Karsten S. Heckl

Karsten Selby Heckl (born September 2, 1964) is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who last served as the deputy commandant for combat development and integration and commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, from 2021 to 2024. Heckl previously served as the commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force. He previously served as commander of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

On 30 October 2023, Heckl was performing the duties of commandant of the Marine Corps when Commandant Eric Smith was hospitalized, until he was relieved of those duties when General Christopher J. Mahoney was sworn in as the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps on 3 November 2023.

Biography A native of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Lieutenant General Heckl graduated from Georgia State University and was commissioned in April 1988. He was designated an unrestricted Naval Aviator in September 1990. He is also a distinguished graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School (AWS) and the Naval War College.

While serving as Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration, he was performing the duties of commandant of the Marine Corps from 30 October 2023 to 3 November 2023, when the commandant, General Eric Smith experienced a heart attack, pending the confirmation of General Christopher Mahoney as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. The confirmation was delayed due to a hold on all military nominations by Senator Tommy Tuberville, and Heckl was the senior officer at the time. Mahoney was sworn in as assistant commandant on 3 November 2023 and assumed the duties of commandant from Heckl.

Heckl also had a leading role in implementing Force Design 2030, which was still in an early stage when he took office in 2021, throughout the Marine Corps, for which he worked with industry and the Department of the Navy. On 9 August 2024 he relinquished command of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and the office of deputy commandant for combat development and integration to Lieutenant General Eric E. Austin, after which he retired from the military.