MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Nov 20, 2009) -- MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Nov 20, 2009) High ranking U.S. Special Operations Command and Marine Corps personnel gathered alongside community leaders to commemorate the new U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command Headquarters building during a ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 20, on Stone Bay here.
During the ceremony, Gen. James Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps was presented with a KA-BAR knife and Adm. Eric T. Olson, commander of US SOCOM, was presented with a Marine Raider Stiletto to cut the ribbon.
“What you see behind you is a truly powerful manifestation of what can happen when two organizations like the United States Special Operations Command and the United States Marine Corps combine resources, combine energy to contribute to the capabilities of a most important organization like the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command with a most important mission at this time in our history,” Olson said in reference to the new facility.
The facility cost more than $51 million and took 500 personnel to build. The construction of the facility began in January 2007 and reached completion on Sept. 6.
The facility’s construction was part of a $259 million project meant to reach completion in 2010. The project is a long-term military construction plan to provide MARSOC with extensive, multi-faceted and functional compounds on Marine Corps Bases Camp Lejeune, N.C. and Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The new facilities consolidate Marines in MARSOC who previously were divided between 112 different facilities into 45. The facilities being constructed at Stone Bay include three barracks, 17 training facilities, 15 work facilities, and 10 miscellaneous facilities.
Prior to the ribbon cutting, Maj. Gen. Mastin M. Robeson passed the reigns of command to Maj. Gen. Paul E. Lefebvre, making him the third commander of MARSOC.
After the change of command, Robeson retired from the Marine Corps after 34 years of service.