R 111430Z JUL 18
MARADMIN 385/18
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MP//
SUBJ/DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY TO CERTIFY HONORABLE SERVICE FOR PURPOSES OF NATURALIZATION//
REF/A/OUSD (P and R) MEMO DTD 13 OCT 17//
REF/B/SECNAV MEMO DTD 18 JAN 18//
NARR/REF A CONTAINS NEW DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE STANDARDS AND
PROCEDURES FOR CERTIFICATION OF HONORABLE SERVICE FOR PURPOSES OF
NATURALIZATION.  REF B IS SECNAV DELEGATION OF HONORABLE SERVICE
CERTIFICATION AUTHORITY TO THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Ref (a) established new standards and procedures applicable to certifying honorable service for non-U.S. citizen military members for purposes of naturalization.  Per ref (b), effective immediately, authority to certify honorable service on United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form N-426 is delegated to commanding officers serving in paygrade O-6, or higher, in a service member’s chain of command.  This authority may not be further delegated.
2.  Certification of honorable service may only be made after the requirements contained in ref (a) are met.  Ref (a) can be found at HTTP://WWW.DEFENSE.GOV/PORTALS/1/DOCUMENTS/PUBS/NATURALIZATION-HONORABLE-SERVICE-CERTIFICATION.PDF.
a.  For service members whose date of enlistment or accession was on or after 13 Oct 17:
(1)  the service member is not the subject of pending disciplinary action or pending adverse administrative action or proceeding, and is not the subject of a law enforcement or command investigation; and,
(2)  the service member has met prescribed screening requirements and is the subject of a favorably adjudicated Military Service Suitability Determination (MSSD); and;
(a)  for active component members: those who have successfully completed basic training; completed at least 180 consecutive days of active duty service, inclusive of basic training; and, the characterization of the member’s service is honorable.
(b) for members in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve: those who have successfully completed basic training; completed at least one year (inclusive of basic training)  of satisfactory service towards non-regular retirement IAW Department of Defense Instruction 1215.07, “Service Credit for Non-Regular Retirement,” as a member of the Selected Reserve; and the characterization of the member’s service is honorable.
(c) for members in an active component or in the Selected Reserve of the ready reserve, who have served in an active duty status in a hazardous duty area: those  who have successfully completed basic training; satisfactorily served at least one day of active duty service in a location designated as a combat zone, a qualified hazardous duty area, or an area where service in the area has been designated to be in direct support of a combat zone, and which also qualifies the member for hostile fire or imminent danger pay under sections 310 or 351(a)(1) or (3) of Title 37, U.S. Code; and, the characterization of the member’s service is honorable.
b. for service members whose date of enlistment or accession in either the active or reserve component was prior to 13 Oct 17:
(1)   the service member is not the subject of pending disciplinary action or pending adverse administrative action or proceeding, and is not the subject of a law enforcement or command investigation; and,
(2) the service member has met prescribed screening requirements and is the subject of a favorably adjudicated Military Service Suitability Determination (MSSD); and;
(3) the service member has served in a capacity for a period of time and in a manner that permits an informed determination that the member has served honorably as a member of the active component or Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve.   Per ref (b) 45 days of basic military training shall be considered as the minimum time frame for honorable service determination for members whose date of enlistment or accession is prior to October 13, 2017.
3.  Points of contact.  Judge Advocate Division, HQMC, POC is Ms. Mary Hostetter, Legal Assistance Branch Head, Comm:  (703) 692-7442, email:  mary.hostetter@usmc.mil.  Manpower and Reserve Affairs, HQMC, POC is Mr. Kerry Cerny, Military Personnel Policy Branch, Comm: (703) 784-9387, email:  kerry.cerny@usmc.mil.
4.  Release authorized by Lieutenant General Michael A. Rocco, Deputy Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.//