Structure of the Marine Corps

Learn More About the Corps in Civilian Terms

Posted on 8/11/2026

The USMC is organized with two parallel chains of command, service and operational. The Service chain begins with the President, through the Secretary of Defense, and continues through the Secretary of the Navy and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The operational chain runs from the President, through the Secretary of Defense, directly to commanders of combatant commands for missions and forces assigned to their commands.

Image info: The 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Robert Neller, speaks to Marines of the First Marine Expeditionary Force during his visit to Camp Pendleton, California, Oct. 5, 2015. —Photo by Sergeant James Gulliver.

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