ORGANIZATION RELATIONSHIPS

The Marine Corps has dental officers and Dental Technicians assigned to the following levels of organization. The same dental officer may frequently be assigned to more than one level.

CMC Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps (Health Services Directorate)

Fleet Marine Force (Atlantic-MARFORLANT and Pacific-MARFORPAC)

Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)

Marine Division (MARDIV)

Marine Air Wing (MAW)

Force Service Support Group (FSSG)

Dental Battalion (DENBN)

Headquarters & Service Company (H&S CO)

Dental Company (DENCO)

DENTAL OFFICER ON STAFF OF HEALTH SERVICES, HEADQUARTERS U.S MARINE CORPS

The Director of Dental Programs (DDP) also has the title of Dental Officer, U.S. Marine Corps, and is the staff dental officer to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Assigned to the Health Services Directorate, the DDP reports to the Director of Health Services. The DDP provides assistance and advice to the Director of Health Services on both professional and personnel matters relating to dental support throughout the Marine Corps. The DDP is supported by an administrative assistant who is a Master Chief Dental Technician.

DENTAL OFFICER ON STAFF OF COMMANDING GENERAL, FMF

Commanding generals, FMF, Pacific and FMF Atlantic have a force dental branch or section as a special staff. The force dental branches (MARFOR-LANT and MARFORPAC) consist of the force dental officer (Captain, Dental Corps), the force dental administrative officer (Lieutenant Commander, Medical Service Corps), and an enlisted administrative assistant (Chief Dental Technician). The force dental branch assists the commanding general in professional, technical, administrative, and personnel matters pertinent to dental support to the FMF. Figure 12-5 illustrates the organization of the FMF for the Pacific and Atlantic. Note that MARFORPAC has two different Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEFs), while MARFORLANT has one MEF.

MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

A Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) is the largest of all the organized Marine forces with over 30,000 Marine and Navy personnel. It is capable of a wide range of expeditionary operations and, with its 60 days of support, can sustain operations ashore. Each MEF is further broken down into 3 different subordinate elements:

Marine Division (MARDIV)

Marine Air Wing (MAW)

Force Service Support Group (FSSG)

Figure 12-5.\FMF organization Pacific and Atlantic.

DENTAL BATTALION (DENBN)

A total of four dental battalions (three active duty battalions and one reserve battalion) support the FMF. Each DENBN is composed of 74 dental officers, 2 medical service corps officers, 153 Dental Technicians, and 9 enlisted Marines (Marines call this a Table of Organization or T/O). The four dental battalion names and locations are as follows:

1st Dental Battalion-Camp Pendelton, CA

2nd Dental Battalion-Camp Lejeune, NC

3rd Dental Battalion-Okinawa, JA

4th Dental Battalion (reserve battalion)\ Marietta, GA

The DENBN is designed to attain maximum use of personnel, while providing the most effective dental healthcare to FMF operations. The organization of each DENBN allows for task organized detachments of individual dental companies or composite detachments made up of elements of more than one dental company, including the Headquarter & Service company (H&S) elements, to support various Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTFs). Figure 12-6 illustrates the organization of an FMF DENBN.