Two Generals Replace Waldhauser

It will now take a total of six stars now to do the job a three star general did. 

Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser relinquished his commands of Marine Forces Central Command and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force to two other  generals at a Camp Pendleton ceremony Friday. 

Splitting the commands, he said, will help focus the force's mission. 

"The Marine Corps is making a commitment to to rebalance our forces in the Pacific while at the same time underscoring the fact that peace and stability in the Middle East remain within our national interest," he told a crowd that included Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James F. Amos.

Lt. General  Robert Neller will run Marine Corps Central Command from Tampa.

Lt. Gen. John A. Toolan will be on Camp Pendleton to command the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. 

Standing near a Marine memorial wall, he said he will continue Gen. Waldhauser's tradition.

"He set the standards—a very high standard–and the conditions are set. Now it's just a matter of me making sure that we follow through, because its all about honoring the sacrifices of all the men and all the women who are on that wall back there," he said.

General Waldhauser will move on to serve as the senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. 

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