New leadership is likely headed to one of the U.S. military’s most consequential overseas commands, with tens of thousands of Marines in Japan set to fall under a new commander as Washington sharpens its Indo-Pacific posture.
President Donald Trump nominated Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson on Wednesday to command III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) and Marine Forces Japan, putting him in charge of the Marine Corps’ only permanently forward-deployed expeditionary force. The Okinawa-based command anchors America’s Indo-Pacific deterrence posture and operates under U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Watson currently serves as commanding general of Marine Corps Training and Education Command, where he oversees how Marines are trained, educated and prepared for future conflict. His nomination comes as the Corps continues implementing Force Design—a restructuring effort that emphasizes smaller, more mobile units and capabilities designed to operate inside contested maritime environments. His new role is dependent on U.S. Senate confirmation.
III MEF oversees roughly 27,000 Marines and sailors stationed across Japan, bolstering a cornerstone of the U.S.-Japan security alliance. Units under the command routinely train with Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and are structured to respond quickly to crises across the Western Pacific, from humanitarian disasters to high-end military contingencies.
Military.com reached out to the White House and the Defense Department for comment on the nomination and confirmation timeline.
The Okinawa-based force plays a central role in U.S. contingency planning tied to the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula, both regions where U.S. military planners view speed, access and interoperability as decisive factors.
Unlike rotational forces elsewhere, III MEF remains permanently positioned in theater, allowing commanders to move forces rapidly without the delays associated with trans-Pacific deployments.
Marines stationed in Okinawa have already been training those concepts in the field, pairing mobile launchers, sensing networks and long-range fires during littoral exercises designed for island and maritime operations in the Western Pacific.
Pentagon Mum on Nomination
The Pentagon declined to provide additional detail on the nomination or the anticipated transition timeline, offering no comment on when a change of command could occur if the Senate approves the nomination.
When asked to confirm the nomination and provide background on the decision, a Pentagon official told Military.com to inquire instead to the USMC.
Senior military nominations are typically routed through the White House and the services involved, with confirmation hearings and votes handled by the Senate Armed Services Committee. Until that process is complete, officials often avoid discussing operational timelines or leadership transitions.
Military.com reached out to the Marine Corps, U.S. Forces Japan, Indo-Pacific Command and the State Department for comment. None responded prior to publication.
Watson’s Path to the Front Line
Watson brings decades of operational and leadership experience to the nomination, with a career that spans combat operations, senior command and service-wide training reform as the Marine Corps pivots toward great-power competition in the Indo-Pacific.
Before leading Training and Education Command, Watson commanded the 1st Marine Division—one of the Marine Corps’ largest and most deployable combat formations. He oversaw force readiness, overseas deployments and large-scale exercises involving joint and allied partners.
At Training and Education Command, Watson has overseen how Marines are trained, educated and developed across the force. He's managed reforms designed to align training with new operational concepts under Force Design. Those changes emphasize mobility, dispersion and the ability to operate inside contested maritime environments, capabilities central to III MEF’s mission in Japan.
If confirmed, Watson would move from shaping how Marines are prepared for future conflict to commanding the Marine Corps’ most forward-deployed force—placing him at the operational edge of America’s Indo-Pacific strategy and in direct charge of forces expected to respond first in a regional crisis.
