Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot ( commonly referred to as MCRD ) San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego , California . It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5 , adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former Naval Training Center San Diego . MCRD San Diego ' s main mission is the initial training of enlisted male recruits living west of the Mississippi River . Over 21 , 000 recruits are trained each year . The Depot also is the home to the Marine Corps ' Recruiter School and Western Recruiting Region ' s Drill Instructors School . History . Marines made an amphibious landing in San Diego in 1846 from and during the Mexican – American War . Marines made a presence in San Diego again in July 1914 , but ground was not broken for a permanent base until 2 March 1919 . The initial proposal for the base came from Congressman William Kettner , who also proposed construction of Naval Training Center San Diego . The Marine base only became a reality due to the perseverance of its first commanding officer , Colonel Joseph Henry Pendleton ( later a general and the namesake of Camp Pendleton ) . Before the commissioning of the base on Dutch Flats , the Marines were based in Balboa Park . The structures were designed by architect Bertram Goodhue in the Spanish Colonial Revival style , and they echo the style used for the buildings of the 1915 Panama – California Exposition ( also inspired by Goodhue ) . The base and its original buildings are now on the National Register of Historic Places listings in San Diego County , California . By 1921 , the base was formally commissioned and in 1923 , it became the primary recruiting center for the west coast . During World War II , the flow of recruits into the base surged , with 18 , 000 recruits arriving in one month . In 1948 , the base was formally named Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego . Recruit training . The base ' s main mission is to train new United States Marine Corps recruits , specifically males recruited from west of the Mississippi River , but also from some areas east of the river , such as Wisconsin , Michigan , the Chicago metropolitan area and New Orleans . All women are trained at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island . Recruit training for those enlisted in the United States Marine Corps , includes a thirteen week process during which the recruit becomes cut off from the civilian world and must adapt to a Marine Corps lifestyle . During training , drill instructor s train recruits in a wide variety of subjects including weapons training , Marine Corps Martial Arts Program , personal hygiene and cleanliness , close order drill , and Marine Corps history . The training emphasizes physical fitness , and recruits must attain a minimum standard of fitness to graduate by passing a Physical Fitness Test . Recruits must also meet minimum combat - oriented swimming qualifications , qualify in rifle marksmanship with the M16A4 service rifle , and pass a 54 - hour simulated combat exercise known as " The Crucible " . Unlike training at Parris Island , recruits must leave the depot to conduct field training . At Edson Range aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton , recruits fire on the rifle range , conduct field training , and undergo the Crucible . At the conclusion , recruits return to MCRD San Diego for Marine week and then graduation . Tenant organizations and facilities . In addition to recruit training , MCRD San Diego is also home to the Drill Instructor ' s School for the Western Recruiting Region and the Recruiter ' s School for the entire Marine Corps . The Coast Guard also has a presence on board MCRD , with the Pacific Area Tactical Law Enforcement Team and the Maritime Safety and Security Team . The base is also home to the MCRD San Diego Command Museum . Several schools pertinent to the Marine Corps mission are and have been based at MCRD . Among these was the " Sea School , " which trained the Marine Detachments for duty aboard Naval vessels . The Communications and Electronics School was formerly located there . Possibility of closure . Some politicians have pushed for the closure of MCRD San Diego , primarily because it occupies what is now extremely valuable land adjacent to the city ' s harbor and airport . Although the installation was not on the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list proposed by the Pentagon , the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission asked the Pentagon for a written explanation as to why the MCRD was not proposed to be closed and consolidated into the depot at Parris Island . The Commission noted that the Navy and Air Force had successfully consolidated training facilities without risk to the mission or risk of loss of " surge capability " ( the ability to quickly increase the rate of recruit training if circumstances make that necessary ) . They also noted that the military value of San Diego is lower than Parris Island due in part to encroachment and land constraints . Closure meets heavy resistance from the Marine Corps , because of the status of the parade deck as a memorial to veterans of World War II , Korea , and Vietnam , and Iraq , as well as the cost of relocation of the Depot . In a July 14 , 2005 public response to the Commission , Gordon R . England , the acting Deputy Secretary of Defense , stated that the Department of Defense did not recommend San Diego ' s closure because it would create a single point of failure in regard to Parris Island ' s vulnerability to hurricanes , among other threats . He also noted that the payback on such a closure would take over 100 years , due to the need for new construction at Parris Island and the need to relocate rather than eliminate personnel from San Diego .