanistan fighting hole

By Dan Lamothe on July 20, 2010 General officers, Infantry

In a story published this morning, The New York Times treads over a lot of well-worn ground while examining Gen. James Mattis’ past and considering how he’ll fit in as the new commander of U.S. Central Command. Most of it will come as no surprise to Marine Corps watchers. Mattis is known for his “impolitic” remarks, the Times reports, and is “a warrior who chooses to lead from the front lines and speaks bluntly rather than concerning himself with political correctness.” Shocker, I know. The story does contain one great anecdote, though. Nathaniel Fick, a former Marine captain whose profile…

Behind the Cover: Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent stays on

By Dan Lamothe on July 12, 2010 Behind the Cover, General officers, The CMC, The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps

This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story puts to rest any questions over who will serve as the Corps’ senior enlisted leader for the next year — it’s Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, who will continue to serve after the presumed new commandant, Gen. James Amos, takes over. Kent became the Corps’ senior enlisted leader under Gen. James Conway on April 25, 2007. The sergeant major of the Marine Corps traditionally serves a four-year tour, but considering the terms for the SMMC and the CMC haven’t matched up since Gen. James Jones stepped down early as commandant early in 2003, the question…

Dissecting the Mattis-to-CENTCOM reaction

By Dan Lamothe on July 9, 2010 Afghanistan, Capitol Hill, General officers, Infantry, Iraq

It’s been about 24 hours since the Pentagon announced that Gen. James Mattis has been nominated to take over U.S. Central Command, and it has been met within the Marine Corps with the reaction most military observers expected. In short, the typical Marine response: “Su-weet!” There’s many reasons for that. Mattis, commander of the initial Marine invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, obviously has a track record as an innovative military thinker, but he’s also a leader who goes the extra mile for Marines in hostile environments. An example: Far removed from day-to-day Marine operations, Mattis advocated behind the scenes for more…

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