Shivangi Sinha
A commanding officer plays a crucial role in the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), overseeing operations, guiding troops, and ensuring that every mission is executed with discipline. The officer is responsible for maintaining morale, readiness, and teamwork across all ranks. In Netflix’s ‘Marines,’ this leadership position was held by Colonel Chris Niedziocha during the 31st MEU, who was tasked with leading his unit through intense training and high-pressure evaluations. The series highlights how his experience and composure helped the team navigate the challenges of CERTEX, the certification exercise that tests whether the unit is fully prepared for deployment.
Chris Niedziocha Successfully Led the 31st MEU Through CERTEX
Colonel Chris P. Niedziocha took command of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit during its forward-deployed posture in Okinawa, Japan. In his role as commanding officer, he led the unit through its rigorous Certification Exercise (CERTEX), the final validation for the MEU’s readiness. CERTEX requires that the Marine Air-Ground Task Force components, Command Element, Ground Combat Element, Aviation Combat Element, and Logistics Combat Element, plan and execute missions within hours using the Rapid Response Planning Process in scenarios such as amphibious assaults, non-combatant evacuations (NEO), and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief operations.
Under Colonel Niedziocha’s leadership, the unit maintained high morale and cohesion even when operating under compressed timelines and overlapping mission sets. He emphasized the importance of continuous training, meticulous preparation, and time management so that when the “first night of the war” moment arrived, the MEU was ready. By steering his team through the complexities of live-fire scenarios, joint amphibious operations and multi-domain coordination, Colonel Niedziocha ensured the 31st MEU met the standards of INDOPACOM and remained the Marine Corps’ premier crisis-response force in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.
Chris Niedziocha Continues to Spearhead Important Military Exercises Even Today
Colonel Chris Niedziocha, originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey, and raised in suburban Philadelphia, began his military journey in 1996 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. He underwent recruit training at MCRD Parris Island, followed by Marine Combat Training at the School of Infantry East and the Marine Corps Communications and Electronics School and served four years as a field radio operator with Battery I, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment. He was later commissioned through the Platoon Leaders Course and, after completing the Infantry Officer’s Course, joined the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. There, he deployed twice, first to Okinawa, Japan, and later to Afghanistan, serving as both the weapons platoon commander and the anti-armor platoon commander. His next assignment took him to the 2D Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company, where he deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the Philippines in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Following that, he served with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment as assistant operations officer and later as commanding officer of Weapons Company, deploying twice with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the 5th and 7th Fleets. His expertise then led him to joint duty at the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), where he held critical roles including operations branch chief, military secretary to the Vice Director, and counter-IED officer for the Special Operations Joint Task Force in Afghanistan. Returning to the operational forces, he contributed to Exercise Bold Alligator 2014 with the 6th Marine Regiment and later became executive officer for 1/6, which conducted missions across the 5th and 6th Fleets and participated in NATO’s Exercise Trident Juncture 2018. In January 2019, Niedziocha took command of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, leading it through intensive training and deployment to Okinawa, Japan.
He later directed the Wargaming Division of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory and served as a strategist in the Commandant’s Office of Net Assessment. After completing the SecDef Strategic Thinkers Program at Johns Hopkins SAIS, he became the Commanding Officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in May 2024, based in Okinawa. In his current post, Colonel Niedziocha continues to strengthen multinational defense ties through exercises, such as the July 2025 meeting with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Maj. Gen. Yoshichika Ito aimed at deepening cooperation with the 1st Helicopter Brigade. He also played a leading role in joint exercises like Talisman Sabre with Australia, reinforcing the 31st MEU’s reputation as a ready and lethal force in the Indo-Pacific.
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Chris Niedziocha is Raising an Adorable Daughter With His Wife
Colonel Chris P. Niedziocha’s personal achievements illuminate a distinguished career marked by courage and leadership. In June 2004, as a First Lieutenant with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, he was awarded the Silver Star for leading his Marines through an intense ambush near Sandabuz, Afghanistan, as he repeatedly advanced under heavy fire to regain the initiative. Beyond this, his decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon.
Despite this decorated record, Col. Niedziocha maintains a private personal life. He is married and has a young daughter who remains the centre of his world. His family is his anchor amid a demanding military career and he prefers to keep that aspect of his life away from the public.
