From left to right: Richard Heim, Rear Adm. Douglas G. Morton, Rear Adm. C. Forrest Faison III, Hon. Jonathan Woodson, Hon. Mike McCord, Rear Adm. Bruce L. Gillingham, Lt. Gen. John A. Toolan and Capt. Mark A. Kobelja simultaneously cut the ribbon during the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at the replacement facility Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton Jan. 31. The ceremony was held to officially open the 500,000-square-foot, four-story building. Heim is the president and chief executive officer of Western Region Clark Construction Group-Calif., LP. Morton is commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic. Faison is the deputy surgeon general of the Navy and deputy chief for the Bureau of Medicine. Woodson is the assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. McCord is the principal deputy under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Gillingham is the commander of Navy Medicine West at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. Toolan is the commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force. Kobelja is the commanding officer of Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.

Photo by Cpl. Michael Iams

Department of Defense Deputy Comptroller visits Camp Pendleton

6 Feb 2014 | Cpl. Laura Gauna 1st Marine Logistics Group

2/4/2014 --

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - U.S. principal deputy under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), Mike McCord, visited Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 30-31, 2014, to speak with commanders within I Marine Expeditionary Force and 1st Marine Logistics Group, on budget issues as they pertain to readiness, training and deployment.

McCord was interested in hearing how budget constraints at the Pentagon are impacting the troops at the lower levels and how it's impacting training, the ordering of equipment, the maintenance of barracks, weapons training and overall readiness.

During his time on the West Coast, McCord attended a Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Commanders meeting, lunched with Marines and observed a live-fire sniper training exercise with Special Operations Training Group, I MEF.

McCord also spoke at the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for the replacement facility Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, along with Sandra Richardson, director, resources issues under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Military Assistant. Both were responsible for heading the funding of the hospital.