The Commandant of the Marine Corps announced today the selection of Sgt. Maj. Ronald L. Green as the next Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.

“It gives me great pleasure to name Sgt. Maj. Green as the 18th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps,” said Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the commandant of the Marine Corps.

“His dynamic leadership is well known throughout the ranks of our Corps. His wide range of experience in both peacetime and combat, and his record of performance make him extraordinarily well-qualified to serve as our senior enlisted leader,” Dunford said.

Green, currently the sergeant major of I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), will replace Sgt. Maj. Micheal P. Barrett, who has held the billet since June 2011.

Barrett is credited with improving Marines’ training, education, compensation, quality of life, bachelor enlisted quarters, on-base housing, and family support programs.

“Sgt. Maj. Barrett has poured his heart and soul into serving Marines, Sailors, and their families,” Dunford said. “He has truly made a positive impact on the combat readiness of our Corps.”

The relief and appointment ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m., Feb. 20, at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

The post of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps was established in 1957 as the senior enlisted advisor to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the first such post in any of the branches of the United States Armed Forces. The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is selected by the Commandant, and typically serves a four-year term, though his service is at the pleasure of the Commandant.