Heckl Nominated for 3 Stars, Deputy Commandant for CD&I

ARLINGTON, Va. — Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced Aug. 6 that the president has made the following nomination: 

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Karsten S. Heckl for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as the deputy commandant for combat development and integration, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps; and commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.  Heckl is currently serving as commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. 

Below are excerpts from his official biography: 

A native of Stone Mountain Georgia, Heckl graduated from Georgia State University and was commissioned in April 1988.  He was designated an unrestricted Naval Aviator in September 1990. 

Heckl commanded Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162, which included a combat tour in Iraq in 2008 and Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) in 2010.  From June 2018 to July 2020, he served as the commanding general, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing. 

As a CH-46E pilot, Heckl deployed with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 365 and HMM-263 and served as a CH-46E Instructor and Division Head at MAWTS-1, MCAS Yuma, Arizona.  Additionally, he was assigned as one of the initial cadre of pilots with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 (VMMT-204).  

Staff assignments include CH-46E and MV-22 Requirements Officer, Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) Aviation Department, Washington DC; J3 director of Operations, United States Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A), Kabul, Afghanistan; senior military assistant and Marine Aide to the secretary of the Navy; assistant deputy commandant for Aviation, HQMC Aviation Department, Washington DC; chief of staff, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO), Lisbon, Portugal. 

Heckl is a distinguished graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School (AWS) and the Naval War College.