| Robert B. Neller | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1953-02-09) February 9, 1953 (age 71) Fort Polk, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1975–2019 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Commandant of the Marine Corps United States Marine Corps Forces Command United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command Marine Corps University 3rd Marine Division 6th Marine Regiment |
| Battles / wars | United States invasion of Panama Operation Restore Hope Iraq War |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal (2) |
Robert Blake Neller (born February 9, 1953) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2015 to 2019.
Neller was born in Louisiana and was raised in Michigan. He was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from the University of Virginia in 1975 and served as an infantry officer. During his career he was deployed to Panama, Somalia and Iraq. As a general officer he served as the commanding general of the 3rd Marine Division, the Director of Operations on the Joint Staff, the commander of Marine Corps Forces Central Command, and commander of Marine Corps Forces Command as well as commanding general of Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic.
Early life and education
Neller was born in Camp Polk, Louisiana on February 9, 1953. A native of East Lansing, Michigan, he graduated from East Lansing High School in 1971. He enrolled in the University of Virginia and, at graduation, received his commission through Officer Candidates School via the Platoon Leaders Class program in May 1975.
Neller is a graduate of The Basic School, Armor Officer Advanced Course (now the Maneuver Captains Career Course), Marine Corps Command and Staff College, NATO Defense College, and the Armed Forces Staff College. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Speech Communication from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from Pepperdine University. Neller is a member of Theta Chi fraternity.
Marine career
Early career
Neller's assignments in the operating forces include: Rifle and Weapons Platoon Commander and Company Commander with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division; Commanding Officer, Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines; Commanding Officer, 3rd Light Armored Infantry Battalion (LAI) and Commanding Officer, 6th Marine Regiment from 10 July 1998 to 6 July 2000. While with 3rd LAI he participated in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. As the Commanding Officer, Marine Corps Security Force Company, Panama, he participated in Operations Just Cause and Promote Liberty. Additionally, he served as Executive Officer, 7th Marine Regiment, G-3, II Marine Expeditionary Force and G-3, 2nd Marine Division.
Other assignments include recruit series officer, aide-de-camp and as Director of Special Training Division MCRD San Diego, California. Neller served as Student Company Executive Officer and Tactics Instructor at The Basic School, Quantico, Virginia, and in Special Projects Directorate Headquarters Marine Corps. Additionally, he served as a Staff Officer in the Policy Division of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Casteau, Belgium.
General officer
As a general officer, Neller has served as the Assistant Division Commander of the 2nd Marine Division and the Director, Operations Division, Plans, Policies and Operations. He was also the Deputy Commanding General (Operations), 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) during an especially dangerous time of the Iraq War from 2005 to 2007, and as the Assistant Division Commander for 1st Marine Division. Neller commanded 3rd Marine Division and served as President, Marine Corps University. From January 2011 to July 2012, he served as Director for Operations, J3, The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.
From September 2012 to June 2014 he served as commander, Marine Corps Forces Central Command. In this role he was responsible for the 15,000 Marines that were in the Middle East at the time, in the United States Central Command area of responsibility. Neller was the first dedicated commander of MARCENT to be at its headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, as the role was previously held by the commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, California.
In June 2014 he became the commander of Marine Corps Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia, where he oversaw the preparation of Marines for operations and deployment, as well as East Coast Marine bases. In that role he was also the head of Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa.
Commandant
Neller succeeded General Joseph Dunford as the 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps on September 24, 2015. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who worked with Neller when he had been Director of Operations at the Joint Staff, said that Neller "is a warrior. He is a leader. He is a statesman." Him being chosen over other candidates was considered to be due to his experience of working with the Navy while being the head of Marine Forces Command, as the Marine Corps was considering a new doctrine that is based on a closer partnership with the Navy.
In June 2017, General Neller told Congress that the Marine Corps is "not currently organized, trained and equipped to face a peer adversary in the year 2025."
After retirement
On February 12, 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin appointed Neller as one of four Departmental representatives to the Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense that Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.
Awards and decorations
 
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Notes
- Miller, LCPL Thomas (August 9, 2018). "Lt.Gen. Berger relinquishes command to Lt.Gen. Craparotta". Press Release. Marine Corps Base Hawaii, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- Maalouf, Khaled (November 25, 2022). "#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Veteran Robert Neller". News.va.gov.
- Palmer, Ken (July 24, 2015). "East Lansing native set to become top U.S. Marine". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- "Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps: Who is Robert Neller?".
- ^ "Lieutenant General Robert B. Neller, Commander". Marine Corps. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- "2ND MARINE DIVISION AND ITS REGIMENTS" (PDF). www.usmcu.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ^ Eckstein, Megan (July 1, 2015). "Lt. Gen. Robert Neller Nominated to Serve as 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps". USNI News.
- "General Robert B. Neller". Department of Defense official biography.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- "Marine Corps designates standalone command at MacDill". Tampa Bay Times. September 17, 2012.
- ^ Mehta, Aaron; Seck, Hope Hodge (July 1, 2015). "Lt. Gen. Robert Neller tapped as next commandant of the Marine Corps". Marine Corps Times.
- Schogol, Jeff (September 18, 2017). "The Next Fight: The commandant is pushing the Corps to be ready for a 'violent, violent fight'". Marine Corps Times.
- "Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the Department's Representatives to the Congressionally-Mandated Commission on the Naming of Items in the Department of Defense That Commemorate the Confederate States of America". U.S. Department of Defense. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- "Commandant awarded French National Order of Merit". May 27, 2018.
- "Stock Photo - Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller speaks with a guest after receiving the Medal of Naval Order and Merit for Superior Officers from Commandant of the".
External links
- Biography at Marine Forces Europe and Africa website
- Biography at USMC website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byJoseph V. Medina Acting |
Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Division 2007-2008 |
Succeeded byJames B. Laster |
| Preceded by??? | President of the Marine Corps University 2009-2010 |
Succeeded by??? |
| Preceded byJohn M. Paxton Jr. | Director for Operations of the Joint Staff 2011-2012 |
Succeeded byKurt W. Tidd |
| Preceded byThomas D. Waldhauser | Commander of the United States Marine Forces Central Command 2012-2014 |
Succeeded byKenneth F. McKenzie Jr. |
| Preceded byJohn M. Paxton Jr. | Commander of the United States Marine Corps Forces Command 2014-2015 |
Succeeded byBradford J. Gering |
| Preceded byJoseph Dunford | Commandant of the Marine Corps 2015–2019 |
Succeeded byDavid H. Berger |
- 1953 births
- United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War
- Living people
- People from East Lansing, Michigan
- Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal
- Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- United States Marine Corps generals
- United States Marine Corps Commandants
- Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun
- East Lansing High School alumni
- NATO Defense College alumni
- Pepperdine University alumni
- University of Virginia alumni