The general in charge of the Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Expeditionary Force once said that the U.S. military has “really been somewhat absent from the Pacific for the last 12 years. … We need to be steaming around the Pacific, showing the flag to countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.”
Now that officer — Lt. Gen. John Toolan Jr. — is poised to take over command of all Pacific forces.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced Monday that President Obama has nominated Toolan for commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, commanding general of Fleet Marine Forces Pacific and commander of Marine Corps Bases Pacific.
(At the same time, Hagel also nominated Navy Rear Adm. Thomas S. Rowden to the rank of vice admiral and commander of Naval Surface Forces/commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet in San Diego. Rowden now is posted at the Pentagon as director, Surface Warfare Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.)
In a U-T San Diego profile last year, Toolan was quoted as saying:
“The Japanese are not sure anymore if we really are going to come to their aid. If you ask them, they wonder whether we are willing to sacrifice our economic relationships with China in order to protect the Senkaku Islands.”
In a talk at the San Diego Military Advisory Council, Toolan also said: “There is an effort by many of our political leaders to take a good hard look, particularly with sequestration, the debt ceiling and continuing resolution issues all coming to a close here in the next 60 days, whether or not we can afford to be present in the Pacific.”
Toolan takes over from Lt. Gen. Terry G. Robling, commander of Marine Forces Pacific since August 2012.
About 60, Toolan became the 1st Marine force commander in September 2012, and said he met his wife-to-be Helen while serving in San Diego at the Marine recruit depot.
“Helen Toolan is a cofounder of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund,” the U-T reported. “They’ve been married more than 30 years and have three children.”
When he took command of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, it consisted of 57,000 military personnel spread throughout Camp Pendleton, Twentynine Palms and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
“I feel very blessed to be able to take this command,” Toolan said at the time. “I think it is very important that as I take over this I MEF, that I follow the tradition that Tom Waldhauser has set. He set very high standards and the traditions are set. Now it’s just a matter of making sure that we follow through because it’s all about honoring the sacrifices of those men and those women that are on our wall back there.”
