Law Enforcement
Mr. Marco Mendoza
Mr. Mendoza joined the USMC MWD Program Management Team in February 2025 as its second Deputy Program Manager. He is a 10-year Veteran of the Marine Corps and a Military Working Dog Handler since 2012. His knowledge and experience bring valuable talent to the Headquarters Marine Corps staff.
Mr. Mendoza enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2011 and attended recruit training at MCRD San Diego, CA. Upon completion of recruit training and Marine Combat Training at the School of Infantry-West, he reported to the Military Police Basic Course at Ft Leonard Wood, MO and earned the primary MOS of 5811 (Military Police). In December of 2011, LCpl Mendoza reported to 2nd Military Police Support Company. In 2012, LCpl Mendoza was selected to conduct on the job training for the Military Working Dog (MWD) Platoon and attended the MWD Basic Handler Course at JBSA-Lackland AFB, Texas. In late 2013, Cpl Mendoza deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and provided explosive detection support to various units in the Helmand and Herat provinces. In 2015, Sgt Mendoza was selected to become a MWD Instructor for the Marine Corp’s MWD Team Deployment Training Course at the U.S Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. As an Instructor, Sgt Mendoza instructed over 250 Inter-Service MWD Teams in advanced handling techniques to prepare MWD Teams for upcoming deployments to austere environments. In October of 2018, SSgt Mendoza reported to 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion in Okinawa, Japan and assumed the role of the MWD Chief Trainer for the MWD Platoon. As the Chief Trainer, he was responsible for the planning, organizing, and executing the MWD Platoon training plan for over 35 MWD Teams for direct support to the Indo-Pacific region and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
In December of 2020, Mr. Mendoza entered the Department of Defense (DoD) as a Civilian Employee and served as a Police Officer for the Department of the Air Force (DAF) at Fort Sam Houston, TX. In 2021, Mr. Mendoza transferred within the DAF, to become a MWD Training Instructor at the 341st Training Squadron where he was responsible for training new MWDs for the DoD. In 2021, Mr. Mendoza reported to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) as the Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC) Master Trainer for Marine Raider Support Group. As the MPC Master Trainer, Mr. Mendoza served as part of the MARSOC MPC Program Management Staff and was the key technical and educational advisor to the Marine Raider Support Group and Marine Raider Regiment Commanders on training and implementation of the MPC asset to support of the MARSOC mission. As the MPC Master Trainer, Mr. Mendoza defined course objectives, developed lesson materials and the program of instruction for the Special Operations Capability Specialist - Delta MPC Handler Training Course in accordance with MARSOC, Special Operations Command, and Training Education Command Standards.