{"id":32407,"date":"2023-07-21T16:10:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T16:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/07\/21\/david-bergers-journey-from-navy-rotc-to-boldest-marine-commandant\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:59:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:59:11","slug":"david-bergers-journey-from-navy-rotc-to-boldest-marine-commandant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/07\/21\/david-bergers-journey-from-navy-rotc-to-boldest-marine-commandant\/","title":{"rendered":"David Berger\u2019s journey from Navy ROTC to \u2018boldest\u2019 Marine commandant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early in the military career of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/07\/10\/the-corps-is-without-a-confirmed-top-marine-for-the-1st-time-since-1910\/\" target=\"_blank\">recently retired Marine Gen. David Berger<\/a>, he and his wife, Donna, whom he had met when they were in sixth grade, made a promise to each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The young officer would get out of the Corps if he ever had three bad days in a row, he told reporters at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/modern-day-marine\/2023\/06\/28\/us-joint-forces-lack-a-common-goal-for-the-future-says-top-marine\/\" target=\"_blank\">Modern Day Marine conference<\/a> in Washington June 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That never happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy did I stay? The people,\u201d Berger said. Marines will do anything to help each other, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After 42 years as a Marine, he retired from the Corps on July 10, leaving his position as commandant of the Marine Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once a young man from rural Woodbine, Maryland, who didn\u2019t meet a Marine until college, Berger joined the Corps in the contentious wake of the Vietnam War and ended up retiring as the top United States Marine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From 2019 to until July, Berger led the proudest, and perhaps toughest, U.S. military branch \u2014 and changed it more than it had been changed in decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/07\/10\/the-corps-is-without-a-confirmed-top-marine-for-the-1st-time-since-1910\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Relinquishment.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Marines left without a confirmed commandant for 1st time since 1910<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Gen. Eric Smith and his wife won\u2019t be moving their boxes into the &quot;Home of the Commandants&quot; quite yet, but he will have powers of a confirmed top Marine.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cwarrior-scholar,\u201d as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently termed Berger, took the helm two years after his predecessor declared the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2017\/09\/18\/the-next-fight-the-commandant-is-pushing-the-corps-to-be-ready-for-a-violent-violent-fight\/\">Corps unready for a war<\/a> with a peer adversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2020, he published and began executing a plan that he hoped would get the service up to speed. In response came extraordinary public criticism of his plan from some of the most respected retired Marine generals, who had led the Corps for much of Berger\u2019s career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When pressed about his critics, Berger has insisted he bears them no rancor, even as he has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/06\/22\/top-marine-pushes-back-on-critics-lack-of-trust-in-corps-overhaul\/\">expressed \u201csurprise\u201d<\/a> at their lack of trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/marinecorpscompasspoints.substack.com\/p\/compass-points-lack-of-trust\" target=\"_blank\">His critics have expressed <\/a>a sense that the now-retired commandant hasn\u2019t listened to their concerns about changes to the force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some who have spent time around Berger, from his college lacrosse teammate to the secretary of defense, see him as a leader defined by his very ability to listen, and then act decisively on what he has heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retired Marine Col. Bob Work, former deputy secretary of defense, said, \u201cIf you take a look at all of the service chiefs since the end of the Cold War, in my view, he\u2019s the one that has been the boldest and has demonstrated the most moral courage doing what he thought had to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>42 years as a Marine<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger entered the Naval ROTC program at New Orleans\u2019 Tulane University in 1977 because it would pay for college, he said June 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just two years after the end of the Vietnam War, he faced skepticism from peers and adults alike for his decision to join the military,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/01\/10\/to-recruit-gen-z-the-top-marine-makes-an-appeal-to-older-generations\/\"> he noted in a Dallas Morning News op-ed<\/a> in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Marine gunnery sergeant who taught the midshipmen may have been the first Marine he\u2019d ever met, Berger recalled at the Modern Day Marine roundtable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seeing the way the gunny spoke and carried himself, and the way others responded to him, the teenage Berger decided, \u201cI have no idea what that is, but that\u2019s what I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=f3bdac34-69b0-40a1-9d30-5b9846e6906a\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-f3bdac34-69b0-40a1-9d30-5b9846e6906a.png\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gen. David Berger has been a staunch figure in a redesign of the Marines. With his retirement, will the plans stay in place?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He switched from the Navy track to the Marine one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Tulane, Berger majored in engineering and played competitive club lacrosse, on top of his NROTC responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retired Navy Capt. Steve Jordon \u2014 a longtime friend of Berger and a former NROTC classmate and lacrosse teammate \u2014 said the young midshipman remained \u201cwell-centered\u201d despite his packed schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was a good friend, easy to talk to and the kind of person who others relied on to make sure that collegiate revelry didn\u2019t cross any boundaries it shouldn\u2019t, according to Jordon. The retired Navy captain has fond memories of Berger driving him and other lacrosse teammates to away games in his souped-up Mustang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhether it\u2019s a new friend, an old friend, or in his current life with him interacting with Marines and other service members across the globe \u2014 when he\u2019s face-to-face with you, he really cares about your opinion and what you think about things,\u201d Jordon said. \u201cI think that\u2019s that quiet leadership that he\u2019s been so successful at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After graduating from Tulane, Berger<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2019\/03\/27\/former-recon-marine-lt-gen-david-h-berger-nominated-to-be-next-commandant\/\"> became an infantry officer and recon Marine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same year, he married Donna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is my soulmate,\u201d he said at his retirement ceremony July 10. \u201cWe have been married 42 years. She could certainly trade up \u2014 I don\u2019t have that option.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger went on to command Marines on deployments to Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan as he worked his way up through the ranks of the Corps, according to his official bio.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/07\/07\/how-marine-commandant-berger-became-the-poster-child-for-change\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5722055.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">How Marine Commandant Berger became \u2018the poster child for change\u2019<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Gen. David Berger relinquishes command on July 10, after four years of reforms that will shape the Marine Corps for years to come.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can\u2019t imagine a career that\u2019s flat,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a Marine, your life is like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He moved his hand through the air like a sine wave. \u201cI love that part.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The highs, like the rush of combat, and the lows, like knocking on the doors of families to bring them news of a death, are more extreme than he can describe to those outside the military, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From 2016 to 2018, he served as the commander of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacom.mil\/Media\/News\/News-Article-View\/Article\/1598284\/us-marine-corps-forces-pacific-change-of-command-lt-gen-berger-relinquishes-com\/\"> Marine forces in the Indo-Pacific<\/a>, where the military\u2019s focus has shifted in recent years as America\u2019s wars in the Middle East have ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger\u2019s last assignment before pinning on a fourth star as commandant in 2019 was as the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, which develops and implements the very concepts at the center of Force Design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Change and pushback<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From his first year as commandant in 2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2023\/07\/07\/how-marine-commandant-berger-became-the-poster-child-for-change\/\">Berger championed sweeping change<\/a> in the Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His aim was to prepare the service for a fight against a technologically sophisticated adversary, in particular the Chinese military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Force Design 2030, as his initiative is called, has entailed<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2020\/03\/23\/the-corps-is-axing-all-of-its-tank-battalions-and-cutting-grunt-units\/\"> scrapping tanks, cutting the number of troops<\/a>, emphasizing reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, and renewing the Corps\u2019 focus on amphibious warfare after decades of combat with insurgencies in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The changes outraged a cadre of former Marine leaders. Retired generals penned dozens of op-eds in protest and appealed to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2022\/04\/01\/corps-detat-how-two-dozen-retired-generals-are-trying-to-stop-an-overhaul-of-the-marines-00022446\"> Congress and the Pentagon behind the scenes<\/a> to halt the changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One common criticism of the redesign was that<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2022\/04\/22\/marines-restructuring-plan-scrutiny-generals\/\"> focusing on China as an adversary would limit<\/a> Marines\u2019 ability to respond to threats elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marine officials have insisted the force also will be better prepared to face other adversaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4884\" height=\"3256\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/633296.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-64614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/633296.jpg.jpg 4884w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/633296.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/633296.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/633296.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/633296.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/633296.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4884px) 100vw, 4884px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Then-Maj. Gen. David H. Berger, the commanding general of Task Force Leatherneck, 1st Marine Division (Forward), says goodbye to the Marines and sailors of Regimental Combat Team 5 in 2012. (Cpl. Alfred Lopez\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some critics contend that divestments of tanks, aviation assets and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/2022\/06\/22\/its-not-too-late-to-salvage-marine-corps-artillery\/\"> most cannon artillery<\/a> would leave the force ill-prepared for the realities of combat, even if those cuts \u201cmight look good in a computerized war game at Quantico,\u201d Virginia,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/momentous-changes-in-the-marine-corps-deserve-debate-reduction-david-berger-general-11648217667\"> as Marine veteran and former Navy Secretary Jim Webb<\/a> wrote in The Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Marine official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said in a text message to Marine Corps Times, \u201cThe most vocal of them have created an illusion that they speak for most or all retired Marine Corps general officers. That is false. I can say with high confidence that notable retired Marines have told these ringleaders that \u2018they do not speak for them\u2019 and must stop alluding to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retired Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper, a vocal member of the group of retired Marines opposing Force Design, said he was unsure how many retired generals were active in the self-titled \u201cChowder II\u201d because there was no roster, but he said the number was \u201ccertainly in the hundreds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose of us who identify as members of Chowder Society II are looking forward towards a new Marine Corps and not at a commandant who in four years destroyed the Corps it took some 30 years to build,\u201d Van Riper said via email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want to support the 39th commandant when he takes the helm and work to get the Corps back on track,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger has insisted that war games and experimentation back up the Force Design concepts, a claim that itself garnered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/opinions\/2023\/06\/16\/games-marine-corps-plays.html\">public skepticism from his critics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can always do better at communicating,\u201d Berger said at a Defense One event March 16, when asked about his biggest mistakes as commandant. \u201cI think early on, I talked a great deal about the things that would need to change in the Marine Corps. What I should have done is balance that with, \u2018These are the things that will not change in the Marine Corps.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that a regret, though not a mistake, is the pace of force modernization: If he could speed it up, he would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger has sought to revamp other aspects of the Corps, too, including personnel policy, logistics operations, and training and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The personnel effort,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/11\/01\/marine-talent-management-2030-flawed-foundation-flawed-document\/\" target=\"_blank\"> Talent Management 2030<\/a>, sparked its own controversy among retired Marines wary of the emphasis on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/opinion\/2022\/10\/19\/the-unintended-consequences-of-aging-the-marine-corps\/\"> retaining older Marines<\/a> instead of just recruiting new ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some of the least resource-intensive changes under Berger made the biggest waves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2020, Berger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2020\/06\/06\/marine-corps-bars-public-display-of-confederate-flag-on-installations\/\">banned Confederate-flag symbols<\/a> from public display on Marine bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger\u2019s predecessor as commandant, retired Gen. Robert Neller, said in the weeks after that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/recruiting\/2020\/07\/02\/neller-regrets-failure-to-ban-confederate-battle-flag-during-his-time-as-commandant\/\">he will regret for as long as he lives<\/a> his own failure to put in place such a ban.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=8a316fa8-2de0-4ead-83fa-dd778c40ce4a\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-8a316fa8-2de0-4ead-83fa-dd778c40ce4a.jpg\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Commandant Gen. David Berger is calling for removal of all \u201cConfederate-related paraphernalia\u201d from Marine bases.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following year, the Marine Corps <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/10\/29\/sleeves-are-officially-back-as-marine-corps-makes-big-changes-to-its-tattoo-policy\/\">loosened the tattoo policy<\/a> to allow full sleeves once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger also was in charge of the Marine Corps when COVID-19 first arrived on scene, through the rollout of the vaccine and the contentious vaccine mandate, which the Corps enforced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/04\/27\/the-vast-majority-of-troops-kicked-out-for-covid-vaccine-refusal-received-general-discharges\/\">the most zealously<\/a> of the services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, the Marine Corps<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/2020\/04\/01\/this-is-what-marine-boot-camp-looks-like-during-a-pandemic\/\"> continued training recruits<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/2020\/03\/21\/marine-corps-exercises-and-training-thunder-on-despite-covid-19-concerns\/\"> holding field exercises<\/a> even as some Marines<a href=\"https:\/\/thewarhorse.org\/the-dangers-of-complacency\/\"> worried that it was unsafe<\/a> to do so, Marine Corps Times previously reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe train so that we can be ready to go,\u201d Berger said in April 2020. \u201cWe never get the chance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/2020\/04\/06\/we-must-continue-to-train-despite-covid-19-pandemic-top-marine-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">to pick the next crisis<\/a>, where it happens, when it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That next crisis came in August 2021, when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban as U.S. troops departed the country after two decades of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/08\/28\/here-are-the-names-of-the-13-service-members-who-died-in-afghanistan-attack\/\">Thirteen U.S. service members<\/a>, including 11 Marines, died in a bombing at the chaotic Kabul airport, where troops were helping evacuate Afghan and American civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked June 28 about lessons learned from the conflict, Berger said it would take time before the military could figure those out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome things are too close, too personal, too near-term to really be objective about and look back and go, \u2018OK, in the bigger scheme of things, what did we learn?\u2019\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his final year as commandant, Berger found the Marine Corps at odds with the rest of the Defense Department on funding priorities. He had long made it clear: The Corps needed at least 31 amphibious warships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the Office of the Secretary of Defense in March announced a budget request that would allow<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2023\/03\/09\/commandant-pushes-amphibious-warship-funding-as-next-budget-emerges\/\"> the Navy\u2019s amphibious fleet<\/a> to drop below that number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger\u2019s approach: Don\u2019t publicly malign DoD leadership, yet remain firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThirty-one is the bare minimum,\u201d he said at the National Press Club event the day after the proposed budget was announced. \u201cWe can\u2019t do with any less.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/08\/09\/commandant-calls-on-senior-marines-to-remove-shackles-from-junior-leaders\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Marr-loading.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Commandant calls on senior Marines to stop \u2018shackling\u2019 junior leaders<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">It\u2019s time for senior leaders to let go of the reins and allow small unit leaders the freedom to make decisions, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger says.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Work\u2019s eyes, Berger\u2019s ability to thread the needle with both the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Congress on the amphib issue is one example of the \u201ctremendous\u201d leadership he has shown as commandant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger often would ask the young majors on his staff about their experiences with and opinions about the Corps, Austin noted in a speech July 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His approach has been to listen carefully to what others think, examine the results of experimentation and war games, and then make a decision, according to Work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd once he comes to a decision, he says, \u2018OK, let\u2019s get on with it,\u2019\u201d Work said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t allow a lot of drama to get in the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>A Corps without a commandant<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After four years as commandant, Berger was required by law to retire July 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What likely would have otherwise been a smooth handoff to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/05\/31\/bidens-pick-to-lead-the-marine-corps-helped-design-its-new-vision\/\">Assistant Commandant Gen. Eric Smith<\/a>, whom the White House nominated in May to succeed Berger, was marred by one senator\u2019s blockade on military nominations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, has single-handedly held up confirmation for hundreds of senior military nominees in protest of a Pentagon policy that makes it easier for troops to get out-of-state abortions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/07\/10\/the-corps-is-without-a-confirmed-top-marine-for-the-1st-time-since-1910\/\">Berger\u2019s departure<\/a> marked the first time the Marine Corps has been left without a Senate-confirmed leader in more than a century. Smith, as the second-in-command, assumed the role of acting commandant upon Berger\u2019s retirement at Marine Barracks Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith already has pledged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/06\/14\/next-commandant-says-he-will-accelerate-marine-corps-transformation\/\">to press on with Berger\u2019s Force Design<\/a> vision, and even to accelerate it as the budget allows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/06\/28\/how-the-outgoing-marine-commandant-will-spend-his-retirement\/\">Berger has said he plans<\/a> to spend time in retirement with Donna, his four sons and his grandchildren; according to Austin\u2019s speech, Berger enjoys riding four-wheelers on his farm with his grandkids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1429\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200213-M-ZJ622-010.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Gen. David H. Berger\" class=\"wp-image-7238\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200213-M-ZJ622-010.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200213-M-ZJ622-010.jpg.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200213-M-ZJ622-010.jpg.jpg?resize=768,549 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200213-M-ZJ622-010.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,732 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200213-M-ZJ622-010.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1097 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David H. Berger salutes the casket of retired 28th Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Paul X. Kelley on Feb. 13, 2020. (Sgt. Daisha R. Johnson\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He will wait a few months before he says yes to other opportunities, but he indicated he wants to give back and, perhaps, make money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Standing beneath the sun on the parade field at the Marine Barracks on his retirement day, Berger devoted most of his last speech as commandant to thanking his family and the Marines who served alongside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve tried my best to make sure the Marine Corps is ready today and also ready five, 10 years from now,\u201d Berger said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did his voice catch? If it did, it was only for a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhere we have succeeded, all the credit goes to all of the Marines around the world who are trying things, experimenting,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey\u2019re pushing us into the future. Where we\u2019ve come up short, that\u2019s on me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Defense News reporter Megan Eckstein contributed reporting.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once a young man from rural Maryland, who didn\u2019t meet a Marine until college, retired Gen. David Berger joined the Corps in the wake of the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":41741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-post-featured-layout","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":69,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","home","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"10":{"categories":["the-americas","newsletters","daily-news-roundup","land","naval","global"],"primary_category":"the-americas"}}},"categories":[101,23,25,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3360],"class_list":["post-32407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-newsletters","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"NFLJVDOQXVBXFC5VY32HWP7GFA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/07\/21\/david-bergers-journey-from-navy-rotc-to-boldest-marine-commandant\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"featured-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>David Berger\u2019s journey from Navy ROTC to \u2018boldest\u2019 Marine commandant - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Once a young man from rural Maryland, who didn\u2019t meet a Marine until college, retired Gen. 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