Lt. Gen. John Wissler speaks during a panel discussion about the Pacific at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition at the Gaylord Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on Monday, April 13, 2015. (Mike Morones/Staff)
Lt. Gen. John Wissler was nominated today to serve as commander of Marine Forces Command and as commanding general of Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, the Defense Department announced.
If confirmed, Wissler will fill the jobs previously held by Gen. Robert Neller, who on Sept. 25 replaced Gen. Joseph Dunford as commandant of the Marine Corps.
As head of MARFORCOM, Wissler will be responsible for training and providing Marines to geographic combatant commanders around the world. He will also command all the Marines based on the East Coast.
Until Sept. 11, Wissler served as commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and commander of Marine Forces Japan in Okinawa. While at the helm of III MEF, he was responsible for coordinating a number of disaster response operations, including humanitarian assistance missions in Nepal and the Philippines.
It is not immediately clear when Wissler will face confirmation by Congress or when he will take the helm of the Norfolk, Virginia-based command responsible for Marine forces in the Atlantic.
Wissler previously led 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and 2nd Marine Logistics Group.