The mission of the Recruit Depot and the Western Recruiting Region is to exercise operational control of enlisted recruiting operations in the 8th, 9th, and 12th Marine Corps Recruiting Districts; to provide reception, processing, and recruit training for enlisted personnel following initial entry into the United States Marine Corps; and to produce a basically trained United States Marine embodied with the fighting spirit, core values and esprit de corps which have ensured our Corps' success for over 240 years.

The unique relationship between the Marine Corps Recruit Depot and San Diego is the result of almost 150 years of mutual support, assistance and growth. This relationship is reflected in the history of the Marine Corps in San Diego, the Depot as a post of the Corps, and the heritage of San Diego itself.

The Depot's primary function is to take quality young men and women from the western two-thirds of the United States and transform them through the foundations of rigorous basic training, our shared legacy, and a commitment to our Core Values, preparing them to win our Nation's battles in service to the country.

The Depot is also home to Drill Instructor School which teaches Sergeants, Staff Sergeants and Gunnery Sergeants what it takes to make Basic Marines; and Recruiters School which teaches noncommissioned officers and Staff NCO's how to find America's best and brightest and bring them into our ranks.

As part of the efforts to protect the health and welfare of the force, it is essential to support measures to reduce occupancy of various public spaces aboard Marine Corps Installations. In furtherance of this goal, the Depot Command Museum, is opened only to personnel who are authorized to access the military installation. We appreciate your support as we work to balance our critical military training mission with our obligations to ensure the safety of all who transit through this installation.

Effective immediately, MCRD Gate Hours of Operation will shift to:

Gate 2: 

• Monday through Friday: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Gate 4: 

• Monday through Friday:
• Inbound/Outbound      6 a.m. to 9 a.m
• Outbound Only           3 p.m. to 6 p.m. 
• Weekends and Holidays: Closed

Gate 5 (Washington Street) 24/7

Marine Corps Community Services departments has expanded patronage to all authorized personnel. Counseling services at Marine And Family Programs are available by appointment. All updated information on status of business operation is posted on: www.mccsmcrd.com and on MCCS MCRD Facebook.

Defense Service Network (DSN) Dialing Instructions

The DSN is the provider of long-distance communications service for the Department of Defense (DoD). Every installation has a special DSN number and the numbers vary by world-wide location. In order to place a call using DSN, the caller must be using a military phone on an installation. Cellphones cannot dial DSN numbers. When dialing a DSN number from a United States installation to another United States installation, it is unnecessary to dial the DSN 312 area code. When dialing a DSN number to/from overseas locations, the DSN area code must be included.