Top Marine leader sworn in 1 day after Senate confirmation

When Gen. David Berger became the Marine commandant in 2019, he was ushered into the job with a formal ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, complete with a band performance and a receiving line .

But when Gen. Eric Smith took on the role Friday morning, it was in a small ceremony at the Pentagon. Smith was dressed in his service uniform, the typical Marine uniform for a typical Friday at work, as Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro swore him in.

Fewer than 10 people were in attendance: Smith; his wife, Trish; Del Toro; and a few of Smith’s and Del Toro’s staffers, according to Smith’s spokesman, Maj. Joshua Larson.

The low-key ceremony came one day after the Senate confirmed the Marine general to be the 39th commandant, following a monthslong period in which the Marine Corps was left without an official top leader.

Smith is a career infantryman who has been a champion of Berger’s force modernization initiative, which he helped design . President Joe Biden in May picked Smith, then the assistant commandant, as the Marine who would replace Berger upon his legally required retirement July 10.

But Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, has refused to provide his consent to the confirmation of batches of senior military nominations, in protest of a Pentagon policy offering paid leave and reimbursement for travel expenses for troops seeking out-of-state abortions.

As Tuberville’s blockade put the number of nominees awaiting confirmation above 300 people, Senate Democrats held individual votes Wednesday and Thursday on the nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Army chief nominee Gen. Randy George and Smith.

Ninety-six senators, including Tuberville, voted Thursday afternoon to confirm Smith, and no senators voted against confirmation. Brown and George also were confirmed.

Following his confirmation Thursday, George, who was on a trip to visit troops in Alaska, was sworn in by the Army secretary over the phone. Brown hasn’t yet been sworn in; the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, won’t retire until the end of September.

As the assistant commandant, Smith had also been performing the duties of commandant since Berger’s departure in July. Juggling the two top roles has left him with a schedule that was “not sustainable,” he told reporters earlier in September, voicing concerns about his ability to make the best decisions in the long run on a persistent lack of sleep.

That situation is likely to remain the same unless the Senate makes additional confirmations. Smith no longer is the assistant commandant, but neither is anyone else, so he has no designated deputy. The nominee for that job, Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney , is still stuck in Senate limbo.

But Senate confirmation does allow Smith to issue the commandant’s long-term planning guidance for the force. It gives him the official title of commandant, a step up from assistant commandant. And he can move into the Home of the Commandants, a historic white building at Marine Barracks Washington.

“I am grateful the Senate took action to allow the Marine Corps to have a confirmed Commandant, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to continue to serve Marines,” Smith said in a statement Friday. “I remain mindful that dozens of junior Marine officers, families, and their units remain in an unstable position as they wait for confirmation. I look forward to the day when all Marines and their families enjoy the stability they deserve.”

Irene Loewenson is a staff reporter for Marine Corps Times. She joined Military Times as an editorial fellow in August 2022. She is a graduate of Williams College, where she was the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.

2019 年，大卫·伯杰将军就任海军陆战队司令时，在华盛顿海军陆战队兵营举行了正式的就职仪式，仪式包括乐队表演和欢迎队伍。

但周五上午，埃里克·史密斯将军正式就任时，仪式是在五角大楼举行的一个小型仪式上进行的。史密斯身着海军陆战队制服，这是海军陆战队周五工作时典型的制服，海军部长卡洛斯·德尔·托罗为他主持了宣誓仪式。

据史密斯的发言人约书亚·拉尔森少校称，出席者不到 10 人：史密斯；他的妻子特里什；德尔·托罗；以及史密斯和德尔·托罗的几名工作人员。

在参议院确认这位海军陆战队将军为第 39 任司令的第二天，举行了这场低调的仪式。此前，海军陆战队已经长达数月没有正式的最高领导人。

史密斯是一名职业步兵，他一直积极支持伯杰的部队现代化计划，并参与了该计划的设计。今年5月，乔·拜登总统任命时任助理司令的史密斯为接替伯杰的海军陆战队指挥官，伯杰将于7月10日依法退休。

但阿拉巴马州共和党参议员汤米·图伯维尔拒绝同意确认多批高级军事人员提名，以抗议五角大楼的一项政策，该政策为前往外州堕胎的士兵提供带薪休假和差旅费报销。

由于塔伯维尔的阻挠，等待确认的提名人数量超过 300 人，参议院民主党人在周三和周四分别对参谋长联席会议主席提名人空军上将查尔斯·Q·布朗、陆军参谋长提名人兰迪·乔治和史密斯进行了单独投票。

包括图伯维尔在内的96名参议员于周四下午投票确认了史密斯的任命，没有参议员投反对票。布朗和乔治的任命也获得确认。

乔治周四获得确认后，当时正在阿拉斯加慰问部队的他通过电话由陆军部长主持宣誓就职。布朗尚未宣誓就职；现任参谋长联席会议主席、陆军上将马克·米利要到9月底才会退休。

自伯杰7月离任以来，作为助理司令的史密斯也一直履行着司令的职责。他9月初告诉记者，同时兼顾这两个最高职位让他“无法长期维持”，并表达了对长期睡眠不足能否做出最佳决策的担忧。

除非参议院进行进一步确认，否则这种情况很可能维持现状。史密斯不再担任助理司令，但其他人也都不再担任此职，因此他没有指定的副手。该职位的提名人克里斯托弗·马奥尼中将目前仍处于参议院的待定状态。

但参议院的确认确实允许史密斯发布部队的长期规划指导方针。这将赋予他正式的司令官头衔，比助理司令官更上一层楼。他还可以搬进司令官官邸，这是一座位于华盛顿海军陆战队兵营的历史悠久的白色建筑。

“我感谢参议院采取行动，使海军陆战队得以任命一位正式司令，我深感荣幸能有机会继续为海军陆战队员服务，”史密斯周五在一份声明中表示。“我始终铭记，数十名海军陆战队初级军官、他们的家人以及他们的部队仍在等待任命确认，处境动荡不安。我期待着所有海军陆战队员及其家人都能早日享有他们应得的稳定。”

艾琳·洛文森是《海军陆战队时报》的专职记者。她于2022年8月加入《军事时报》，担任编辑助理。她毕业于威廉姆斯学院，曾担任该校学生报纸的总编辑。