West Coast bases regionalize under MCI West

CAMP PENDLETON - In an effort to improve command and control, the major Marine Corps installations throughout the West Coast have regionalized under Marine Corps Installations West.

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s commanding general, Brig. Gen. Michael R. Lehnert, who has been selected for promotion to major general, has been tapped to command MCI West, which will exercise operational command over the following bases and stations:

- Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

- Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

- Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz.

- Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton

- Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center,

- Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

- Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport

Brig. Gen. Lehnert will assume command as the commanding general of MCI West Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. during a change of command and activation ceremony. Col. John C. Coleman will assume command of MCB Camp Pendleton from Maj. Gen. (sel.) Lehnert.

Col. William “Sonny” Liston will assume command as deputy commander of MCI West.

Marine Corps Installations West will provide the operating forces and tenant commands service and support to meet present and anticipate future joint and expeditionary warfare requirements.

“We’re here to support the operating forces, the organizations that make Marines and the families of Marines and sailors. There’s no other reason for our existence, and that’s all we are here for,” said Lehnert, who now, as the MCI West commander, emphasizes the four Ps and an R: planning, programming, prioritization, policy and resoucing.

Officials say that the regionalization will strengthen lines of authority and communication while providing the ability to improve business processes across all supporting establishment functions.

The regionalization was done to “improve speed and effectiveness of what we do,” Lehnert said.

“Each base has done well independently, but has had little interaction with each other,” said Lehnert, who cited the regionalization plans by the other military services, and said that up until now, the Marine Corps was “missing out.”

“The Marine Corps has not been effective operating regionally,” he said.

The new regional model has three major and two minor installation regions known as Marine Corps Installations (MCI) commands. The major installation groupings are aligned with the MEF commanders and include MCI East (Lejeune), MCI West (Pendleton) and MCI Western Pacific (Okinawa).

The East, West and Western Pacific regions line up with the three Marine Expeditionary Forces and will provide a single point of contact for MEF commanders to address installation concerns.

“MCI West is the point between the strategic and tactical level that wasn’t there before,” Lehnert said.

All installations in a geographical area will report to a general officer who will command all installations in their area but will not be dual hated as a base commander.

Marine Corps Installations West implements policies, develops regional strategies and plans, prioritizes resources and provides services, direction and oversight through assigned Marine Corps Installations in order to support the operating forces, tenant commands and activities.

The regionalized tasks include the West Coast’s communication information systems; fiscal planning; public affairs; safety; manpower; legal inspections; human resources; regional plans; business performance; environmental plans and security; infrastructure plans; aviation policy; regional policy and security; reserve policy; logistics; and Marine Corps Community Services.

“Many of the people working for the base (Camp Pendleton) will be dual-hatted,” Lehnert said.

From a business perspective, commanders of MCI commands will have the regional installation authority to allow the Marine Corps to more quickly take advantage of economies of scale, improve fixed asset utilization, improve support of ranges, and centralize strategic planning of regional priorities, as well as a realign redundant overhead.

Additionally, the regional approach will clarify supported and supporting command relationships while strengthening roles and responsibilities for anti-terrorism/force protection within U.S. Northern Command.

Marine Corps Installations East and West will stand up new regional commands Saturday. Marine Corps Installations National Capitol Region, Mid-Pacific and Western Pacific will stand up throughout the next 12 months.