The region contains the major maritime trade routes which link the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Western Hemisphere.

There have been Marines stationed at the Central Command since September 1982, but Marine Central Command only came into existence in 1990, in preparation for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Southwest Asia.

In 1996 a Marine Liaison Office was opened at CENTCOM headquarters, MacDill Air Force Base, being known as MARCENT, and in 1999 this office was upgraded to Headquarters Marine Corps Forces Central Command.

The decision to create a free standing MARCENT headquarters was made as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continued.

[1] In 2012, Lieutenant General Robert Neller became the first dedicated head of MARCENT at MacDill AFB, fully focused on the Middle East.