The Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT) is an American maritime landing force that is spread across the Atlantic Ocean. It is headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk and directs and commands all the subordinate elements of the Navy Expeditionary Strike Force and Marine Air-Ground Task Force components that follow under the 2nd, 4th, and 6th Fleet and the Marine Forces Command (MarForCom). The Commanding General of Marine Forces Command is dual-posted as the Commanding General of the Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic. FMFLANT is under operational control of the Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet Forces Command, when deployed.

History The Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, traces its history to the Advanced Base Force, created in the early 1900s. In the early 1920s, the Marine Corps began developing the advanced base doctrine from a defensive posture to one that included offensive amphibious operations. The units of the Advanced Base Force became the East Coast Expeditionary Force in 1921, during the reforms made to the Marine Corps structure by Commandant John Lejeune, to emphasize the more offensive nature of its potential operations.Emmel, David C. (11 June 2010). The Development of Amphibious Doctrine. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College – p. 33. Retrieved 6 October 2023. As the expeditionary warfare concept developed, in December 1933 the Fleet Marine Force was established,Swanson, Claude A. (7 December 1933). The Fleet Marine Force. Marine Corps University. Retrieved 6 October 2023. with one brigade at Quantico, Virginia, and one in San Diego, California.Heinl, R.D., Jr. (November 1947). The U. S. Marine Corps: Author of Modern Amphibious War. Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute, Vol. 73/11/537. In 1941, the Fleet Marine Force became a training command and two field commands, the Amphibious Corps, Atlantic Fleet, and Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, were created.Garand, George W.; Strobridge, Truman R. (1971). Western Pacific Operations: History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II (Volume IV). Marine Corps History Division – pp. 19–23. Retrieved 6 October 2023.

The Basic Post-War Plan No. 2 was issued on 22 March 1946, which divided the Marine Corps into two Fleet Marine Force components: Atlantic (FMFLANT) and Pacific (FMFPAC). The Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, was activated with the commander of the 2nd Marine Division as its acting commanding general, and under the operational control of the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, on 16 December 1946.Tyson, Carolyn A. (1965). A Chronology of the United States Marine Corps 1935-1946. Marine Corps History Division. Retrieved 1 October 2023. Its first headquarters was Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, before being moved to Norfolk, Virginia, in March 1947. On 13 July 1992, FMFLANT became part of Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic (MARFORLANT), which was renamed U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM) on 30 December 2005.MARINE CORPS FORCES COMMAND. Marine Corps University. Published 6 June 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2023.

From 1980, the commanding general of Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, was also the designated head of Fleet Marine Force, Europe, which became Marine Corps Forces Europe (MARFOREUR) in 1994.Marine Corps Forces, Europe. In the early 1990s, the post also became the designated commander of Marine Corps Forces South (MARFORSOUTH).Marines. Division of Public Affairs, Headquarters Marine Corps – p. 11. Published January 1995. These were both "designate" headquarters, meaning they only had a minimal staff during peacetime that would become a larger full service component command only during operations.History. U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa. Retrieved 5 October 2023. Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, was nominally the commander of both. In 2008, MARFOREUR became a separate organization with its own dedicated commander,Major General Cornell A. Wilson. U.S. Marines. Retrieved 5 October 2023. and MARFORSOUTH did so in 2015.Hodge Seck, Hope (30 June 2015). 1-star becomes first dedicated commander of Marine Forces South. Military Times. Retrieved 22 September 2023. From 1980 to 1997, the commanding general of FMFLANT also was the commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force.

Organization Reporting directly to the Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (CG FMFLANT) are the Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), the Commanding General, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), and the Commanding Officers of three Marine Expeditionary Units (22d, 24th, 26th MEUs). The Commanding General, II MEF, exercises operational control over the 2d Marine Division, the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, and the 2d Marine Logistics Group.

Hierarchy of Fleet Marine Force units

Naval Support ActivityNorfolk, Virginia

Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM)

Landing Force, Second Fleet (LF2F) Combined Task Force 22(CTF-22) Naval Station NorfolkNorfolk, VA Combined Task Force 23(CTF-23) II Marine Expeditionary Force(II MEF) MCB Camp LejeuneNorth Carolina, United States

Marine Forces, South (MARFORSOUTH)

Landing Force, Fourth Fleet (LF4F) U.S. Southern CommandMiami, Florida II Marine Expeditionary Force MCB Camp LejeuneNorth Carolina, United States

Marine Forces, Europe (MARFOREUR)

Landing Force, Sixth Fleet (LF6F) Task Force 61 Naval Support Activity NaplesNaples, Italy Task Force 62 Task Force 68 II Marine Expeditionary Force MCB Camp Lejeune North Carolina, United States

List of commanders CommanderTermRefPortraitNameTook officeLeft officeTerm length Commanding General FMFLANTFormer Commanders (archived). U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic. Published 25 June 2001. Retrieved 2 October 2023. Commanding General FMFLANT / II MEF / FMFEUR Commanding General FMFLANT / II MEF / Commander MARFORLANT / MARFOREUR / MARFORSOUTH Commanding General FMFLANT / Commander MARFORLANT / MARFOREUR / MARFORSOUTH Commanding General FMFLANT / Commander MARFORCOM / MARFOREUR / MARFORSOUTH Commanding General FMFLANT / Commander MARFORCOM / MARFORSOUTH Commanding General FMFLANT / Commander MARFORCOM

History Advanced Base Force East Coast Expeditionary Force

See also Fleet Marine Force, Pacific (FMFPAC) Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC) Marine Corps Forces Command (MARCORCOM) [formerly Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic (MARFORLANT)]

References

External links http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1989/SJH.htm http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1995/MJS.htm

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