# United States Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa

The Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa (abbreviated as MARFOREUR/AF), headquartered in Panzer Kaserne-Barracks in Böblingen, Germany, is the U.S. Marine Corps component of the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command.

## History

In February 1980 the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Chief of Naval Operations revised the operational task sharing between the two branches in a memorandum. Hitherto the USMC had a supporting role within United States Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR). When that agreement came into effect on July 1, 1980, Headquarters, Fleet Marine Force Europe, the predecessor of the present unit, was founded in London including an independent 40-person staff as a Designed Component Command, to act as a Command Unit for further formations to be put under EUCOM-Command in case of a crisis situation. That staff immediately began preparing operation plans for optimal replenishment and deployment when required. FMF Europe arranged Marine support for Operation Provide Comfort, Operation Provide Promise, and Operation Deny Flight. To meet increasing challenges better, headquarters were transferred to Böblingen near Stuttgart on November 8, 1993. In February 1994 the headquarters was renamed MARFOREUR.
MARFOREUR is now dual-hatted with Marine Corps Forces Africa as Marine Corps Forces Europe / Africa, since November 2008.

## Organization

Currently, MARFOREUR/AF has a manning level of more than 1,500 Marines, of which about 100 serve at headquarters in Böblingen.
MARFOREUR/AF serves as a headquarters and liaison organization for USMC efforts in the EUCOM area of responsibility. In normal circumstances Marine elements in the theater are few – routinely, the Marine Expeditionary Unit attached to United States Sixth Fleet, and possibly other small units and detachments. Yet the HQ makes it possible to call upon forces from II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF), based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. This force comprises the 2nd Marine Division, the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and the 2nd Marine Logistics Group, formerly known as the 2nd Force Service Support Group.
II MEF would also supply forces for the Norway Air-Landed Marine Expeditionary Brigade (NALMEB). NALMEB is a remnant NATO Cold War reinforcement organization, and would have come under command of Allied Forces Northern Europe. Significant equipment storage for a MEB is located in northern Norway under the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway, and administered in the contiguous United States by Blount Island Command. The Norwegian Government has integrated the presence of a MEB into its defense planning.
Yet the tasking is now more theoretical than real, as the last confirmed deployment was Exercise Battle Griffin in 1991, in which the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, made up from USMCR reserve units due to Operation Desert Storm, made the first test of the concept. The exercise was conducted in February and March 1991 and the Brigade was made up of the 25th Marines regimental headquarters, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines (infantry), Company E, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, and 1st Battalion, 14th Marines (artillery).
In 2014 the USMC added heavy armored vehicles to NALMEB for the first time.
As of January 2017, a rotational force of about 330 (infantry) U.S. Marines from Camp Lejeune, NC, are stationed in Trondheim, Norway on two six-month deployments. Official MARFOREUR writings say that the Marine Rotational Force, Europe (MRF-E) comprises "an infantry company reinforced by enablers and a Marine Coordination Element. [Their] presence in Norway facilitates military exercises that support NATO and USEUCOM operational plans; increases interoperability with Allies and Partners; advances efforts for more naval integration; and enables recuperation of the Marine Corps' cold weather and mountain proficiencies."

## List of commanders

| No. | Commander | Commander | Term | Term | Term | Ref |
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | Ref |
| Commanding General FMFEUR / II MEF / FMFLANT |||||||
| 1 | | Schwenk Adolph G.Lieutenant General Adolph G. Schwenk (1922–2004) | 1 October 1980 | 1 July 1982 | 1 year, 273 days | |
| 2 | | Miller John H.Lieutenant General John H. Miller (born 1925) | 1 July 1982 | 1 September 1984 | 2 years, 62 days | |
| 3 | | Gray, Alfred M.Lieutenant General Alfred M. Gray Jr. (born 1928) | 1 September 1984 | 1 July 1987 | 2 years, 303 days | |
| - | | Comfort, Clayton L.Major General Clayton L. Comfort (1930–2004) Acting | 1 July 1987 | 1 September 1987 | 62 days | |
| 4 | | Cook Ernest T.Lieutenant General Ernest T. Cook Jr. (1935–2000) | 1 July 1987 | 1 July 1990 | 3 years, 0 days | |
| 5 | | Lieutenant General Carl E. Mundy Jr. (1935–2014) | 1 July 1990 | 25 June 1991 | 359 days | |
| Commander MARFOREUR / MARFORSOUTH / MARFORLANT / Commanding General FMFLANT / II MEF |||||||
| 6 | | Keys, William M.Lieutenant General William M. Keys (born 1937) | 25 June 1991 | 1 September 1994 | 3 years, 68 days | |
| 7 | | Johnston, Robert B.Lieutenant General Robert B. Johnston (1937–2023) | 1 September 1994 | August 1995 | 334 days | |
| 8 | | Wilhelm, Charles E.Lieutenant General Charles E. Wilhelm (born 1941) | August 1995 | 23 November 1997 | 2 years, 114 days | |
| Commander MARFOREUR / MARFORSOUTH / MARFORLANT / Commanding General FMFLANT |||||||
| 9 | | Pace, PeterLieutenant General Peter Pace (born 1945) | 23 November 1997 | 8 September 2000 | 2 years, 290 days | |
| 10 | | Ayres, Raymond P.Lieutenant General Raymond P. Ayres (born 1944) | 8 September 2000 | 15 August 2002 | 1 year, 341 days | |
| 11 | | Berndt, Martin R.Lieutenant General Martin R. Berndt (born 1941) | 15 August 2002 | 15 August 2005 | 3 years, 0 days | |
| Commander MARFOREUR / MARFORSOUTH / MARFORCOM / Commanding General FMFLANT |||||||
| 12 | | Blackman, Robert R. Jr.Lieutenant General Robert R. Blackman Jr. (born 1948) | 15 August 2005 | 18 July 2007 | 1 year, 337 days | |
| Commander MARFOREUR/AF |||||||
| 13 | | Wilson, Cornell A.Major General Cornell A. Wilson Jr. | 18 July 2007 | 30 September 2008 | 1 year, 74 days | |
| 14 | | Garrett, Tracy L.Brigadier General Tracy L. Garrett | 30 September 2008 | 10 September 2009 | 345 days | |
| 15 | | Brier, Paul W.Brigadier General Paul W. Brier | 10 September 2009 | 17 August 2010 | 341 days | |
| Commander MARFOREUR/AF / MARFORSOUTH / MARFORCOM / Commanding General FMFLANT |||||||
| 16 | | Hejlik, DennisLieutenant General Dennis Hejlik | 17 August 2010 | 20 July 2012 | 1 year, 338 days | |
| 17 | | Paxton, John M. Jr.Lieutenant General John M. Paxton Jr. (born 1951) | 20 July 2012 | 13 December 2012 | 146 days | |
| - | | Crowe, W. BlakeBrigadier General W. Blake Crowe (born 1967) Acting | 13 December 2012 | 28 June 2013 | 197 days |
| 18 | | Tryon, Richard T.Lieutenant General Richard T. Tryon (born c. 1954) | 28 June 2013 | 1 July 2014 | 1 year, 3 days | |
| 19 | | Neller, Robert B.Lieutenant General Robert B. Neller (born 1953) | 1 July 2014 | 23 September 2015 | 1 year, 84 days | |
| Commander MARFOREUR/AF |||||||
| 20 | | Nelson, Niel E.Major General Niel E. Nelson | 23 September 2015 | July 2017 | 1 year, 281 days | |
| 21 | | Sanborn, Russell A.Major General Russell A. Sanborn | July 2017 | 7 July 2019 | 2 years, 6 days | |
| 22 | | Hermesmann, PatrickMajor General Patrick Hermesmann | 7 July 2019 | July 2020 | ~360 days | |
| 23 | | Neary, Stephen M.Major General Stephen M. Neary | July 2020 | 20 October 2020 | ~111 days |
| 24 | | Langley, MichaelMajor General Michael Langley (born 1961) | 3 November 2020 | 6 May 2021 | 184 days |
| 25 | | King, TracyMajor General Tracy W. King | 6 May 2021 | 30 June 2023 | 2 years, 55 days |
| 26 | | Sofge, RobertMajor General Robert Sofge | 30 June 2023 | | 1 year, 99 days |