HALLWAY FIVE, The E-Ring, The Pentagon — Following months of delays by Senator Tommy Tuberville, the US Senate confirmed Marine Gen. Eric M. Smith’s nomination as Commandant of the Marine Corps by a 96-0 vote on Sept 21, 2023. Smith, had been serving as the Acting Commandant since July 2023, a position in which he was statutorily limited in his ability to effect action on behalf of the service, as well as serving as Assistant Commandant, a position to which he was confirmed on October 8, 2021.
In a recent Marine Corps Times interview, Smith reluctantly admitted that the schedule he was forced to maintain as the Corps No. 1 and No. 2 Marine was challenging. The interview, conducted from outside a Pentagon bathroom stall at 0430 as Smith executed No. 2 duties before leading a morning PT session, consisted entirely of that statement. During his morning constitutional Smith conducted three additional interviews, addressed seventeen cases of officer misconduct, received an intelligence update, and signed a seven-inch thick stack of promotion warrants.
