CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- II Marine Expeditionary Force dedicated its new headquarters building in honor of the late Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr., the 29th commandant of the Marine Corps, during a ceremony at Camp Lejeune. Lt. Gen. Calvert L. Worth Jr., commanding general of II MEF, presided over the event.
Built with the Marine Corps' warfighting ethos at the forefront, the new facility is dedicated to Gray’s "fight to win" mentality. Gray, who passed in March 2024, commanded the II Marine Amphibious Force (now II MEF) from 1984 to 1987. His visionary leadership at Camp Lejeune fundamentally changed how the Marine Corps fights. Gray drove the adoption of maneuver warfare and the publication of FMFM 1, "Warfighting," a doctrine that continues to shape the Marine Corps' approach to battle. Demanding both physical toughness and intellectual rigor, Gray instilled the ideal of the "warrior-scholar" and a culture of achieving victory through surprise, boldness, and overwhelming violence of action.
“This headquarters serves as the heartbeat of II Marine Expeditionary Force,” Worth said. “It's our command post; it is our war room. It's our reminder that II MEF stands ready to move to the sound of the thunder. That's simply what we do.”
The newly completed Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr. Operations Center provides a modernized facility necessary for II MEF operations. Construction began in January 2022 and was completed in January 2026. Key components of the 180,251 square-foot, three-story building include the Littoral Warfare Training Center (LWTC), which provides an advanced tactical and operational planning environment, and a watch floor that serves as a 24/7 operational center for the command.
“For the members of II Marine Expeditionary Force, I remind you that if we are not thinking every day with warfighting in our minds, and devoting ourselves to the mission, the ever-changing mission, the ever-evolving mission, then we're probably falling short of General Gray's expectations,” Worth said.
The completion of this modernized headquarters ensures that Gray’s warrior ethos will remain built into the foundation of II MEF for generations to come, optimizing the force for future operations.