Fleet Marine Force, Pacific

The provisional administrative headquarters of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, was established on 12 June 1944 as the reformation of the V Amphibious Corps, and it formally was designated as Headquarters Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, on 17 September 1944. On 12 July of the same year, Holland Smith became Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, after being appointed by Admiral Chester Nimitz, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.^[1] The force grew to a strength of six divisions and five aircraft wings by the end of the war.^[2]

The preceding units of the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, were mainly from the original Fleet Marine Force, established on 7 December 1933 by the Secretary of the Navy, Claude A. Swanson.^[3] It consisted of two brigades, one on the East Coast in Quantico, Virginia, and one on the West Coast in San Diego, California.^[4] In 1941 the Fleet Marine Force was reduced to a training command in the continental United States during the war, while two amphibious forces, one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific, were created as field commands. In 1943 the Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, became V Amphibious Corps. In the spring of 1944, the commander of V Amphibious Corps had his role expanded to cover the III Amphibious Corps as well, and this position developed into the Headquarters, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, in September 1944. FMFPAC was created as a U.S. Navy type command responsible for organizing, training, and supporting Marine forces in the Pacific Fleet, as well as advising the Commander of the Pacific Fleet on all matters related to the Marine Corps.^[5] In December 1946, the Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT) was created as the East Coast counterpart to FMFPAC.^[6]

More information FMF-PAC Insignia 1944-1946 ...

FMF-PAC Insignia 1944-1946[7][8]
Dog Platoon	Anti-Aircraft	Artillery	DUKW Company	Bomb Disposal	Engineers	Supply	AMTRAC

Close

In July 1992, the Marine Corps established two service component commands to geographic unified combatant commands, including the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC). Since then, the Commander, MARFORPAC, has been dual-hatted as the Commanding General, FMFPAC.^[1]

Marine units from FMFPAC were deployed to China during the Chinese Civil War, and participated in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. It also sent units to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan,^[1] because before 2005 the area covered by the U.S. Central Command was in the jurisdiction of FMFPAC. The head of MARFORPAC and FMFPAC was also nominally the Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command (MARCENT), from 1992 until 2005, when that role was given to the commanding general, II Marine Expeditionary Force.^[9]

Reporting directly to the Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific (CG FMFPAC) are the Commanding Generals of two Marine Expeditionary Forces (I MEF and III MEF), the Commanding Generals of two Marine Expeditionary Brigades (1st MEB and 3rd MEB), and the Commanding Officers of four Marine Expeditionary Units (11th, 13th, 15th, and 31st MEUs).

The Commanding General, I MEF, exercises operational control over the 1st Marine Division, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and the 1st Marine Logistics Group, while the Commanding General, III MEF, exercises operational control over the 3d Marine Division, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and the 3rd Marine Logistics Group.

• Advanced Base Force
• Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT)
• Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC)
• Marine Corps Forces, Command (MARFORCOM) [formerly Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic (MARFORLANT)]